constipation and worsening of symptoms

[DanaF]

I have been pretty constipated since I went on an antidepressant in July - I can go, but not a lot comes out (sorry to be gross). I thought the antidepressant was directly making me worse since about a month or two after I went on it I noticed a worsening of my symptoms (my luck, cause it was working great for anxiety). Does anyone think it could just be the constipation making me have to feel like I have to go all the time- I have never felt so bloated in my life- Help!
Also, does anyone else feel like they have to go all the time but they can hold it in if they don't drink too many liquids?
I am going for DMSO in a few weeks - Does anyone think it can improve the feeling of having to go all the time. I want to try elmiron but I am on about 4 other drugs already for mood disorder. Anyone have any thoughts about any of this - I would greatly appreciate it!

[traceann]

Hey Dana, I know for me, if I am having problems with constipation -- my bladder is one unhappy customer!! It can make my bladder totally misbehave and feel really aggrivated. ;) I upped my fiber intake gradually to help combat the constipating effects of some of my medications and I keep Phillip's Milk of Magnesia around for those times nothing is working and I am miserable.

Hope this helps a little bit and some others chime in on your other questions!! :)

Hugs!

[sunshine_77us]

I just started using Milk of Mag. and it works great for me.

[DanaF]

OK - Stupid question - Would you say that I am constipated if it comes out, but very small - like pebbles? I know that's weird but some say if it comes out that's not really constipated. But I think the change in the bowels - now smaller - must still have an effect.. I'm asking this because I'm trying to find the reason why I am having this problem now and if it is directly from antidepressant or indirectly from the constipation. I was on the antidepressant for 2 months before it started to bother me so that's why I think it may be an indirect cause (like the constipation)...what do you think?
Also for Pam - how often do you use that? I was told you shouldn't use that regularly

[sunshine_77us]

Yes, I would say you are constipated if it's like that. That is how I usually do and it just keeps getting worse. I know my medication causes some of it and I also have IBS. I just started using the Milk of Mg and it works so good I thought I would use it whenever I need it which might be at least once a week. I thought I would use it on weekends when I don't have to go to work. I was so happy to use something that didn't make me cramp and go normal. Good Luck. I hope it works for you. I've read several posts on here about using it so that is why I tried.

[kadi]

I take Colace twice a day with a meal & that really helps. Constipation definitely makes the IC worse, and unfortunately 2 of the meds that help my IC (Elavil & Ditropan) both cause constipation. I also use Milk of Magnesia occasionally or a Fleet's enema, if I've forgotten the Colace or if I've taken Darvocet (also very constipating).
Good luck. It's an annoying part of living with IC.

[Silverfern]

Constipation definitely makes my IC worse.

[ICNDonna]

Another thought --- it could be that you need to increase the amount of water you are drinking. You should be getting at least six to eight cups of water per day. Not drinking enough can definitely cause constipation.

Donna

[Sarojini]

I know that constipation makes my IC worse -- you've gotten some great advice though about how to help the problem ;)

[DanaF]

It worsens the frequency as well, or just the pain. I only have frequency and urgency and I'm wondering if it affects that too?

[traceann]

It worsens the frequency and the whole shebang for me, most likely from the "pressure" on the bladder from the constipation. I found for me also, that I am very sensitive to M of M, so I use only one tsp of it instead of the normal dosing, I learned the hard way....LOL :) And yep, get more water into your diet if you aren't drinking enough!! ;)

Hugs!

[DanaF]

Thanks all of you! I will hopefully go to the bathroom soon! :0)
Lately I've been getting up to go to pee 6-8 times a night...I never did that...I think it's because I'm trying to drink a lot of water which I never did before - I guess it's a no win!

[traceann]

If you haven't thought of it, you also might want to check for a UTI. Funny as it sounds, but getting up multiple times at night was one of the tip-offs for me that I might have one. It could be flying just under the radar....LOL

Hugs!!!

[DanaF]

OK, here's what's weird. I was SOOOOO good yesterday and today. Only changes I can think of was the following:
I didn't drink coffee
I didn't take the Lexapro last night (but I did take it the night before and was good the next day)
I didn't drink water until the end of the day

All these things are the changes - Not sure if it's just hormonal and its a better time of the month - right after period (cause this has happened before for like one week or so every month for last few months that I've been bad) or if something I'm ingesting is different. Does anyone understand how to track it so I could tell what's affecting me?

