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Constipation Situation - anything to do about it?

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Posted
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I'm a Protracted member but posting here because I assume there are more members in this group. I'm suffering from chronic constipation and it started in WD but I can't remember if I had it since the beginning of WD (I'm four years off and I can hardly remember anything except the most extreme symptoms I had then). I'd like to know if people who have this can explain the source of constipation to me - is it a brain thing - nerves? Is it body tension due to absence of the drug? Like anxiety making my stomach unable to relax? Is it something else this drug did to my gut?

How do I find out the source and is there a way to treat it if I don't know what exactly is causing it?

Is it worth it for me to invest in a gut dietitian who works specifically with the gut if she doesn't know anything about WD and doesn't believe these symptoms come from a benzo but says no matter the reason, the treatment would be the same?

I wonder if the treatment for this would be the same as any other stomach issue. Somehow  I feel it's important to understand how it happened in order to treat it.

Besides for constipation, I suffer from lack of hunger/satiation signals and lack of appetite. I also used to have stomach pain frequently while I was on Xanax and for years after I got off. Recently that has been happening less often. I'm not sure if it's because I'm on a healthier diet or if it's because I was taking prescribed herbal medicine.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Nony

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Posted
Posted

I have constipation from  WD.

 

As an osmotic laxative helps mine I have to assume it is caused by my gut not drawing enough water in  to help move stool though gut but I am aware other ppl loose ability of gut to move food through gut.

Something that helps is more fat in diet but that leads to fat in stool.

 

So I wonder if cause can be deduced from what helps?

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What about benzos makes us lose the ability to draw in enough water? That's what I want to understand. I want to understand what is going on so I know how to treat it.

Any other opinions/experiences/assumptions/hypotheses people may have on this subject?

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I've been prone to some degree of constipation for decades.  I don't know why - just my physiology, I guess.  After the second round of hemorrhoid treatments, a doctor told me to take psyllium fiber (Metamucil).  I've taken it for ~30 years.  Zippo constipation (and zippo 'roids).  The fiber helps balance the moisture draw (and it works both ways).  I also tried bran, but prefer psyllium. 

 

Plenty of studies done on drugs causing constipation.  For example, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299275/

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I got constipation pretty bad right now.

 

One possible cause is IBS, caused by the 'brain' in your gut not giving signals to the rectum muscle to release.

This is the bane of anxiety sufferers. Diarrhea maybe worse though.

 

What to do about it

 

OTC laxatives

 

Eat plenty of fiber. Cereal, fresh or dried fruit, nuts etc.

 

Drink loadsa water. If your urine is a bit yellow it means you're dehydrated.

 

Yoga for diarrhea, jogging etc if you can. Your body needs to be moved which is difficult for folk right now.

 

Self massage of intestines. plenty of stuff on YouTube.

 

It's annoying but not dangerous. Go with the flow

 

Teru

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Posted
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I got constipation pretty bad right now.

 

One possible cause is IBS, caused by the 'brain' in your gut not giving signals to the rectum muscle to release.

This is the bane of anxiety sufferers. Diarrhea maybe worse though.

 

What to do about it

 

OTC laxatives

 

Eat plenty of fiber. Cereal, fresh or dried fruit, nuts etc.

 

Drink loadsa water. If your urine is a bit yellow it means you're dehydrated.

 

Yoga for diarrhea, jogging etc if you can. Your body needs to be moved which is difficult for folk right now.

 

Self massage of intestines. plenty of stuff on YouTube.

 

It's annoying but not dangerous. Go with the flow

 

Teru

Hi terua too much fibre can make it worse, read the above thread  above your post :)

 

Nova  :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

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For acute relief, MCT oil has worked well for me. It can be purchased as just the oil at just about any store, or there's a great product called Laird's Superfood creamer that's rich in MCT oil. Yes it's a coffee creamer. I know coffee can send some people into a really bad state but it's only been my enemy in very early withdrawal. I tolerate it well today. You can probably put the creamer in decaffeinated beverages too. It's really delicious. And make sure you're near a bathroom! MCT is no joke.
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Gosh, I wish I could follow all these conversations and research all these ideas. Everything is so hard right now. Understanding what I'm reading,concentrating, getting the info to stick in my head, figuring out what everything is - e/t feels overwhelming.
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Probiotics worked very well for me but my constipation was caused by antibiotics so I guess that makes sense.  Hope you find something that helps.
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Good luck.  I just started on antibiotics again because of a uti but at least I was already on probiotics.  Hope they help you.
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Absolutely nothing to do with withdrawal.

