I drink prune juice and it works very well.
Well, it’s kind of funny, but it might actually be true in a sort of outside-the-box way. A way to trick yourself in to going, by thinking “oh, I mustn’t go now”.
Within half an hour after my morning coffee things get moving. I wouldn’t use it for first-line treatment but I know for me it’d make a great maintenance sort of thing once everything was working again.
I know somebody who swears by, though hates, prune juice. I’m not sure I’d rather just be constipated…bleah. But they’re on medication that stops the works nicely so something must be done.
Eww. Prunes are much much nicer than prune juice; nasty stuff. I’d sooner let someone punch me in the face than drink prune juice, but I could imagine eating a prune again voluntarily.
Well, prunes are dried plums. I wonder if just eating plums would do it. I think there’s certain kinds of plums used to make prunes, though, and not the kind you usually get at the store.
Prunes are good because (in my opinion) they have a great mouth-feel. You don’t get that with the juice, you just get the taste, which is…mediocre, at best.
Ok, the best answers have been given (the only one I’d add is that a full glass of warm water with 1/2 tsp of table salt is pretty damn awesome - but be near your toilet, 'cause it’ll turn to diarrhea real quick!) so now I’m gonna get Mama Bear on you…
If you start moving your bowels again, but your stool is either liquid or thin and ribbony, don’t wait for your doctor’s appointment in 2 weeks, but get in to the ER ASAP.
If you have worsening abdominal pain, or if your abdomen gets hard, get to the ER.
If you try the Magnesium citrate and it doesn’t work within 2 hours, get to the ER.
All of these are issues my SO had about 2 years ago when he was “constipated”. Just before his bowel perforated and he ended up having emergency bowel surgery at 2 am and came out with a bouncing baby colostomy.
Banana before going to bed at night. Works perfectly well for me.
They will, but only to the extent that most fresh fruit will loosen things up a bit. I think it’s an osmotic thing with the dried fruit.
Also, it’s a lot easier to eat six prunes than six large plums.
I have chronic constipation. My doctor says, “Drink water”. It keeps me peeing several times during the night, but does nothing to soften the stools. I have tried eating, say, a half dozen prunes every day. No particular help. When I started taking metformin, I was warned to start slowly because it can lead to diarrhea. Ha! I take metamucil twice a way with plenty of water. I suppose it helps, but not much. After I had a colonoscopy a month ago, the doctor said that next time, he would prescribe a much more powerful cleansing agent, because the one I used (and I followed instructions exactly) just didn’t do it.
After my first baby, I was horribly constipated. Being consitpated and having an episiotomy is, to put it mildly, miserable. I vowed that would not happen again with baby #2, and drank plenty of prune juice after delivery. It did not, indeed, happen.
2 tsp of “completely dissolvable” fiber powder, 2 - 4 times a day in tea or water. can also be added to cooking food (like pasta etc) 
I eat Yoplait yogurt when I get bunged up. Other yogurts taste better but they don’t have the same effect. I don’t know whether the cultures are different or if there’s some additive in the Yoplait that gets me going. Two days of Yoplait for breakfast and the old crap factory starts working overtime.