what i would do to have the bowels of a normal person!

[Naomi]

i am sick to bloody death of never being able to shit. nobody likes constipation but mostly its pretty easy to get rid of. not with me.... i have to go to the doctor and get prescribed Movical after about 5 days of trying senna, duclolax etc etc. I will have about 10 sachets and for three days I am stuck in my house- most of that time curled up on my knees in my bedroom trying to shit or lying in bed crying my eyes out because the pain is horrific. i must admit i do neglect myself... but recently when ive been eating tons of fruit n veg n fibre and drinking water, it still makes no difference.

its so painful and humiliating and most of all i just cant shit, which my nurse mother or my GP doesnt understand. its so horrific... not to mention humiliating. I have to literally put gloves on and help pull it out and even then i cant barely get any of it out. its called 'fecal compaction' apparently. the pain is so horrific once i vomitted while trying to go as it was so excrutiating. i just cry and cry about it and god i get so scared. im very good with pain but im so frightened of going to the toilet! sounds dumb right? but its awful. this happens all the time and this may sound over the top....but sometimes i think about killing myself purely because i cant take the pain! haha.

sorry.... ive been awfully graphic about shitting. it hasnt just been for nothing though, oh no. im writing this so i can obtain tips on how to be a 80pound a day junkie plus still shit painlessly. what can i eat? take? do?

help me! i cant take this!

[devilsdrug]

been there, i once went 2 weeks without a dump, painful you bet just did more dope which of course compacted the situation, solution brand name (here anyway) fleet, self induced enema, get on your knees squeeze and get on the throne imediately,

[exitwound]

Try some docusate sodium (common OTC laxative), a higher-fiber diet, some Metamucil, and drinking LOTS of extra water! Opiates are both constipating AND de-hydrating which tend to complicate one another.

[anthropod]

Yes, try psyllium- it's the active ingredient in metamucil, and available in the health food or supplement section. Simply stir it into water or juice and drink it through a straw. Now, if you let it sit it will start to get gellatin-like, no harm in that. It's not exactly pleasant but obviously you'll agree better than the alternative! Do this every day and in so doing you'll nip the problem in the bud before it ever gets bad. In my experience a crap a day is optimal. More than 48 hours goes by, I load up on the psyllium. This should take care of it, and it's good for digestive health anyway.

[candy]

Hey Naomi,
Your not alone and most of us who use opiates have consitpation. Unfortunately, it is just a part of using opiates and having a normal bowel movement just might not happen until you are off of opiates.
Being a nurse myself and someone on Methadone, I can say I suffer as well and most women will have a harder time going than men.

Increase your liquids to at least 8-8oz. glasses of water per day. Continue to increase your soluble fiber through fruits and vegetables. Stay away from fiber supplements, such as Fibercon or Metamucil, especially those that are powered and need to be mixed with water. They only turn into a sludge in the bowels if not taken with enough water and need to pass through the bowel in a short amount of time. For those of us on opiates, our systems are slower. Opiates slow down the GI system so motility is decreased.
Avoid any foods that cause constipation; cheese, rice, bananas, foods high in fat and sugar, eggs, and dairy products.

Stay away from laxatives such as Dulcolax, they cause muscle contractions in the bowel and with use over time, can actually make constipation worse, by decreasing the bowels natural muscle contraction.

Try saline laxatives, such as Milk of Magnesia. They work by increasing the amount of water absorbed into the stool, which in turn makes the stool softer. Mineral oil is also a good laxative and will make the passage of stool easier. It is not the easiest thing to take, but it will help and if you can stand the taste of prune juice or eating prunes that will help.

Also start taking stool softeners each day. Colace is a good choice, but don't get the Colace with the laxative. You can take up to 4 I believe and split them up. Two in the morning and two at night. This will help. Continue to take them even if you have a good bowel movement.

It is an embarrassing thing to deal with, but maybe trying some of the suggestions will help. What your dealing with is uncomfortable and frustrating and I am sure many will agree.

Hope you feel better.

[candy]

I know some posted regarding taking the Metamucil and products like it, but for a decrease in Motility such as with someone who takes opiates, Metamucil is not a good option. With decreased motility, it just not the best choice and if one is not taking enough water, it can just make the problem worse. While this may not be true of everyone, I just don't recommend it.

Colace is a better option or mineral oil which will soften the stool faster and make passage easier.

If the psyllium products work for you great, but it sounds like for Naomi, it might make the problem worse. Psyllium, is great for someone who just lacks fiber in their diet and their stools are hard. With chronic opiate use, the bowel has decreased motility and their is a decrease in the amount of fluid absorbed to help soften stool.

But these are just suggestions and if you find something that works for you, then stick with it.

[caesee]

Now I always drank water allot of water, if I was constapted I would drink a gallon in about an hour. I got it from my girls "home remedy" book, it actually worked for me...

