What To Do If Constipated

Laxatives Stool Softeners And Other Products

You can buy stool softeners at any pharmacy. They will help you pass stool more easily.

Your provider may prescribe a laxative to relieve your constipation. It may be a pill or liquid. Do not take it if you have severe stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting. Do not take it for more than 1 week without consulting your provider. It should start to work in 2 to 5 days.

• Only take a laxative as often as your provider recommends. Most laxatives are taken with meals and at bedtime.
• You can mix powder laxatives with milk or fruit juice to make them taste better.
• Always drink plenty of water when you are using laxatives.
• Store your laxative medicine safely in a medicine cabinet, where children cannot get to it.
• Do not take any other laxatives or medicines before talking with your provider. This includes mineral oil.

Some people get a rash, nausea, or a sore throat while taking laxatives. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children under age 6 years should not take laxatives without the advice of a provider.

Bulk-forming laxatives such as Metamucil or Citrucel can help pull water into your intestines and make your stools more bulky.

Natural Constipation Remedies To Empty Your Bowels

Further Information On Constipation Relief

If you dont notice a change and your constipation problem continues for an extended period of time despite dietary changes, you should see your GP or healthcare professional to find out if there is anything they can suggest to help relieve your constipation.

You may also find it helpful to read the resources below to help you manage your bowel movements.

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How Is Cic Treated

Treatment for CIC falls into three main categories:

Lifestyle changes

Focus on fiber: Before you reach for an over-the-counter laxative, consider that what you eat may impact how your bowels work. Fiber adds bulk to your stool, which can make passing a bowel movement easier. Increase the number of fiber-rich foods in your diet, but start slowly. If you eat too many high-fiber foods at once, you may experience bloating and stomach pains.

Get moving: If you sit the majority of your day, a little movement may make a big difference. Regular exercise boosts muscle activity in your intestines, so take 15 to 20 minutes each day to go for a walk around the neighborhood.

Medications

Look into laxatives: Several types of laxatives are available over the counter. Some are better than others for people who experience chronic constipation. Before you pick one up off the shelf, ask your pharmacist for a recommendation.

Using laxatives too frequently may cause unintended side effects, including dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and possibly increased constipation.

Talk about prescriptions: Prescription medications are available for people with CIC. Each one works a little differently, so talk with your doctor about your primary concerns or most vexing symptoms.

Lubiprostone is available for women age 18 or older who experience chronic constipation. It draws water into your intestines, which can improve how well bowel movements pass.

Surgery

Get Rid Of Negative Emotions And Stress

Negative emotions slow down digestion and stool evacuation. Our primitive instinct appears whenever we deal with stress or negative situations.

Due to this fact, digestion slows down, and our body sends all the resources to the

Stress influences these vitals every time we are in a difficult situation. Long periods of stress combined with a diet low in nutrients and fiber are a cause of episodic constipation amongst adults and the elderly.

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Being Constipated Is Downright Uncomfortable Heres How To Get Relief

Some people think if they don’t have a bowel movement every day, they’re constipated, but this isnt the case. Officially, being constipated means having two or fewer bowel movements a week.

You may also be constipated if you experience straining, hard stools, a feeling of being blocked up or a feeling that you don’t completely empty your bowels.

“If you’re constipated, you may also feel cramping, bloating, nausea or pain in the rectum from straining,” says Dr. Amitpal Johal, division chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Geisinger Medical Center.

If any of these feelings last for several weeks or longer, youre likely looking for a constipation remedy. Here’s what you can do at home to unblock yourself and feel relief.

Minimize Stress And Anxiety

Cats can easily become stressed when their routines are disrupted. There could be a more obvious cause, like having a new pet in the house or moving, or it could be less obvious, like a change in your schedule, construction noise nearby, or a new dog barking in the neighborhood.

Sometimes it just takes time for a cat to adjust to changes. But you can help reduce stress and anxiety by using things like calming pheromones , supplements , herbs, and/or medications.

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Contract The Upper Abdomen

Here is what to do when in Step 4.

After youre in position on the toilet seat, you need to simulate as if you were pooping. This thing doesnt mean you have to stay all day long and get stuck on the toilet with constipation.

