Opioids Constipation from opiates

[tricomb]

Yeah if u actually have an anal fissure, that needs to be checked out by a doctor, if ur just having a little bleeding caused by passing hard stool, that's something I wouldn't say NEEDS medical attention...

BUT since uve had non-opiate related rectal probs b4, I'd get it checked out if persists for another 2-3 days.

To the poster re mineral oil, howd u take it?

^Good posting. I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to take the oils orally at first, although I know some of them can be taken orally and/or rectally.

It's critical to see a doctor at this point because the blood is substantial, it's one thing to have a little blood when passing hard stool as waldo said, however a fissure/tear is pretty serious and should be treated as such, with proper medical attention, you really don't want to develop an infection, internal bleeding, or narcotic bowel syndrome with impacted shit.

 

[SydneyGal]

I didn't see it mentioned on here yet, but finding some kind of footstool to use while you're trying to go, so your knees are at least 3-4 inches higher than your hips, helps a lot; for most of evolutionary history, humans squatted rather that sitting on the 'throne', so anatomically we're still adapted to that kinda position. That alone makes it much easier for me to get things moving without straining (which is a huge no-no if you don't like hemorrhoids. Who here likes hemorrhoids? )

The other things that work for me, to keep from getting too blocked up to begin with, are letting my opioids wear off until I clear right out once a week (I'm on bupe 7-day patches), eating the yoghurt with the live bacterial cultures in it at least every couple of days, and making sure I eat at least one piece of fresh fruit a day, ideally citrus.

If I do get blocked up, OTC stool softeners are good, plus I eat a whole lot of dried fruit (apricots are my fave) and that usually works for me.

Chemical laxatives are for emergencies only; long-term management = dietary solutions, not drugs, since the drugs all lose effectiveness if you're using them regularly. (That said, I always always have a pack handy, just in case; I just don't use them if I can possibly help it.)

Also, for getting a really bad blockage to move... sometimes you have to kinda break it up as it comes out, to make it more manageable. And if you're a girl, using a thumb inside your vag to help push things down can help, too.

Ah, the joys of long-term opioid use!

 

[Jabberwocky]

coming back to this thread...
so - my constipation cleared up and i was able to shit fine the day or two after. thank's for all the help on here, but i have another disgusting and pesky question to ask:

i took a picture down there, which indicated to me that i did in fact have a fissure, and a tear going toward my balls and another tear going the other way.

it does not hurt me to go to the toilet anymore, and i haven't used opiates since my first post here. however, i have noticed it is very sensitive down there.

is this dangerous? i'm not really sure if i should see a doctor about it as its relatively embarrassing, but could there be any problems from this?

 

[Coraline]

coming back to this thread...
so - my constipation cleared up and i was able to shit fine the day or two after. thank's for all the help on here, but i have another disgusting and pesky question to ask:

i took a picture down there, which indicated to me that i did in fact have a fissure, and a tear going toward my balls and another tear going the other way.

it does not hurt me to go to the toilet anymore, and i haven't used opiates since my first post here. however, i have noticed it is very sensitive down there.

is this dangerous? i'm not really sure if i should see a doctor about it as its relatively embarrassing, but could there be any problems from this?

If you have a fissure you really need to get it looked at. It can become infected.

Make sure in the mean time you keep it clean. Buy a sits bath like post Partum women use after delivering babies.

Make sure your stools are soft and not pebbles do you can pass them with out pushing and tearing the fissure more.

Drink plenty of water take vitamins- especially vit c, zinc, b vit, and increase your protein for healing.

If you see green or yellow discharge from it or blood get it checked out sooner than later.

 

[hthr007]

Once when mine was really bad, I drank 2 12oz bottles of magnesium citrate (start with ONE!) and that helped. Get some books, call out of work, and let it do it's work.

 

[Jabberwocky]

the constipation is gone - i'm just worried about the damage to anal area now.

thanks -zoey, i'll look into the sits bath, i think i may have to use it.

my stools are completely fine now so no worries about that causing more damage.

 

[ErgicMergic]

Glad to see that you're feeling better, but if it happens again in the future, then dulcolax suppositories ftw... I would never ingest dulcolax in tablet form, such a pointless ROA for bisacodyl, and I can imagine it hurting like hell if you are constipated.

Preventing constipation is a lot easier than trying to remidify it, so drink plenty of water during your opiate sessions, eat foods with fiber, and stay away from too much white bread and cheese.

 

[tricomb]

See a doctor, I'm serious. I'm closing this thread until you've seen a doctor.

 

[tricomb]

I'm re-opening this thread and then going to try to find the right megathread to merge it with. Opioids + Constipation surely has been done ad nauseum.

I'll add to this thread:

Important distinctions to make about opioid induced constipation, particularly those of you who are using opioids illicitly or chronic pain patients who have not received a proper education from their clinic about opioid induced constipation, perhaps one of, if not the most common side effect reported by chronic users of opioids.