[traceann]

What I did was faithfully keep my Voiding/Pain diary. I wrote everything down - when I went, how much it was appx and rated the pain on the pain scale here on the site; I recorded where I was in my cycle (at the top of my page for the day I noted that there), if hubby and I had sex that day, what I ate and what time I ate it, when I took my meds and what med I took, etc. That was the biggest help to me in figuring out just what the heck I ate/did etc that caused me problems.

It was tough at first for me to remember to record stuff, but after awhile it was automatic. I carried around a little notebook spiral-bound at the top with me in my purse everywhere. Each time I did something, I'd jot it down in my own special shorthand. Then at the end of the day, I transferred all the recordings into a little bit larger spiral-bound assignment notebook (had space for date at the top of the page etc.), that way it was legible, lol. I ran it from midnight to midnight. I even recorded if I was constipated, my moods, if we travelled, etc. It sounds like a lot of work, but trust me, it wasn't. It only took a couple minutes each night to transfer my notes, that's it. Very easy. I tried the diary form here on the site, but ended up having to make one up that I could stick to easily for me. Worked really well too!!

Hope this helps, as for me it was the only way to figure out what was going on!!

Hugs!
:)

[Snuph]

Keeping a diary is certainly a great idea. My mom has to keep her bowels regular due to a contraption they put in her bowels. Her doc tells her to have a mug of hot water and a pear before going to bed. It has certainly helped her.
Drinking coffee makes a lot of people have urgency/frequency even if they do not have
IC. Just watch people in the morning in your workplace.

[DanaF]

Thanks all - I will try the diary- Just one more question- How do you know if something affects you from 24 hours before or 2 hours before? that seems difficult to me!
I will try the hot water and pear but at this rate I'm so constipated that 4 colaces a day and metamucil or Citrucel still doesn't work. The weird thing though now is that my bladder is great the last couple days, but I'm constipated on top of it - so I don't get that- guess it's not necessarily the constipation making me worse?
Does anyone know if I can take milk of magnesium more than once a week?
Guess that was more than one question - Thanks all

[traceann]

I learned that the hard way, by not following "protocol" :biglaugh: of only one new food every 2-3 days, if you do that, then you pretty well know it was the new food. I can remember not thinking and eating like 2-3 new things on the same day or 2 days in a row, :bonk: duh. ;) Then I figured out how my bladder reacts - if it's something I ate that did not like me, it usually lets me know the same day - within an hour or more. It's tricky for awhile but you will do just fine and it will become easier and easier.

On the M of M, I am not sure, you might just want to give your doc a call and find out how often you can take it safely. I did that with Immodium AD, I know what the package said, but seemed I had read somehwhere you can take more (like an Rx for that sort of thing), so I gave them a shout and they let me know! ;)

The constipation can contribute to an already aggrivated bladder, so it could be a combination of things that was aggrivating your bladder. I know for me, most times constipation alone is enough to aggrivate my bladder, argh! :headbang:

Hope this helps a little bit!

[DanaF]

Thanks all! I started eating some spicy food and I am going to the bathroom now!!! I had to do it- but hey, whatever works :0)

[SusieQ045]

good luck and i hope you feel better. dont eat cheese...lol....i learned the hard way that chesse can makes very constipated. im not sure what is in cheese that causes it but everytime i eat it---im sorry for it later.. i dont know if this happens to anyone else since evryones body is different but i thought i would share.

susie q

[rubymermaid]

I started drinking tablespoons of Cod Fish Liver Oil and that helped dramatically... until I kept forgetting it and cut my diet down to a strict IC diet...

[traceann]

Flax seed oil seems to have helped me. I take 2-3 capsules a day, and it helped to combat the dryness side-effect from the meds and a bit of a help in the "regularity" department, lmao!

Hugs!

[DanaF]

What do you mean by the dryness side effect? Are you saying you are dry in your genital area ? I have been feeling a lot better bladder wise in the last week, am even going number 2 now, but I keep getting this sore feeling down there sort of like it's a little numb or scratched - not sure if urethra or vagina or what- not to be too gross - but this feeling keeps coming and going - I noticed there is some discharge along with this - very slight. Is this something anyone knows anything about?

