This thread made me think of something I’ve been wondering about. Just to be clear, I am under my doctors care and am not seeking medical advice. (Not that my doctor can help much, but that is a rant for another day.)
I suffer from IBS and regularly deal with severe constipation that can last for up to a week or more. As a consequence I end up having to use a laxative fairly frequently. I tend to hold off on it until I’m in a good bit of pain because I’m afraid that my system will become too accustomed to them and I would have to use them all the time. (I’m holding out hope that someday IBS will be fixable!)
So the question is, how much usage would be too much? Is there a relatively reliable guideline on when your body will get hooked?
IANAD, but I’m sure one will be along shortly. Have you tried one of the psyllium fiber laxatives? I’m pretty sure it’s safe to take those on a regular (heh) basis. Taking it every day might even prevent the problem.
I have the other kind of IBS and I find that more fiber is a good idea for that, too.
The most awesome constipation remedy is the (now available over the counter) Miralax. My 3-year old has slow bowels, and the doc recommended it. We started out at a high dosage (but not the adult dosage) in juice, and he never even noticed it, and now he’s down to about 1/8 tsp ever other day. It made a huge difference–BMs for him were very painful before that. You can find FDA info here (PDF).
From that page:
Our son’s been taking it for several months and is not hooked; as I noted, we’ve decreased the dosage over time to the point where we’re close to stopping altogether.
Similar experience here.
My son has been using Miralax daily for 6+ years now - he has encopresis . He was on a fairly high dose at one point (half-capful, not sure how that compares with the adult dosage) and the gastroenterologist wasn’t concerned over his being on the stuff basically indefinitely. It’s not habit-forming in the way a stimulant laxative would be, it just helps the stools hold more water, making them softer and easier to pass.
If my son were better about eating foods with fiber in them, we might be able to get away without the supplements, but we find he’s much less comfortable (and likelier to soil himself) if we don’t keep up with it. Not to mention the godawful bathroom funk :eek:
Anyway - just an anecdote but we find that overall he’s more comfortable with just that extra boost, on a consistent basis. Might be worth asking your doctor whether that would be something to consider.
ETA: obviously this doesn’t answer the question in the OP, re how long before one is “hooked” on a laxative - just wanted to present this as an alternative to the stimulant lax.
What sort of laxative are you talking about? The fiber kind? If so, as long as you drink enough water with it (very important) then it doesn’t seem to be dangerous.
Otherwise, be very very careful with the other sorts.
Here are a couple of good sites about IBS and Probiotics:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be diagnosed on the presence of symptoms, according to Rome II criteria and some studies have shown that abnormal colonic fermentation may be an important factor in the development of symptoms in some patients with IBS. Since the fermentations of substrates by the intestinal flora may play a key role in the use of probiotics in the treatment of IBS, fifty patients (24 males,26 females), mean age 40 years (range = 26-64 years) with IBS, according to Rome II criteria, were enrolled into the study after informed consensus. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either the active preparation containing Lactobacillus Plantarum LP0 1 and Bifidocterium Breve BR0 both at a concentration of 5 x 109 CFU/ml, or placebo powder containing starch identical to the study product, for 4 weeks. To evaluate treatment efficacy two different scores were considered: Pain score in different abdominal locations after treatment decreased in probiotics group of 38% versus 18% (P < 0.05) of placebo group after 14 days and of 52% versus 11% (P < 0.001) after 28 days. The severity score of characteristic IBD symptoms significantly decreased in probiotic group versus placebo group after 14 days 49.6% versus 9.9% (P < 0.001) and these data were confirmed after 28 days (44.4% versus 8.5%, P < 0.001). In conclusion, short-term therapy with Lactobacillus PlantarumLP0 1 and Bifidocterium Breve BR0 may be considered a promising approach to the therapy for IBS.
A controlled, double-blind, randomized study on the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299V in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
*Original Articles
European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 13(10):1143-1147, October 2001.
Niedzielin, Krzysztof a; Kordecki, Hubert a; Birkenfeld, Boz ena b
Abstract:
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a widespread functional disorder of the digestive tract. Its aetiology is unknown and therapeutic options are limited. Recent reports suggest that probiotics may have a role in regulating the motility of the digestive tract.
…
Results: All patients treated with LP299V reported resolution of their abdominal pain as compared to 11 patients from a placebo group (P = 0.0012). There was also a trend towards normalization of stools frequency in constipated patients in six out of 10 patients treated with LP299V compared with two out of 11 treated with placebo (P = 0.17). With regards to all IBS symptoms an improvement was noted in 95% of patients in the LP299V group vs 15% of patients in the placebo group (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions: LP299V seems to have a beneficial effect in patients with IBS. Further studies on larger cohorts of patients and with longer duration of therapy are required in order to establish the place of L. plantarum in the treatment of IBS.*