You can do this by contracting the muscles in the abdomen and over your belly. Contract only the abdomen muscles without the rectum and intestines.

What Are The Causes Of Constipation

Medicines: Over the counter or prescription medicines often carry a side effect of constipation. If symptoms began after starting one of these drugs, ask your doctor to see if there are any alternatives. Please see Guts UK information on Opioid Induced Constipation for more information.

Emotion: there is a strong connection between feelings and how the gut works. This is called the gut brain connection, the gut and brain talk to each other, normal signals involve feeling hungry or getting butterflies Sometimes the brain and gut overshare information. Being upset or depressed can make the bowel slow down or speed up. Emotional upsets, even in childhood, may result in functional constipation many years later.

Disturbed eating behaviour: eating disorders and sustained periods of erratic eating can result in constipation, even if eating behaviour returns to normal.

Ignoring the natural urges to open bowels: ignoring bowel urges because of an aversion to public toilets or time or social constraints can result in changes to both how the bowel muscles work and the pattern of bowel opening.

Excessive straining: this can be because of difficulty co-ordinating the muscles that empty the bowel.

Irregular mealtimes reduced liquid intake and reduced physical activity: these can all worsen symptoms in people with a tendency towards constipation.

Pain, or fear of pain, on passing stools.

• Bleeding in the stool

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Stop Taking Certain Medicines Or Dietary Supplements

If you think certain medicines or dietary supplements are causing your constipation, talk with your doctor. He or she may change the dose or suggest a different medicine that does not cause constipation. Dont change or stop any medicine or supplement without talking with a health care professional.

Causes Of Cat Constipation

Anything that causes dehydration in a cat may result in constipation, says Dr. Bales. Some issues are mild and treatable at home with dietary and lifestyle modifications, and some can be serious.

Constipation can happen if the intestines arent moving things along normally, keeping the stool soft and moist. This can be caused by underlying issues like stress and anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, nerve problems, and even some kinds of cancer.

Chronic diseases that can result in constipation in cats include kidney disease, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. may also cause your cat pain with defecation and may result in constipation. Cats eating dry food diets are predisposed to dehydration and constipation as well.

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How To Effectively Manage Ibs

If youve been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation , you may find yourself giving your gastrointestinal system a little extra attention from time to time. After all, effective treatments require some attention.

However, if you find youre thinking about it regularly, its possible your treatment plan isnt working. An effective treatment plan should leave you without symptoms and feeling empowered to live your life. If you dont feel that way, you may need to adjust your treatment plans or find new ways to handle the symptoms.

Check Your Dogs Rear End

Take a look at your dogs bottomsometimes the problem will be obvious.

You can try removing the mats with electric clippers , but if you arent able to, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian or a groomer.

If you see any other abnormalities , make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately.

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What Does Constipation Feel Like

Constipation can happen due to one or more breakdowns of the expected pathway where stool is excreted.

These can include slow-moving stool, hard stools, or experiencing a problem with the muscles and nerves needed to pass a bowel movement.

As a result, constipation can feel like many symptoms. Examples include:

• fullness in the stomach or pelvic region
• cramping of the bowels
• aching feeling in the back

Sometimes its difficult to distinguish between discomfort in your stomach and intestines. You might feel cramping or bloating in your intestines that pushes upward on your stomach.

As a result, you could feel stomach discomfort while the area of constipation is really in your intestines.

Sometimes constipation can be a medical emergency.

To Have Better Results

To have better results, here is what to do when constipated: simulate muscle contraction 30 minutes before you go to the toilet.

You can mix muscle contraction with squatting to relax the sphincter and puborectalis muscles quicker. For most people suffering from constipation, the four steps described above in detail are enough to stimulate bowel movement.

If you want to have good intestinal motility and alleviate constipation, practice these steps as often as you can. And consider them as a way of relaxing your body or taking a break from work.

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Add More Litter Boxes

Cats can be quite particular about their litter boxes. If they dont like the location of a litter box or even the type of box or litter, they may not use it as much, which can lead to constipation. You should have at least one more litter box than you have cats, and there should be at least one litter box on every floor of your home. You may need to experiment with different types of boxes and litter to find what your cat likes.

