regular use of laxatives?

Hi people- I'm considering taking a T of Milk of Magnesia nightly, to see if this will help me regulate myself.... anyone rememeber that old commercial "A T of MOM in the PM, for a BM in the AM!". Plus, my Nana (& everyone else's!) seemed to do it. Because I alternate between days with very little stool, but lots of tenesmus, bleeding, mucous, etc with days of massive amounts of formed, soft stool. Lately it's been mostly blood & mucous. I supplement with fiber, my diet hasn't changed at all..... The MOM is the only laxative recommended by my GI & I have used it in the past with good results. It seems like my colon is just not working right, regardless of the ulcerations. Obviously the Remicade isn't doing a darned thing anymore either- I have a good 3 weeks, then bam, the bleeding starts right back up. I have a call into my GI to start the insurance ppwk. on Humira- who knows if they'll approve it or not. I'm just so disgusted! Bleh!!!!!!!   But does anyone else on here use laxatives on a fairly regular basis? Do you find they make your bm's more "even", I guess would be the term???

What helps with that is fibre supplement and antispasmodics....but if you're flaring, and you're having more constipation, then rectal meds can possibly help.

I'd be scared to do the MofM...but I haven't done any research on it...have you as of yet? find out the "ins and outs" of it..punny eh?...and make a decision based on that and the fact that you have UC.

What fibre supplement are you using? You could play around with those options possibly.

Let us know what the "outcome" is...oh, must be that I'm up early today and forgot to take my Effexor last night..sigh.

quincy

I don't have any recommendations, but did want to tell you good luck!

well, wish me luck people- I have some Konsyl! I've never taken that stuff before, seems like fiber overload. But..... I grabbed some samples from the basement at work (I work in a health clinic), & will try them this wknd! I hope it helps smooth things out.

Konsyl's the same as metamucil from what I've read.....how much of the Metamucil were you taking?

Hope you didn't grab the sugar-free samples..

Keep us posted.

q

Konsyl is what my brother uses.  He has diverticulitis and found this to be the best fiber for keeping him regular.  Good luck Eva Lou!

Sue

Now on Dr. Oz yesterday, he mentioned putting magnesium in orange juice (or a juice) and take that for constipation. He usually has the episodes on his website -- might want to check it out. It was pretty informative.

I've never seen Dr. Oz, but it's funny that he mentions magnesium, since that's basically what Milk of Magnesia is! A magnesium suspension in H20- I'm pretty sure it's one of the safest, most gentle laxatives on the market. Tomorrow it is, for the Konsyl. I hear it's awful, thick & slimy. funny enough, today I've been alright- 3 decent, solid bm's. I just talked to my GI on Friday about starting Humira- he is going to submit the insurance ppwk. this coming week.

My husband used to sell pharmacueticals way back when, and he told me the same thing. If you get a chance, watch the Dr. Oz show, we are kind of hooked on it now. He has a pretty packed with information show and doesn't have a problem talking about and showing how things work in the human body -- even down to having real body parts. It's pretty fascinating! Have fun at the party! ;-)

You know, I never wound up taking anything- things started moving on their own! I rarely use laxatives, maybe once every 3-4 months. And it's always a half-dose. I hate to use them, & I get leery of taking them also. Constipation isn't generally my issue, but when I go for a week at a time, with only 1-3 bm's per day, I know that one day I'll be on the toilet 15 times. So, I thought a regular use of a gentle laxative may make things more regular, daily bm's of 4-6. Which is my norm. But thanks for the support- I'd rather avoid a laxative at all costs! Now I have a bunch of packets of Konsyl in my closet, just waiting for the right time.