Best natural digestive aids

[hannah-rose]

Hello all,

I tend to go a few weeks having nice loose BMs every morning to getting severely constipated for a couple of days before going to back to loose motions. I know my diet probably plays a part in this but it's so frustrating because I have perianal crohns if i get constipated its AGONY and leaves me with throbbing muscular pain for hours after a BM, that's if I can even go. I have to sit in a hot bath for an hour but even then it hurts.

I don't want to be on long-term laxatives like Laxido because I know they can effect your bowel, and things like epsom salts you have to be wary of and not take too much.

I really want to take some natural supplements that are going to make sure I dont become constipated, I went to holland and barrett yesterday and ive got:

Aloe Vera capsules
Flaxseed Oil capsules
Peppermint tea

Is there anything else that works as a really good digestive aid? I'm also beginning to take Fybogel twice a day to see if that helps, oh and drinking lots of water.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hannah x

 

[handle]

Stool softeners draw water back into the colon so are useful for hard stools. Also metamucil has high quantity of soluble fiber which is good for constipation. Try small doses to see how it affects you.
good luck! You are right not to use something like Laxido...

 

[Nosick]

Metamucil has helped me. When I first started taking it, I had lots of gas (I think I held the unofficial world record for the longest fart). Then, after abot a month, things really settled down.

 

[Allison]

My father was told by his doctor to use Konsyl - it's supposed to be more effective than Metamucil.

 

[DragonGirl]

I use miralax. I take it at night before bed, and it really helps. It also helps me not get impacted, which is a huge bonus, as it is even worse. If you don't have problems with fruit, both prunes and apples are natural stool softeners, but be very careful with apple, it can ferment and give me painful gas. I haven't had any problems with prunes.

 

[bc*]

I've definitely found Fybogel to be good in the past.

I've tried other laxatives before, but this one if definitely the best as it is not one of those that leaves you suddenly running to the toilet as if your life depended on it! - Of course, you get the feeling of needing to 'go' but it's pretty predictable and natural feeling, at least it was for me. Also, despite being orange flavoured (Oranges are a trigger food for me), I found it to be very gentle on my stomach.

I only needed it for a few days so I'm not sure on using it long term, but it definitely got me back into a more 'regular' routine.

 

[Hazardous?_3]

I know that caffeine is not the best thing, but I find a cup of coffee works pretty good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee#Laxative.2Fdiuretic

 

[hannah-rose]

Thanks guys all very helpful.

I think I'm going to go with the fybogel (same as metamucil and konsyl i believe from googling, both psyllium/Ispaghula husk) gna try one sachet every other day then build up n fingers crossed increasing dietry fibre will help me.

Dragon girl, do you use miralax long term? the website says occasional relief of constipation but if all it does in encourage water into the colon i cant see how it would be bad for you?

It was so bad this morning though i woke up at 4am and went to the toilet and felt like i needed to go and i thought it would be easy because it felt pretty urgent but it wasnt it was still the dreaded C adn it was sooo painful, it was horrendous and after i lay in bed for an hour and a half in pain n couldnt sleep which isnt good when i had to get up at 7am. Then i had to go again when i got up for work and that too was painful and i got so frustrated and upset and spent half an hour crying to my mum i emailed my doctor and he said to take more epsom salts which should do the trick.

my bum sucks

 

[DragonGirl]

I have been using it long term. It does draw water into the colon, so it can dehydrate you, but it shouldn't do much else. I just make sure I drink extra water. One of the nice parts about miralax is that if I need to adjust my dosing a little, I can. The worst that can happen is self-induced diarrhea and dehydration. You really need to stay well hydrated. I had some problems with dehydration early on, but you get a better sense if it works for you and you decide to keep using it. I am sure there are those really rare side affects that every medication has, but I doubt there is much to be concerned about. I have been using it for months now.
Pear juice also helps, according to my mother. I eat pears without a problem, but I haven't tried it. Dulcolax is another stool softener that works by drawing water into the colon. It is slightly stronger than miralax. I don't know about long-term usage of this one, but it worked great for my scope prep!
Also, do you get muscle cramps? Peppermint can really help. I took peppermint capsules for a while, which helped, but I got these weird peppermint-flavored burps afterwards. I find peppermint tea is much more enjoyable, and it helps with my cramps.

 

[Ithinkimafigher]

im not sure about alot of those mentioned but i do know for a fact that the aloe vera that you bought is a good start. i drank that stuff by the gallon jugs throughout the day for anti inflammatory properties not knowing it was a strong laxative as well. i flushed me out. you need to watch out though because it can cause the medicines you take to become less effective because aloe vera runs through your body quick, drawing water as it goes, and you will not fully absorb your oral medicines. i would suggest adjusting your diet before adding a laxative.