 

????

 

Perhaps GI issues did not plague you during your withdrawal, but it's a fairly common complaint.  Let's please be supportive of others' concerns.

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Posted
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Absolutely nothing to do with withdrawal.

Then how come I stopped feeling stomach signals exactly when I got off benzos? How come I only started having stomach pain then? How come that's when constipation began? How come that's exactly when my hormones got out of control? How come that's when my eyesight started going? Same for all my senses. Do a bit of research, pls.

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Have you been tested for Celiac disease?

 

Linzess is a medicine that is non habit forming that makes you go to the bathroom. it deals with the water absorbtion issue also

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I asked my doc to check for celiac but didn't know what it's called on my blood work. I have a feeling they didn't actually do it.
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I asked my doc to check for celiac but didn't know what it's called on my blood work. I have a feeling they didn't actually do it.

Try Oxy-Powder capsules, I got severely backed up again, tried another salt water flush yesterday it didn't work, and I wa sin hell all day,  so I soaked a few dates in boiled water to soften them ate them then took the oxy powder capsules last night two hours after my PM dose  and it cleared me right out early  this morning I was shocked by how much hard poop came out, it came out easily  with no pain or bleeding  :thumbsup:. 

 

I'm usually very distressed about BM's as my constipation is long term chronic  from benzos along with piles and anal fissures  so going to the toilet, or trying to go is a nightmare every time.  :'(  With Oxy's  they usually  turn the poop into liquid so its very loose that's how they work.  They  work by putting oxygen into the hard poop to soften it up and it can turn to liquid, its not the runs its the pop broken down . If your very backed up they may not work the following day.

 

And they say to start with 4 and if that don't wok keep putting the dose up until it does, if i need to do that I always put the dose up by an extra two each time until they work, and you can have more than one bowel movement a day . Also they don't harm you gut or the good gut bacteria either like other laxatives do

 

I knew I was blocked up but I was a lot more impacted than I realised by what I passed this morning, my whole bowels must have ben really backed up, I must be a  couple of pounds lighter by what I passed unreal!!! And my constipation gets so bad many times I thought I'd have to go to hospital but eating the dates soaked so they were soft, then taking 4 which I honestly didn't think would work as I usually end up having to up the dose for a day or two to get a result, but it  worked beautifully this morning  :)

 

 

Its expensive but so worth it for the relief, the capsules are big but you can open them and use them that.s what I do, I put the open capsules in a cup or glass, pour water in quick stir then swallow, then rinse some water around to get the residue then swallow that as well. I am also going to try the soaked dates on their own now I'm cleared out to see if they help, as I feel they really did something to help too I felt it , prunes will help too but get organic ones of you can, I have the organic dates and  the prunes coming today. I get my Oxy powder  from Amazon or a UK suppliers I'm in UK, and their a USA product https://globalhealing.com/oxy-powder

 

 

 

                            Nova xxx  :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

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Absolutely nothing to do with withdrawal.

Its EVERYTHING to do with withdrawal as it stops  peristalsis, if you don't have bowel or gut issues, then be grateful your one of the lucky ones, constipation or Diarrhoea is VERY common in withdrawal along with a multitude of gut problems as the Benzodiazepine receptors are in the gut  Defecationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defecation
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Oxy-Powder is primarily magnesium (700 mg per capsule).

And I'm 5 pounds lighter I  just weighed myself  :D.................. :laugh: Backed up? My bowels must have been time travelling in the past to be that backed up  and drop that many pounds, unreal!! And it wasn't water loss either :o

 

 

                                        Nova xxx  :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

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Oxy-Powder is primarily magnesium (700 mg per capsule).

And I'm 5 pounds lighter I  just weighed myself  :D.................. :laugh: Backed up? My bowels must have been time travelling in the past to be that backed up  and drop that many pounds, unreal!! And it wasn't water loss either :o

 

 

                                        Nova xxx  :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

 

Almost reminds me of a South Park episode (I'll say no more).  ;D

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Oxy-Powder is primarily magnesium (700 mg per capsule).

And I'm 5 pounds lighter I  just weighed myself  :D.................. :laugh: Backed up? My bowels must have been time travelling in the past to be that backed up  and drop that many pounds, unreal!! And it wasn't water loss either :o

 

 

                                        Nova xxx  :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

 

Almost reminds me of a South Park episode (I'll say no more).  ;D

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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