[renton]

Hey I feel ya. I take alot of codeine and it makes me horribly consitpated. Pretty much the only thing I've found that works is lots of Colace and enemas. Thats right, those tubes you stick up your but and shoot water through. At first I thought it was too disquisting to do but after almost getting a hernia trying to crap I decided to give it a try. I bought this thing that looks like a hot water bottle with a hose and you fill it with about 1 litre of warm water and hang it somewhere above you then stick the hose in. After the first few times I got used to it now I wouldent go a week without it. Plus it's safer than downing tons of powerfull laxatives which give you horrible cramps and make you dependant.

[shaunclo]

Hey Naomi, as you have probably realized - your not alone, look at the saying under my screen name;) .

Whenever I got so constipated I felt sick to my stomach, I would just not take my morning hit/dose until I went. It might take till about late in the day, but it is well worth it when your done.:uhhohh: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[jacky]

I was given the nick-name "hashi" after a particularly painful experience with constipation. "hashi" means chopstick in japanese.

I was double dosing methadone everyday, something that you are not supposed to do every day. this led to the formation of a perfectly round ball of feces forming in my colon......this led to some problems, that even the enema bottle couldnt conquer.......I was not going to go to the hospital and pay someone to dig feces out of my ass with a spoon.

I used a chopstick and and enema bottle and took care of the situation myself in about 20 minutes.....a quick shower after I was feeling MUCH better.

I notice that when I use a little dxm, or kratom that I usually have a bowel movement when opiate dependant, or force myself to go a few hours without a dose of the drug of choice.

[blackdog]

Hey Naomi, as you have probably realized - your not alone, look at the saying under my screen name;) .

Whenever I got so constipated I felt sick to my stomach, I would just not take my morning hit/dose until I went. It might take till about late in the day, but it is well worth it when your done.:uhhohh: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


yeah i'm with jacky on this one.
theres two good reasons to hold off on the morning dose. one-so as to allow the constipation to fade away and two-it allows you to get the feel of and appreciate that fix ever so much more dearly.
also what helps is a good long walk with rover.since i've been on unemployment i've been nothing but a couch potato and all my muscles are atrophying from non-use.so it is a constant problem my constipation......sorry mybad peace and happy pooping
da/dawgg:cool:

[Kallie]

In response, via Candy, about mineral oil... my children at times have had some pretty fierce childhood constipation. Traveling to the grands, vacations, etc upset their routine and liquid consumption. So, I was told by their pediatrician to try Mineral Oil (at any grocery or OTC drug store). The secret is mixing it with a few shakes of McCormick's Cinnamin-Sugar (you know, the pre-mixed spice bottle). It is safe, effective, and the sweet mixture makes it much, much for palatable than anything else I've tried. They actual consider it a "treat" like candy and take it very willingly. Softens the poop and helps reduce the friction. (Sorry to be so graphic:p). Good luck.

[jab]

I just wanted to second that notion that Metamucil type fiber substitutes are not good for this kind of constipation. You will end up with too much bulk and compound the issue.

I also agree that the best way is to hold off on the first hit till business is done. Sometimes I'll even let the bowels know "hey, no go, no fun" and they almost allways give in to the pressure; sooner or later. ;)

[poppy]

Fortunately I don't have this problem, but I know loads of people who do and Jab's suggestion of holding off on the first hit till after the no. 2 business is done makes a lot of sense.

Also after I had my kids I can remember the midwives advising us new mums to drink lots of water which apparently makes things a little easier so to speak!! ( believe me going for a number 2 after childbirth is a scary business especially if u've got stitches..)

[antony]

naomi, like the avatar, looks like little antony,

but, it seems harder to decide whats worse, the constipation, or the diarrehea while going through w/ds?

i cant figure out whats more painful?

[blackdog]

oh yeah what's worse??
explosive diarrhea and/or vomiting both at the exact same time.whewwww cold turkey
that is when i start talking to the lord.c'mon let's make a deal i promise i'll mean it this time lord:cool:

[Qwertymkonji]

i have the magical gift of lactose intolerance. when i get constipated i resort to a healthy milkshake. i then proceed to shit my brains out for at least 20 minutes.

qwerty

[alowishus]

i have the magical gift of lactose intolerance. when i get constipated i resort to a healthy milkshake. i then proceed to shit my brains out for at least 20 minutes.

qwerty

lol:D :D

Know thy self grasshopper.

[GMorris]

Being a morning shitter, I also have the "no go, no dose" rule. It's generally not a problem as I'm usually awakened by that urge to do number 2, and by the time I'm done I'm awake enough to enjoy that first one of the day. Only on rare occasions do I go even one day without passing at least a little bit, and even then it worries me somewhat. On those rare occasions I find that a lot of water is key to a good dump-o-matic, and even though some say don't do it, I have good results with the bulk fiber myself. To each his own, I suppose...

