[Joel821]

About 1 month ago I started Lexapro and it was working well but it made me constipated.

I got another appointment and she switched me to Prozac.

Maybe I'm constipated because ody diet. I eat once a day at dinner time.

Prune juice helps.



Please help. Thanks.

[~Christina]

Take Mira lax daily and keep up the prune juice, for me it works better warm. Increase your daily fluid intake.

If your going more than 3 days with no BM your doctor needs to know.

The following will give you a quick fix in a bind, literally.

8oz as hot as you can stand to drink prune juice.
At least a 6 oz hot black coffee
And a dose of milk of magnesium

It can be a bit harsh, but beats a trip to the hospital.

Good luck

[LucyG]

A lot of side-effects are the direct result of the meds blocking the body's ability to utilize nutrients, particularly magnesium. This would explain you constipation.

Christina's idea sounds great.

You should also add a magnesium supplement to help control the constipation. Magnesium citrate would be a good choice as it has a laxative effect but won't blow out your colon to where you're trapped in the bathroom the way magnesium oxide does. You need to take calcium, vitamin D3 and K with your magnesium as the 4 nutrients work together.

[gayleggg]

Constipation is definitely a symptom from antidepressants. I too use Miralax on an as needed basis. Speak to your doctor about it though, he needs to know you are struggling with this.

[Joel821]

I never had a problem with constipation while taking an anti depressant.

Will the constipation go away?


Thanks.

[LucyG]

Originally Posted by Joel821

I never had a problem with constipation while taking an anti depressant.

Will the constipation go away?


Thanks.

It might lessen as your body adjusts to the meds, but because they block your body's ability to utilize magnesium as well as deplete it as the liver detoxes, you should think about supplementing your diet with a magnesium supplement.

[Joel821]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

[kecanoe]

I have to take magnesium citrate daily to counteract the constipating effect of antidepressants and also drink a lot of water.

[Ronan23]

I already have IBS so this effect is another that puts me off SSRIs. I take a laxative solution with a number in the name (forget what it is) and it works very well.