What The Patient Can Do

• Ask your cancer care team to help you set up a daily bowel care plan. They might suggest over-the-counter products such as stool softeners or fiber supplements.
• Try to eat at the same times each day. If possible, try to move your bowels at the same time every day.
• Keep track of bowel movements so that problems can be noticed quickly.
• If it’s ok with your cancer care team, eat more high-fiber foods every day, such as whole-grain breads and cereals fresh raw fruits with skins and seeds fresh raw vegetables fruit juices and dates, apricots, raisins, prunes, prune juice, and nuts.
• Drink more fluids. Pasteurized fruit juices and warm or hot fluids in the morning may be helpful.
• Get as much exercise as possible.
• Go to the bathroom as soon there is an urge.
• Avoid foods and drinks that cause gas, such as apples, avocados, beans and peas, cabbage, broccoli, milk, and fizzy drinks, until the constipation is gone.
• Avoid chewing gum and using straws to drink. Using them can also cause gas.
• Avoid or cut back on any foods that may cause constipation, such as cheese or eggs..
• Do not use enemas or suppositories. Always ask your cancer team before using stool softeners or laxatives.
• If your cancer care team gives you a prescription medicine, follow the directions carefully.

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How Can I Prevent Constipation

Use the same home-based methods you used to treat constipation to prevent it from becoming a chronic problem:

• Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Fiber and water help the colon pass stool. Most of the fiber in fruits is found in the skins, such as in apples. Fruits with seeds you can eat, like strawberries, have the most fiber. Bran is a great source of fiber. Eat bran cereal or add bran cereal to other foods, like soup and yogurt. People with constipation should eat between 18 and 30 grams of fiber every day.
• Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee and soft drinks, can dehydrate you. You may need to stop drinking these products until your bowel habits return to normal.
• Exercise regularly.
• Treat mild constipation with a dietary supplement like magnesium.
• Move your bowels when you feel the urge. Do not wait.

Signs Symptoms And Causes

You might feel bloated and have pain, or you might have to strain when you try to go.

Some medicines, and even some vitamins, can make you constipated. You can get constipated if you do not get enough fiber, drink enough water, or get enough exercise. You can also get constipated if you put off going to the bathroom even though you have the urge to go.

Try to get to know your normal bowel movement pattern, so that you can keep constipation from getting worse.

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Eat More Fiber Especially Soluble Non

To treat constipation, doctors often tell people to increase their dietary fiber intake.

This is because increasing fiber intake increases the bulk and consistency of bowel movements, making them easier to pass. It also helps them pass through the digestive system more quickly 01386-6/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 14).

In fact, one 2016 review found that 77% of people with chronic constipation benefited from supplementing with fiber .

However, some studies have found that increasing fiber intake can actually make the problem worse. Others report that dietary fiber improves stool frequency but may not help with other symptoms of constipation, such as stool consistency, pain, bloating, and gas .

This is because different types of dietary fiber have different effects on digestion.

There are many different dietary fibers, but in general, they fall into two categories: insoluble fibers and soluble fibers.

Insoluble fibers â present in wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains â add bulk to stools and may help them pass more quickly and easily through the digestive system.

Soluble fibers â present in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and peas, as well as some fruits and vegetables â absorb water and form a gel-like paste, which softens the stools and improves its consistency.

Non-fermentable soluble fibers, such as psyllium, are the best choice for treating constipation (

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Bottom line: Exercise may reduce the symptoms of constipation in some people.

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This Factsheet Is About Constipation

Constipation is a symptom that can mean different things to different people, but the usual meaning is that a person has difficulty or infrequency with opening their bowels. Constipation affects around 1 in 7 otherwise healthy people. The two groups of people most likely to be trouble by constipation are young women and the elderly especially those who need to take regular medicines.

There is a common belief that people need to open their bowels every day, but this is not the case. Opening the bowels can vary between three times a day to three times a week in healthy individuals. Symptoms can constantly fluctuate and 3 people in every 100 adults have persistent constipation over 20 years. It is a common problem and does not usually mean that anything is seriously wrong. Most cases are temporary and will clear up with simple lifestyle measures.

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