Because by nature opioids slow your gut motility and delay the amount of time it takes for your food to go from one orifice and out the other. This means that your feces spends more time than it is supposed to in your intestines, which causes harder and more compacted stools because your intestines essentially absorbed most of the water content, making them difficult and often painful to pass.

For this reason, it is absolutely critical that chronic opioid users consume a sufficient amount of water (I'd recommend at least 10 tall cups of water per day minimum, more if your tolerance is higher, perhaps less if you have a low to moderate tolerance, but no less than 8 cups of WATER per day.) Naturally, for optimum hydration, one should replenish water and balance electrolytes daily, (I use Pedialyte or Gatorade, etc) so your body hopefully tells your intestines that they will have no need to find the water lacking in your diet.

I'd also recommend adding in something to help lubricate and soften stools, and you really don't want to be relying on OTC medication like Docusate Sodium because you become dependent to it, pretty sure same with the stimulant laxatives like Bisacodyl (which can be EXTREMELY dangerous if taken improperly)

I use organic raw virgin unrefined coconut oil and enjoy it's huge array of health benefits and healthy medium chain triglycerides, between 1-20 (they also come in 1g capsule form but when your taking as much as I am, and digestion is already an issue, I'm not going to throw gas on the fire by throwing a bunch of unnecessary capsules when I can just add the same real deal which is often much cheaper bought in bulk...

I also take Chelated Magnesium daily, but not really for the purpose of constipation, just for it's health benefits, I've never really felt that it affected my constipation in any way at all, but others report otherwise.

If left untreated, it can lead to a variety of health complications such as:
-Hemorrhoids due to overall increased straining.
-Hardened stool due to the dehydration
-Partial or complete bowel obstruction (medical emergency)
-Paralytic Ileus (medical emergency)

This thread's now reopened to opioid induced constipation related HR discussion..

 

[Fig]

Interesting thread. Thanks for reopening it, tricomb. Constipation sucks, for sure, especially of the opiate variety.

I have developed a problem with hemorrhoids from stimulants. If I go off of them for a couple of days they go away. After I come back on they are back within a week and with a vengeance. Anyone else get that with stims? I am not constipated.

I know this is a opiate thread, but I figured while we were on the subject....

 

[Arturito]

My daily opioid regiment due to illness is:
80mg oxycontin 2x daily
Morphine 30mgIR 4x daily
Fentanyl 400mcgm sublingual 4x daily.
Moving bowels is like a bloody birth pain ect.
Best remedy so far senokot s 4 pills.at 9pm
Colace 6 pills at 9pm
Next day at 9am bisacodyl 10mg suppository.
Lube anus with soapy.water. At between 10am and 11am sit on bowl. Massage abdomen in counterclockwise motion as urge to go increases.I have
followed this procedure since 1987 and have not done an Elvis yet and bleeding is minimal. If not followed every two days you are facing concrete with major bleeding from hemmorhoids and fissures and possible Elvis type heart attack. The major downside of opioid use is to die on the pishadue...

 

[MrsMorphine]

I didn't see it mentioned on here yet, but finding some kind of footstool to use while you're trying to go, so your knees are at least 3-4 inches higher than your hips, helps a lot; for most of evolutionary history, humans squatted rather that sitting on the 'throne', so anatomically we're still adapted to that kinda position. That alone makes it much easier for me to get things moving without straining (which is a huge no-no if you don't like hemorrhoids. Who here likes hemorrhoids? )


The other things that work for me, to keep from getting too blocked up to begin with, are letting my opioids wear off until I clear right out once a week (I'm on bupe 7-day patches), eating the yoghurt with the live bacterial cultures in it at least every couple of days, and making sure I eat at least one piece of fresh fruit a day, ideally citrus.

If I do get blocked up, OTC stool softeners are good, plus I eat a whole lot of dried fruit (apricots are my fave) and that usually works for me.

Chemical laxatives are for emergencies only; long-term management = dietary solutions, not drugs, since the drugs all lose effectiveness if you're using them regularly. (That said, I always always have a pack handy, just in case; I just don't use them if I can possibly help it.)

Also, for getting a really bad blockage to move... sometimes you have to kinda break it up as it comes out, to make it more manageable. And if you're a girl, using a thumb inside your vag to help push things down can help, too.

Ah, the joys of long-term opioid use!

SydneyGal is right about raising the feet to help get into the squat position; a number of manufacturers sell furniture-type foot lifts to use in the loo, such as amazon.com and vermontcountrystore.com.

My physicians have told me that women whose hemorrhoids are caused by pregnancy as well as by opioid use are likely to bleed rectally from passing hard stools. Frank (bright red) bleeding may be normal and relatively harmless in such situations, but should definitely be mentioned during check-ups. My internist had me stop doing the at-home, mail-to-the-lab test for occult fecal blood as it is so common for me. But! I also have a colonoscopy every five years (or more often, if prescribed). My gastro guy says that men as well as women need to have anal fissures checked out.

Don't be bashful, now: Gastroenterologists CHOSE that specialty!