[ontario_opiophile]

I'm on methadone and it is the biggest pain in the ass out of all the opioids/opiates. The dose never really wears off so you never can go to the bathroom. You have to go into like 3 days of withdrawal before it's out of your system enough to let you shit. I get that fecal compaction as well, i've had to literally pull my shit out of my ass cuz it turns into cement balls it's disgusting. Okay enough info. What i've been doing is taking a fuckload of laxatives once a week to have a movement but my mom takes laxatives EVERY DAY. So i started doing it and i'm noticing alot more normal bowel movements and they dont hurt as much because my body is getting used to the laxatives. I take 5 sennokot, 5 docusate sodium and never more than 3 of the Biscodyl (the little yellow evil ones). If you take just 5 sennokot everyday and 5 of the red ones you should get normal bowel movements. I feel like i have to go right now. IT's amazing, for once. I can shit! lol. Sennokot are apparently the easiest on the bowels. Biscodyl is not easy on the bowels so I would not take them very often. Others on here recommend Psyllium fibre and metamucil and those other concoctions and they may work for others but in my case they make it worse. I find the c ompaction gets way worse and it makes it more difficult to shit out. It's almost like that stuff is a glue that hardens it all together. But who knows it may work for you if you take it everyday. Cuz it seems to work for some people. You can try a Glycerin suppository but they dont really work too well for me. I notice when i use laxatives I shit out a ton of mucus as well it's quite gross. Tons of blood too. But i have health problems so it's normal for me. anyways good luck sorry about the graphic nature of this post. Oh also, eating more ruffage might help. Lots of lettuce, oranges, fruits, maybe some prunes, apricots. good stuff


Hahaha that post by Jacky was pretty funny. Lol.Hashi hahah man thats nasty having to dig it out with chopsticks lmao. Thanks for a good laugh lol. Ingenious idea though lol

[shaunclo]

O_O, I would be wary about taking laxatives every day. Just like opiates, your bowels can become ADDICTED to those laxatives, and even when and if you ever get off opiates all together, you will still have to take those laxatives to be able to shit. Every now and then is fine, but every day is not good. Unless your advised to by a doctor.

Something about your spinchter and anal muscles stop workling when you take laxatives, and after a while they will never work again on their own. Crazy stuff........

[candy]

Agreed, Laxatives are bad and should only be taken every now and then. Laxatives work by increasing the motility of the bowel, speeding up the motility and increase the water in the bowel to make the stool softer. What happens after long time chronic use, the bowel loses it's motility and becomes slack.

Opiates slow down the entire GI system, which includes the bowels, thus making it difficult to have a bowel movement everyday.

Anyone else feel full sometimes even after eating a small meal. Due to delayed gastric emptying caused by the opiates. The stomach is not emptying as quick as it should and your morning meal may be sitting in the belly when you go to eat lunch. That is if your eating a regular diet....3 meals a day!

Colace, a stool softener is fine to take daily and will not affect the motility of the bowel. Just make sure you don't take the Colace + laxative prep.

Lots of water and get some exercise if you can. Even a short walk everyday will help increase the motility of the bowel. Lots of good soluble fiber from foods, not in the pill form or the powder form. Just from foods. Much easier for the body to digest and your getting other good things as well, ie; Vitamins, minerals, etc.

Most of us probably are not getting the best diet or heading to the gym daily and those things will help. A short walk is great and avoid foods that are constipating; bananas, rice, pasta, white breads, sugary foods.

Lots of water!!!!

[Podded and Nodded]

As sad as it is to say I will have to say I enjoy the constipation. An "opiated" bowel movement does feel similar to pooping out pinecones, but this can be assisted with some bread dipped in a concoction of olive oil, salt, pepper, and italian herbs.-just my two cents

[Endorph]

Yeah, I totally feel all you guys. It's nasty shit.. literally..

I had really bad problems when i was using opiates.. depending on which ones.. but eventually i figured out what worked for me as far as laxitives and drinking lots of water and fiber and so on... figured out for the most part how to avoid such situations even when using heavily.

im on suboxone now just to mention and have been for a few months now, and for some reason last night it was like a repeat of those horrible days when i feared having to shit.. knowing it was going to be bad.. just like you guys.. and im not sure why it was like that since i hadnt used any opiates in a long time.. well other than the suboxone im trying to recover on, but ive been on this suboxone for months now and my bowel movements seemed to be fine since then.

Anyway, for me those times when its bad like that reminds me of giving birth.. even though im a guy. haha.. but that's the closest thing that comes to my mind when i think about it. it's absolute hell when you got a giant ball of shit stuck in your ass that wont come out... and there's so much pain you nearly pass out.. and then eventually it finally comes out.. covered in blood and mucus and such.. just like a baby. hahaha.. like giving birth.. i guess that's as close to it as i'll come. sorry for the descriptive language :)