[traceann]

Oh yeah, Dana, I had dry mouth terribly and vaginal dryness...horrible. It would sometimes be really uncomfortable and be a bit itchy ( I knew I didn't have a yeast infection or anything else going on). I noticed my normal vaginal discharge was much thicker than it usually was (sorry to be a bit graphic,lol). So, for me it was from the drying effects of my meds and the flaxseed helped enough to where I wouldn't be without it!! :) You might want to talk to your doc, and if nothing can be found (infection etc), it could be from the medications....

What else do we have to deal with eh? LMAO!!!

Hugs!

[DanaF]

You are so helpful. Thanks. I just don't understand what med would be causing dryness down there? Is it my antidepressant do you think? Is yours from your wellbutrin cause I take something similar. Could any kind of food be causing it. I had sushi, saki and a lot of soy sauce the night before. Let me know what you think. I really appreciate all your help.

[traceann]

You are so very welcome!! :)

I seemed to have just went from one drying med to another, at first it was my Ditropan -- oh that was horrible, wake up and no spit in your mouth at all, I couldn't even use the "chew gum or suck on hard candy" trick, as I had no spit to even do that! :bonk: The flaxseed oil improved that sooooooo very much - um, even my hubby noticed a "difference somewhere else" when I started taking it, lol. Then I finally have kind of weaned my dose down to one at bedtime, instead of the 3 times a day I was taking it before -- then the antidepressants came along. Ugh. The Paxil I was on was terrible for that and the no sex drive effect was definitely awful, so off I went. I did notice that one of the side-effects of Wellbutrin SR (what I take now) is "dry mouth" oh yippy skippy, lol. :rolleyes: So, I think that yup, that can definitely be a culprit!!

It was on the "Dry Eyes/ Dry Mouth" board I learned of the flax seed oil as being a help...

Hugs!!

[DanaF]

Hi there - Wow I tried the Flax seed oil and the Aloe Vera Capsules that were recommended here. The Aloe vera capsules made me go two hrs later - could that be - wow that was quick!
Hopefully the flax seed oil will start working down there also (LOL) in the other area, since I def am not in the mood for sex. Trace, I recommend the Lexapro for anxiety and no loss of sex drive. I don't have any problem enjoying sex with the lexapro and I did with effexor.
Anyway, those are my major issues right now (the dryness) - I can't complain - I feel like I'm doing a lot better bladder wise - One more question - is this raw feeling down there/soreness something to do with the bladder problem?

[traceann]

Thanks for the tip on the Lexapro!! It's funny, because on the Paxil, it wasn't just the "drive" down, but the inability to have an orgasm - awful! (oops, sorry again for the maybe too much info! LOL) But, Mom-in-law had no troubles on the Paxil, so I was not about to tell her about that, and ask if she had the same problem!! LOL Yikes, not a conversation I'd want to have....

That's a good question, on the raw feeling. When I felt that way, for some reason K-Y was very soothing, so it pointed to it being due to the dryness for me. I used the K-Y topically on my vulvar area, and it helped so much. A bit gooey, but hey, I was finally a bit comfy, so I just wore lots of panty liners!!! LOL!!! If you can't find anything that helps it to feel better, I would give my doc a call and see what their opinion is, can't hurt anyway!! ;)

[Julie B]

ditto ditto ditto.........hard, infrequent, stolls really make my bladder ouchy......along with the other suggestions, I like the Metamucil capsules. You can take them with meals. They soften the stool and make it much easier to pass. You can get generic forms from the pharmacy or get large bottles at Costco (which is what I do).

BTW: We can't get grossed out by this..........these are important questions that everyone needs to ask and answer.........it all helps.............

[ISONormal]

Constipation is a big problem for me, too. On top of IC, I have colitis, but my symptoms are constipation, not diarrhea. My gastoenterologist told me to take: Milk of Magnesia and some kind of fiber every day. [Milk of Magnesia is not addictive and can be taken every day.] For me, it's either Metamucil (capsules or the cookies; the latter might bother some people) or this prescription kind of fiber called Miralax. You mix it in a drink (I put it in a kind of root beer that doesn't bother me). I can't miss this routine even for a day, or it takes a day or two longer to get back to normal. Hope this helps.