Constipation treatments
If you go and see your pharmacist or doctor about treatment for your constipation they will first probably give you advice about how making lifestyle changes can improve your condition including:
- Drinking more fluids: You’ll be advised to drink at least 1.2 litres of fluids every day and should increase this if you start to add more fibre to your diet to avoid suffering bloating and wind.
Improving your diet: Standard advice is to increase the amount of dietary fibre you eat to at least 18g a day by eating more fresh fruit and vegetable, wholegrains, pulses, brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta. Fruits and fruit juices containing sorbitol such as apricots and prunes can help prevent and treat constipation. This will increase the bulk in the diet and help relieve constipation but needs to be done gradually to allow your body to adjust and avoid suffering bloating and wind.- Taking more exercise: At least 30 minutes a day of regular daily exercise such as brisk walking can encourage a regular bowel habit.
- Developing a regular toilet routine: You should aim to go to the loo early in the morning or about 30 minutes after a meal – so try and schedule this into your day. You should give yourself enough time and ensure you have privacy. However remember that altering your diet may also alter your routine.
- Varying medication: Some prescription and over the counter drugs may cause constipation. Your pharmacist or doctor may be able to vary your drug dosage to minimise these effects (never attempt this without advice from a health care professional). In some cases your doctor may recommend a laxative to counter the effects.
- Pharmacy remedies: You may want to also consider using a treatment such as a laxative or a stool softener, depending on the type of symptoms you have.
Constipation and laxatives
You should aim to make adjustments to your lifestyle to help prevent constipation but you may decide you need short-term relief while these measures take effect. You can buy a laxative or speak to your pharmacist or doctor for a recommendation. A laxative is a remedy that may improve the frequency of going to the loo and/or the consistency of the bowel movement.
There are four types of laxative:
Osmotic laxatives: Osmotic laxatives work with water and take a little longer than traditional stimulant tablet laxatives, due to the gentle and natural osmotic action.
- There are two types of osmotic laxatives: Drink format (sachet to mix with water, like Dulcobalance®) and traditional dosage format (like lactulose liquid). They increase the amount of fluid in your bowels either by drawing fluid from the body into the bowel or by retaining the fluid they are administered with.
- The drink based osmotic laxatives, like Dulcobalance®, work differently (compared to the traditional format) in that they take water directly to the source of the problem and work only in the bowel – they are not absorbed into the body.
- Osmotic laxatives usually take 1 to 3 days to take effect.
- Dulcobalance® is a new osmotic laxative that has a body-friendly action and is an ideal treatment in the early stages of constipation when relief is needed. It harnesses the natural power of water and transports the water directly to where it’s needed in the bowel. It comes in the form of a powder which is dissolved with water and taken as a pleasant tasting drink.
- Dulcobalance® takes 24-48 hours to take effect and should be taken preferably in the morning.
Stimulant laxatives: If you have not been able to go to the loo for some time then stimulant laxatives may be recommended to you. This type of laxative works by stimulating the muscles that line your digestive tract.
Stool softeners: If your stools are hard, dry or difficult to pass, but you are still going to the loo, then a stool softener like Dulcoease® can help to reduce the symptoms. These types of laxatives soften dry, hard stools making it easier and more comfortable to go.- Bulk forming laxatives: These include bran and ispaghula husk (pysllium husks, methylcellulose and sterculia) and work by increasing the volume of the stool, eventually stimulating your bowel muscles to move the stool along. They help to retain fluid so therefore must be taken with adequate fluid intake (at least 6-8 glasses/1.2 litres a day). They can take a few days to work and are taken as either powdered granules dissolved in water or tablets/capsules.
When should I stop taking laxatives?
Always follow the information provided with the medicine (the leaflet and packaging). Standard advice is that laxatives should be taken as a short term measure and that you should stop taking them as soon as you relieve your constipation. However, if you have constipation as a result of an underlying medical condition or a side effect of another medication for a long term condition you may need to take them for a longer period of time. This needs to be under the supervision of the pharmacist and/or doctor.
If oral laxatives don’t relieve the problem your doctor may recommended suppositories:
- Suppositories: These include Dulcolax® Suppositories (containing bisacodyl) or suppositories containing glycerol. They dissolve at body temperature and are then absorbed into the bloodstream so they provide fast relief from constipation, acting faster than usual laxative tablets.
