IC exacerbated by constipation

[nogo]

Anyone suffering serious aggravation of the bladder due to constipation? I know some of you take MOM and some take Miralax. How much of each? Any extra activity really aggravates my bladder, but if I can have a regular BM each day, my bladder feels so much better all day. Anyone have further suggestions? Thanks

[Bessie]

I sent you a pm about this.
Laura

[Claredale]

I use Milk of Magnesia every night and it doesn't bother my bladder. I noticed over the weekend that I was a little more irritated than usual. I was out of town, so that is enough to make myself not regular, so I know exactly what you mean by constipation making the pain worse. Dr. Ragi had told me a long time ago to keep myself regular. The interstim helped with that as well, but with some of the meds, constipation is a side effect. I went to a drug store and bought some MOM and after a couple of days, I was back to normal. I definitely made a note to myself to remember all my meds, especially my "MOM" so that hopefully won't be an issue.

I also eat oatmea almost everyday. It's comfort food for me, that's for sure!

[lisabar36]

I also have bladder pain due to severe constipation, and on the meds, my constipation has gotten worse, It seems like when I go, I feel alot better. I use miralax, but last night the doctor told me to try benefiber, and a colace stool softener, so I started them today, I also picked up some MOM because I seen on here people had great results with that, I am going to take that before bed. Good luck!

[Kathy in Canada]

Hi,

I to have constipation from the meds for IC as well as pelvic floor dysfunction. What works for me is Miralax. The cap has a line you fill the powder up to. So it is easy to measure. It takes a couple of days to work at the start. I find that if I miss a day or two the constipation comes back along with the pain. It has never given me diarrhea and if it did I would just reduce the amount.

I have tried Metamucil, Benefibre, Colace, Sennokot (all no help), Milk of Magnesia gives me bad cramps and the diarrhea, Ducolax tabs sometimes do nothing or else they make me go 5 times a day and this leads to a lot of pain. I have of course tried high fibre diets, this doesn't help either. I just get more stool that is not going to move along. I have used Glycerin suppositories and Fleet enemas when I know there is stool there but it will not come out. I have also used Ducolax suppositories - they do help but they cause burning and I would not use them very often.

I eat organic dates and prunes - don't know if they have helped me much but there are so few fruits I can eat that I eat them at times instead of pears or bananas - the main other fruits I can eat. In general I try to eat a healthy diet based on foods I can tolerate. I'm afraid to get malnourished if I don't. I also make sure I'm drinking enough fluids.

So Miralax is the only drug that I would recommend. It can be bought over the counter now or you can order it at amazon.com

Good luck,

Kathy

[kablois]

Hi
I've just been diagnosed with IC and have sufferd with constipation all my life. Now the meds I've been prescribed are really complicating things so I need to find a longterm solution. I live in France and don't recognize the laxatives mentioned here. Can anyone give me the real (not brand) names? What is MOM and Miralax? I can get senokot and milk of magnesia (thought that constipates actually). Dulcolax gives me horrid tummy ache if I take enough to move things along. What are the best remedies (apart from loads of vegetables and water?) Somehow the constipation and tummy cramps make my IC feel much worse. Thanks for any info.
Kathie

[Claredale]

MOM is Milk of Magnesia. I know for some people, it can cause cramps, but I have been using it for years and haven't had any problems. I was first given a prescription fiber med that just added to water, but it was in my 3rd tier on my insurance, so that is when I started taking "MOM", which is a laxative. My FIL always says take "MOM" at night and have a "BM" in the morning. The taste isn't great, but I drink it quick and then drink a glass of water to get rid of the chalky taste.

[kablois]

Oh of course - silly me! What is BM? Does MOM really help constipation even on Elavil?

[ABliske]

haha bowel movement. My grandma used to always say that. I thought it meant bum - like rear end.
I don't like Dulcalax. It was too strong. maybe I'll try MOM because I had the same problem as many of you. The consitpation is always there and I think it make my ic worse.

[bigred]

I take a stool softner so that helps. I still get flares with bowel movements.

[TerriT]

I take Milk of Magnesia the cherry flavor, it isn't bad and it doesn't give me cramps. I fill the cup almost full. I hate liquid meds but this I can handle. I tried their concentrated version that had a strawberry flavor and it was gross.

[futurehope]

Absolutely, having a bowel movement inside that needs to be expelled is an irritant for my bladder. Right after a bm, my bladder feels so much better.

My regimen lately for constipation has been:

oatmeal in the morning

2 fibercons (fiber supplement) 1 hr after or two hours before another med. Fiber can prevent absorption.)

1 apple/ 1 of any other fruit

2 fibercons in the afternoon

2 big bowls (if tolerated) of a high fiber cereal at night as a snack

plenty of water (Aquafina)

Exercise (walking) during the day.

I am still not where I want to be regarding bowel movements and ease of them. But, considering I've been suffering with this irritable bowel problem most of my life, I'm patiently awaiting improvement.

I do not do well with most of the usual remedies as I have very sensitive intestines.

Also, it is worth noting that my gastrointestinal doctor ordered a hydrogen breath test on me, and, subsequently, I tested positive for "small intestine bacterial overgrowth". The SIBO can be one cause of constipation in some people. In others, SIBO can cause diarrhea. In any event, 2 rifaxamine 2X/day for 10 days helped me. Rifaxamine is an antibiotic useful for the intestines. I also now take 2 probiotic pills a day to keep the "bad" bacteria at bay.

I hope you find a regiment that works for you.

[KristiV]

I am currently pregnant and have been suffering from constipation. My urologist and gyno suggested for me to take Colace which is a stool softner and has made all the difference. I take two pills on a daily basis.