# Best way to fight difficult constipation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988 "2016-08-26T03:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/21 "2016-08-30T02:29:21Z")
In addition to the stool softeners, increasing water, fiber, miralax, fruit, and hot coffee, try walking around a bit several times a day. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/22 "2016-08-30T04:16:12Z")
Metamucil. It increases bulk tremendously. I makes going to the loo a LOT easier. The standard dose is a teaspoon, but 2-3 is better. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/23 "2016-08-30T04:32:27Z")
First step: review any papers they sent you home with for instructions. If they say not to do anything in this thread, don’t do it. We can only offer general advice, which may in fact be a terrible idea, depending on what you’ve been through. Second step: make sure you’re getting enough water. Stool needs water to move. Third step: walk. Moving increases peristalsis. Fourth step (in this case, because narcotics): stool softener, like Colace or docusate. Your director should have written you an order for that when they wrote the prescription for the painkiller. You don’t need a prescription for docusate; it’s sold in the same exact strength OTC, and usually cheaper. Fifth step: fiber. Our protocol for postop abdominal surgery is Metamucil or generic psyllium by label directions twice a day. This will help to soften the stool while making it fatter and easier to push out. Dates, prunes, dried apricots and raisins are good things to add to your diet if you can handle the sugar. They all contain natural osmotic laxatives in the form of sugars, as well as fiber. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/24 "2016-08-30T04:52:59Z")
Do it like a mathematician would: he works it out with a pencil. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/25 "2016-08-30T12:07:16Z")
My apologies if this is TMI. The combination of medications plus reduced movement/exercise is a perfect storm for constipation. It sucks, and I hope you’re better soon. I take daily opiates. It’s a fairly low dose, but I had to add a pill daily as I can no longer take NSAIDS (my stomach and esophagus are screwed up by taking them for ten years of chronic pain…and trying to avoid taking more opiates). That one pill has, ahem, slowed things down. Every day I add generic Mira-lax to my coffee, eat a couple of Fiber One bars (the cinnamon coffee cake are pretty good), and have a salad for lunch. I take two Ducolax a night. All of this is ok’d by my doc. I also have a prescription for Movantik, but it isn’t doing much. YMMV. Drink plenty of water or gatorade. Water is best in this case; I can tell when I don’t get enough. But my secret weapon? Cole slaw. Seriously. Cole slaw. If things don’t move, drink a good amount of water, eat cole slaw, and wait. Things should get going in a day. Lots of water in it, lots of roughage. Good luck. ETA: 1) Sugar-free Russell Stover candies. Eat several. The sugar alcohols get things going in a lot of people. 2) Chocolate-covered “dried plums” (by Sunsweets) are surprisingly tasty. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/26 "2016-08-30T19:22:07Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Do it like a mathematician would: he works it out with a pencil. Even worse for architects, who work it out with a T-square. OP: If you eat half, or more, of an incredibly ripe cantaloupe, your problems will be all behind you. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988/27 "2016-08-31T22:54:01Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > … > ETA: 1) Sugar-free Russell Stover candies. Eat several. The sugar alcohols get things going in a lot of people. 2) Chocolate-covered “dried plums” (by Sunsweets) are surprisingly tasty. “Food” made with Olestra would work well but those potato chips are apparently no longer produced. The orange and lemon flavored prunes are actually enjoyable - I discovered them after my son was born. Between breastfeeding (made it hard to get enough liquid), a restricted diet (as most foods seemed to give him colic), and a fair bit of “collateral damage” from the delivery… the extra help was needed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-fight-difficult-constipation/763988.md?page=1)