Not a fun question i guess, but do you think it is bad to depend on the pills or mylanta on every day basis to help be regular ?
I never been one to go more then 3 or 4 days apart from one another. I eat lots of fruit and stuff that you'd think would help, but I am just tired of being uncomfortable .
Most of my life, I only went every 2-5 days - even though I was very active and ate fruits and veggies, but lately I have been walking 3-5 miles per day, 6 days a week, and that has completely made me regular! I don't know if you have to walk that much, but it has made a serious difference for me! Good luck!
Read the warning labels on the medication. That will tell you if there is a problem with taking it for a prolonged period.
Have you tried Activia yogurt? It has active cultures that help fix the system.
Have you tried taking Miralax? It is a softner, non habit forming, and is approved for taking for an extended time.
Did you know that eating too much fiber can cause constipation?
There are people that use immodium to stop the opposite from happening so i dont see a problem using something that would help you go more often, but I know that drs will tell patients to use immodium to prevent D so ask your dr if there are safe pills to take regularly to prevent C
Why not try a Metamucil supplement?
Going everyday is NOT normal for everybody. Only you know what is normal for you.
Try probiotics, drink lots of water, consume lot's of different fibers (soluble and insoluble) and exercise (walk/run) every day - the motion helps move things along.
For some people, pooping every few days is what is normal (regular) for them.
If you feel uncomfortable, then trying for maybe every other day should help give you some relief.
Stick with high fiber foods - prunes, prune juice, dates, beans and take some fiber supplements.
Benefiber can be mixed in with juice, water or added to other foods and you'll never know it's there.
Fiber gummy bears are pretty good.
Psylium husk capsules are great fiber (build up your tolerance for it slowly).
Always always always drink plenty of water!
If BRAT helps to firm up diarrhea, then stay away from binding foods (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast).
Go for whole grain breads when ever possible.
Try to stay away from the laxatives - you can get dependent on them and then you'll REALLY be uncomfortable.
Do not become dependent on enemas either.
Its not good to take a laxative every day-your body becomes dependent on it. I don't know what miralax is classified as, but my DD ped said it can be used daily.
Drink more water.
A friend of mine had uterine fibroid tumers that grew so big the uterus pressed on her colon and caused constipation.
All I'm saying is it's not always diet and should be checked by a doctor. And stay away from laxatives, they are very bad for you and your body becomes dependent on them. It's better to see your doctor and have a consutlation with a dietition.
I had horrible, horrible constipation most of my life. When I was 40 years old, I say a naturopath. He discovered I had severe heavy metal toxicity; I chelated. He discovered that I had several food allergies/intolerances. I stay away from eating those foods. He discovered I had severe Leaky Gut and malabsorption because the wrong foods I was eating were affecting my gut, so I took specific nutriceuticals to repair my gut. He discovered that I had various mineral, enzyme, vitamin, amino acid deficiencies, which we took care of through supplements. I changed my diet to organic and installed a R/O water filtration system. I drastically changed what I ate, how I ate (only use cast-iron), what I drank, etc., etc.
It has now been 5 years since I made all these changes. I do not take anything to help me be regular. Getting my body healthy and in line and then continuing to eat and drink healthy has allowed my body to naturally repair itself. I have at least one bowel movement a day now, sometimes two.
This is from someone who was lucky if I had one bowel movement a week, sometimes in two weeks. So I definitely know where you're coming from. Seeing a Naturopathic doctor and completely changing how I eat completely changed my life. The biggest change is that I'm now regular--without taking anything to "help" my intestines or keep me regular--and I feel the best I've ever felt.
Miralax is the best. It's not really a laxative.
