…… Constipation Help For My Son

sjhenderson

Senior Member
My son has Angelman Syndrome and with that comes most often times severe constipation. I need some home remedies as over 34 years the doctors have not helped it. Thanks in advance.
 

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
My daughter has chronic constipation, from a combination of things -- she's autistic, has celiac disease and lupus (and several other auto-immune conditions), and she has spina bifida occulta and neurogenic bladder. Whether because of one or more of these, or alongside them, she has suffered from severe constipation most of her life. (When she wasn't constipated, she was the opposite.) For a long time, she had to take a prescription stool softener every day. But she hasn't needed one of those for several years now. What made the difference was limiting dairy, severely limiting sugar, and cutting out almost all the grains, even the gluten-free ones. Our diet is primarily vegetables, fruit, and meat, with a little yogurt or kefir or small amounts of aged cheese once in a while. (I count eggs in with meat, along with fish -- basically, if it's an animal protein source that's not dairy, I count it as meat.) Once in a while, we'll have a little bit of rice or cornmeal, but otherwise, no grains at all. And that's not even every week. Maybe once or twice a month at most.

I don't know if you can make the same changes to your son's diet. Some people strenuously resist changes in what they eat. Thankfully, my daughter loves any and all foods, and -- while she would happily eat anything if it was set in front of her -- doesn't fuss about what I give her. And, thankfully, she's not been constipated in a long time.

Kathleen
 

hunybee

Veteran Member
Do they issues with any of the alcohol sugars? The "Itols"?

Erythritol
Sorbitol
Mannitol
Etc

If those cause gastric distress, they can get things moving in high enough dosage. Usually candy with it as the main sweetener will do it. Careful though. It can be unpleasant. Effective, but unpleasant.

There are so many ways to get things going, but with his diagnosis, I am not sure what is a good or bad thing for him.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Prune juice or pitted prunes really works for most people. Opioid pain meds really are terribly constipating (the only reason we've ever suffered from it). When I was hospitalized with MRSA, I kept a box of pitted prunes by my bed. I ate one with e ery dose of pain meds... never had any trouble with my bowels. Doctors were amazed.

There are a couple of newer drugs out that are supposed to help. Linzess and Trulance. Their major serious side effect is diarrhea! If he hasn't tried them, it might be worth a trial.

Summerthyme
 

sjhenderson

Senior Member
My daughter has chronic constipation, from a combination of things -- she's autistic, has celiac disease and lupus (and several other auto-immune conditions), and she has spina bifida occulta and neurogenic bladder. Whether because of one or more of these, or alongside them, she has suffered from severe constipation most of her life. (When she wasn't constipated, she was the opposite.) For a long time, she had to take a prescription stool softener every day. But she hasn't needed one of those for several years now. What made the difference was limiting dairy, severely limiting sugar, and cutting out almost all the grains, even the gluten-free ones. Our diet is primarily vegetables, fruit, and meat, with a little yogurt or kefir or small amounts of aged cheese once in a while. (I count eggs in with meat, along with fish -- basically, if it's an animal protein source that's not dairy, I count it as meat.) Once in a while, we'll have a little bit of rice or cornmeal, but otherwise, no grains at all. And that's not even every week. Maybe once or twice a month at most.

I don't know if you can make the same changes to your son's diet. Some people strenuously resist changes in what they eat. Thankfully, my daughter loves any and all foods, and -- while she would happily eat anything if it was set in front of her -- doesn't fuss about what I give her. And, thankfully, she's not been constipated in a long time.

Kathleen
Thanks. That is pretty much his diet now as we keep him in Ketosis for seizures. We gave used Lactulose but that dries him out too much, castor oil helps some but can't be given much.
 

philkar

Veteran Member
Hey! Thought I would weigh in. Daughter with Down had problem with constipation. We tried many things. We finally found that acidophilus was the answer for her. I gave it everyday for a while, then every other day, and then once a week. I did use a powdered form that I purchased from a Seventh Day Adventist store. Also I found that exercise for her helped. We no longer use acidophilus as the problem resolved and she is 22 now. Hope you find the answer for your family!
 

Homestyle

Veteran Member
My granddaughter became impacted and she was put on Miralax, a dose every thirty minutes in liquid of choice until it worked. The next check up she was all cleaned out. You can be impacted and have diarrhea and never think you are constipated. She took a dose of Miralax daily for a while and then as needed.
 

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
"GoLytely". It's used for colonoscopy prep, to clean the entire GI tract. Drink that and nothing shall remain.

That Golitely is certainly effective. If you want to get cleaned out that stuff makes sure not a trace of poop remains anywhere in the GI tract. Had to do that stuff one time-my backside felt like it was a space shuttle main engine at full thrust.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
If he can have it, Benefiber or similar to provide the fiber he needs to get things moving. Karo syrup will help trigger movements if they don't already consume large amounts of it. Magnesium supplements can help keep things regular. Natural Calm is a good one, just up the dosage slowly. 400 mg is what my son takes.
And look to the diet to see what might be triggering there. My son can't have cheese at all. Your son might be eating something in quantity that is causing issues. One other problem that is often overlooked, especially in younger folks, is hemorrhoids. I can promise you that absolutely nothing will cause a back up like a painful exit.
GoLytely is different for different folks. I personally know one youngster that can receive quarts of it, directly pumped to his stomach, and still not go for at least 24 to 48 hours.
Be careful with OTC and prescription laxatives. The docs like to say that they can't cause pain. From personal experience, not only can they but that can be some absolutely vicious, evil pain.
 

