[chronicallyconfused]

I'm on Zoloft 150mg (tapering down), Lamictal 150mg (tapering up), trazodone 100mg in the evening, and abilify 10mg in the evening. I'm constantly constipated! I take 3 docusates in the evening, miralax in the morning, eat healthy (add flax to yogurt shakes), am physically active.....what else can I do?!?!? I try orange juice and coffee as well as those have always worked, but they are not helping now that the lamictal, abilify and trazodone have been started. Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

[unaluna]

What else do you eat? I pretty much can't eat cheese, it totally cancels out all the fiber I eat. And I mean a good 25 gms of real fiber from raw fruits and vegetables. Dulcolax is my best friend in those times.

[Crashed Again]

I am just about to start using Meta Musil fiber therapy. Got to talk to doc first to make sure it's ok. Can't see why it wouldn't be, it's all natural. I have used it before, loosens you up if your constipated or it plugs you up if you have gone the other direction, if you know what I mean.

[yellowted]

try taking movicol, one sachet in water drank over a couple of hours each day is great at keeping things moving, so too is lactulose, though this is not a drink it is a liquid medication like cough mixture and very sweet.
constipation is no fun at all, but there are things that help, drink at least 2 l of water each day, drink a glass of water with every meal/snack you eat, incorporate as much whole fruit and veg as you can into your daily diet, take regular exercise at least once or twice a day, avoid dairy as this can make constipation worse.
I find a good portion of fries (chips in UK) helps to push things down and out

[ECHOES]

Taking a stool softener several times a day could help. Something like Colace or a store brand of it. It works well.

[chronicallyconfused]

Thank you for all the suggestions! Lactulose is prescription only in the US and colace is the same as docusate. Unfortunately I HATE water, always have, even flavored water is kinda nasty in my opinion

[ShaggyChic_1201]

I added prunes to my diet, in addition to all the other things mentioned.

[lizardlady]

Try eating a couple of prunes when you take the meds. Worked for me.

[Umbral_Seraph]

I took Lamictal for brief period of time. It made my digestive track nearly stop completely! Stopping Lamictal was the only thing that fixed it.

[yellowted]

movicol works in milk too, tastes like lemon or orange milkshake! (i use rice milk not cows milk)
i'm not sure but think you could get lactulose from a uk website as it is dirt cheap and non prescripton over here, but check laws on importing for own use to be sure.

[Odee]

I was going to suggest drinking a lot of water.

[cybermember]

Coming from someone who's had their large intestine removed due to constipation, a GI doctor would first ask if you are drinking enough fluids, preferably water. Caffeinated beverages don't count as they are considered diuretics. Fluid intake is very important in keeping things moving along.

Also, are you eating enough fiber? Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is: 25 grams for Women; 38 grams for Men. But most individuals don't meet their RDA requirements so either adding more fruit, veggies, and/or whole grains or adding a fiber supplement would be the next step, such as Metamucil (or equivalent) which is 100% natural psyllium fiber. Just remember that if you are taking any medication by mouth, you are to take Metamucil 2 hours before your medication or 2 hours after your medication as Metamucil can affect how well your medication works (says so on the box). If you do use a fiber supplement it is imperative that you drink enough fluids while taking it.

You can also try a stool softener or prune juice to see if that helps.

Lastly, occasional laxative use is fine but the goal is to not rely on laxatives as over time your intestines become lazy from overuse and eventually stop working on their own, thus the need for more laxatives and is a vicious cycle that you don't want to be caught up in.

Or the very least, if it's an option, to adjust your meds.

Hope this helps and that your constipation resolves.

[ECHOES]

Originally Posted by chronicallyconfused

Thank you for all the suggestions! Lactulose is prescription only in the US and colace is the same as docusate. Unfortunately I HATE water, always have, even flavored water is kinda nasty in my opinion

Sorry, I missed that you are taking docusate.
When I was taking 2 100mg colace at once, my doc suggested spacing them out throughout the day and that I could even take 3, spaced out like that too.
Any fluid is fluid, even caffeinated, but the less caffeine the better since it dehydrates.

I also suggest popcorn