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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Does Milk of Magnesia/magnesium work for opiate constipation?

thegreatgeno

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 6, 2011
Messages
204
When I take opiates, it turns every crap in to an incredibly painful ordeal. Would magnesium help soften things?
 
Magnesium does help as a laxative, but it's not one of the most evidence-based. Your best bet I believe is to go for a stool-softener like Docusate or a stimulant laxatine like Senna (but be careful as stimulant laxatives can cause cramps and shouldn't be used too often..)

Bulk-forming laxatives like isphagula hulk are really good and can be taken every day, but sometimes if you take them on their own they just cause eveything to back up, so they are best combined with something else..

Drinking plenty of fluids, keeping active/exercising, eating lots of fibre and having some fat to make your stool more oily can all hep too. The key is to take something regularly, to try to prevent the problem from getting too bad, rather than trying to fix it when it has got bad. Suppositories and enemas can help but with opioid constipation the stool tends to be backed up pretty far, and suppositories often don't reach far enough..
 
Yeah, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that it works well. Definitely worth a try :)
 
They work, but the best thing to do is follow effie's advice.

-Drink more water, lots and lots of water. Liquids with electrolytes (think fruit juices, Gatorade, other sports drinks, etc) help a lot too
-Drink a cup of coffee in the morning, before your opiate of choice. It works a lot better than you would think. It's also natural.
-Bulking agents are helpful and can be taken daily, as effie mentioned. Magnesium supplements (magnesium oxide is cheapest, but its also the least bioavailable) can be taken daily and help a lot.
-Eating lots of fruits and veggies and staying active are the best and most natural methods. Even increasing your vegetable intake a small amount can make a big difference.

Everybody is different, you gotta find the thing that works the best for you. Long-term speaking, its always best to avoid using harsh laxatives unless you really need to. Rebound constipation can be an issue for some people.

Good luck!
 
If you want a good clean out to, for lack of better words, get a fresh start in your bowels, get a bottle of magnesium citrate from your local pharmacy. It's a saline laxative that's used in patients that are about to undergo a really long surgery, but can be used to treat temporary constipation. You drink the whole thing, then wait about 1/2-6 hours depending on just how stopped up you are, and you will start going. It will start slow at first, just making it a tad softer, then it will...I'm not going to go into detail, but it will fix your problem to say the least lol. Be sure you have time where you can go to the bathroom when needed. Best time to do it would be like at the beginning of your weekend (if you have one of those lol). Last time I took it, I went like 10 times in 2.5 days, but mine probably took that long just because of how slow my metabolism was BEFORE I was on around the clock opioid therapy and before I was kind of forced into a completely sedentary lifestyle. Ya, I didn't go work out or anything before a certain incident, but I was constantly on the go, driving there, and here, and there again, and wherever else I needed to go if you know what I mean lol. But ya, Magnesium Citrate, I got a bottle of the store brand at brookshire's for $1. (Sorry if this pricing isn't allowed, Mods. I just figured it was HR as this product would help with the physical side-effects from the individual's drug usage). If you really have problems with it though, just ask a doctor about it, and maybe they will give you some Rx laxatives, or let you know whether or not it would be okay for you to take OTC stimulant laxatives around the clock. Some people's bowels get so slowed that the stim forcing it to keep pushing is actually more beneficial than not using it. But this post is getting VERY long, so I'll wrap it up. I hope you get your problem taken care of, because I know how much it sucks as I constantly deal with it, and my pain meds are for medicinal purposes : /.

Best of luck,
Doug
 
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