Grounded Idealist

Hope Always
Lots of good suggestions here! Consider aloe vera juice as a daily helper too. It can be taken every day or only as needed, works gently overnight and is well tolerated by most. You can buy it at a health food store; you can even grow your own! It would also complement some of the other remedies listed here as well.

ETA: greysage hit the nail on the head! The colon simply does not work without hydration including electrolytes.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh, that reminds me, unless he gets it regularly Gatorade can trigger a cleansing as well. Especially if the body doesn't need those electrolytes at that point.
 

Happy Kat

Member
My autistic granddaughter had terrible constipation problems. Her Dr. suggested slippery elm powder. Worked great....What Is Slippery Elm and How Does It Work? Slippery elm is an herbal supplement used orally to treat conditions such as Colitis/diverticulitis, constipation, cough, cystitis, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, sore throat, ulcer prevention, and urinary tract infections.
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
I'll weigh in because I had horrible constipation for awhile, largely due to my diet. The last straw was eating too much cheese right before Christmas. I was stopped up for several days. Never again!

You've gotten some great advice about getting things moving again, but for me, the larger deal was prevention so that I didn't tear up my insides, so perhaps consider:

-- Avoid MREs, many "energy bars," large amounts of cheese, or anything else that creates blockages
(Yes, I got moved out my MREs. I couldn't function with that much constipation, and in a SHTF scenario, I need to be able to function!)

-- Drink plenty of water (as suggested)

-- Get enough fiber each day. For me, the minimum is eating at least a medium apple. The fruit! Don't juice it. And around the holidays when I'm eating **a little** cheese, I add about 1/2 cup of oatmeal in the morning.

-- If large amounts of red meat are starting to be a problem, cut back. I no longer eat huge steaks, for example. Palm-sized pieces cause fewer problems, plus I'm eating a lot more chicken.

Diet really is key. I used things such as Benefiber (etc) but I found that eating more "roughage" (carrots, radishes, apples) was much better for my system longer term, even if it is a little more expensive in the winter. Lots of fiber is also useful in maintaining a healthy weight.

Good luck! I hope the problem is short-lived.
 
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teedee

Veteran Member
I was on a medication amatyriptoline (sp) and it really stopped me up. I did the bulk adding and many of the other things suggested here. What I found worked for me best was licorice. You need to find something like the old time penny candy either cigars or pipes. It seems to add liquid to the stool. The stool is still solid but it comes out with less effort.
 

TorahTips

Membership Revoked
Magnesium might help. Mag citrate in the bottle if it's severe (it will cause diarrhea), or ionic mag glycinate (IIRC) in the form of CALM powder. He could take the CALM daily.
I have the same problem. I've had colon problems for years. It's nearly killed me a few times. The last surgeon I had said that I should never get constipated because it could cause serious problems. He recommended Magnesium. I don't recommend that you use it excessively (like I do sometimes). Overdose levels are very high. It can cause severe diarrhea. With constipation it may also cause cramping until it works. I've taken up to 4 grams over a period of hours. I don't know that I can recommend that you do that. Research before you do anything. Taking it to the point of severe diarrhea can also cause malnutrition. I fight that battle every day. Many constipation relief products on the market have magnesium as their active ingredient.
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Miralax used to be prescription, but has been over the counter for some time. Nothing works as good. Simply nothing comes even close.
View attachment 304111

I'll second this as well, but don't use it long term. I don't remember why, now. Maybe it messes up the kidneys? But several times a year is fine. This is my go-to if I eat too much cheese.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Dried fruits can cause sugar spikes, my own suggestion is to avoid those. Magnesium works. Also a tablespoon of salt in a pint glass of water. If you have a whole head of celery, you can juice it and strain out the fiber. There are some YT videos on that one - people report tripping over stuff to get to the bathroom, and they haven't even finished drinking the celery juice.

Basic diet suggestions would to get rid of all grains, esp, wheat. Also, sugar is toxic to all organs. (I am a recovering sugar addict - I KNOW it's hard to cut out that one! Watch Dr. Cywes, aka. the Carb Addiction Doc. when things get tough). Last, toss the canola and cotton seed oils and Crisco, etc.
 

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
A couple others recommended Miralax, I am a daily user and firm believer. This was doctor recommended to be used once each day. It's a white sugary looking powder that is tasteless and odorless. It can be mixed in your favorite beverage and you'll never know it's there. It keeps things very regular, no pain, no constipation, no stomach cramps. Just follow the dosage on the bottle.

If the full dose upsets your stomach, then take two half does each day, one first thing in the AM, the other in the evening. It's not fast acting, it takes several hours to work and you don't have to worry about it coming on so fast that you cannot get to the toilet in time. It's very slow. Walmart sells a generic brand that works just as good.

I tried high fiber, different diets, Miralax is all that would work.
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
I was on a medication amatyriptoline (sp) and it really stopped me up. I did the bulk adding and many of the other things suggested here. What I found worked for me best was licorice. You need to find something like the old time penny candy either cigars or pipes. It seems to add liquid to the stool. The stool is still solid but it comes out with less effort.
Just be careful with real licorice. It actually acts like a corticosteroid, and can cause water retention, high blood pressure and kidney issues if taken in large quantities.

Summerthyme
 
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