Metamucil and Colace...

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Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Luka » 06 Jan 2016, 10:18

The CRS I saw the other day recommended I take 1 tablespoon of Metamucil in the morning and two Colace pills a day since I have IBS and my stools are never consistent (sometimes they are drier in the morning or in a few pieces at the end and then sometimes I have mushy/watery stool, but not full-blown diarrhea, for the second movement... then sometimes they are perfect and nice and bulky and easy to pass... and I eat the same food basically every day and drink water constantly throughout the day!). PMS and my period also causes problems for me.

It seems like Metamucil+Colace is a pretty standard way recommended by doctors to create softer, bulkier stools. I'm just afraid I might be taking too much fiber with my diet (which is mostly whole grains and veggies) and some people say the Metamucil just makes huge stools and causes you to go to the bathroo more. I'm a bit afraid to start taking it because of that. Should I start with a smaller dosage and move up?

Also, does Colace cause cramps or cause you to go to the bathroom more? It was my understanding that it just softens stools. I've heard mixed reviews on it here and other places online, so I guess it just depends on the person how well it works. Did it work for any of you?

The CRS I saw said Miralax is a laxative and shouldn't be taken every day. He discouraged me from trying it. He also told me to stop eating prunes because they are a laxative. Honestly, I don't have any problem with them since they don't seem to have that effect on me (just make the stools softer), so I probably will cut down on them, but not quit them completely.

I really don't like messing with supplements and medications, but it seems like I can never get consistent stool. It's either a bit too dry in the morning and/or too mushy/watery afterward. Some days it's perfect, though, and I eat the same things every day, basically. I really don't get it. : (

I'd love to hear other peoples' experiences with this. What gives you consistently soft stools?
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Deleted User 4536 » 07 Jan 2016, 00:33

i tried movicol but it made me vomit, so i stopped using it. lactulose and docusate sodium had no positive effect on me. so then i tried magnesium supplements after someone suggested it to me here. it kept the stool soft and small for about a month. and then my body just seemed to become immune to it after that, and now my stool is inconsistent again. like you, some days good, some days bad. i also eat pretty much the same food everyday. but i think it's best to switch it up with the diet, even though it is difficult when there's very few foods that can be eaten with this evil fissure.

so i think you should try magnesium supplements if you haven't already
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Luka » 07 Jan 2016, 09:40

Thank you for the reply, whatsherface. That's good advice. I do keep hearing about how great magnesium supplements are on the board, so that's something I will look into. Sounds like your system is prettty similar to mine with it being inconsistent.

I just really prefer to do things with diet, I guess, so the thought of taking any medication for my issue scares me. I eat healthy and drink tons of water each day, but apparently that isn't enough because my digestive system still gets messed up. : ( I was okay for so long (months, even!), then all of a sudden I get really stressed out and things go downhill. Being a woman and having periods to deal with with all the fluctuating hormones doesn't help at all, either.

I guess I just need to experiment with things. I'll give the Colace a try and start with one a day and work my way up. If that doesn't work, I'll give the magnesium a shot. Mainly, I just want to try to prevent harder/drier stools in the morning, which I don't have a problem with afterward if I need to use the bathroom again. Sometimes my stool can be too loose and watery after that, though, which is the opposite problem. : ( So hard to figure out!
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Daisy Mac » 08 Jan 2016, 15:14

Metamucil made things worse for me, maybe because like you I already had a lot of fiber in my diet. I can't say enough good things about Miralax. I didn't experience any negative side effects, and I just weaned myself off of it after almost ten months because I think I'm finally better. I was worried I might have become dependent on it after taking it for so long, but I'm totally fine. I've started taking magnesium tablets twice a day instead and it's working fine. I found Colace stopped working for me after a couple weeks, but I was breastfeeding and that may have affected things.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Luka » 09 Jan 2016, 10:57

Thanks for your input, Daisy Mac. I do already get a lot of fiber in my diet, which I don't think the CRS understood. I don't eat much in general these days, but what I do eat is healthy and has fiber in it (veggies, fruit, grains, etc). I don't eat any junk food whatsoever and always get plenty of water.

Plus, Metamucil has a lot of sugar in it, from what I've reserached, and I definitely don't want the sugar-free stuff (it causes diarrhea for me and is unhealthy in general because it's artificial).

I think I'm going to just increase my fiber a little bit with food and see how I do. I started the Colace, but I haven't noticed much difference. I guess it takes a few days to work, so time will tell. If I can just keep my stools soft in the morning and prevent any kind of loose stools/near-diarrhea (type 5 on the Bristol stool chart) for my second movement in the morning, I think I'll be doing really well. I'm just worried the Miralax will worsen the loose stools in that second movement for me. It really is a balancing act, all of this!
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby hurtinend » 09 Jan 2016, 15:23

I really don't think diet has anything to do with it. Some people get this condition, doctors aren't sure why....they say constipation or diarrhea or, or, or......

In my experience, once you get a fissure, you have a fissure, and diet won't cure it.

My friend drinks 10 cups of coffee a day, 6 or 7 beers, chips, egg mcmuffins, burgers, fries. Has not touched a fruit or a veggie in decades. Poops easily 2 times a day and is healthy, although he has a big, big, gut.

I envy him in a way. Genes are huge.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Hafzaal » 09 Jan 2016, 16:42

Metamucil never worked for me in the sense that it made my stool too big. I was told to try Acacia Fiber then. It is 100% soluble fiber so it will not add bulk but will give your stool a soft pasty texture. Im in Canada and Im using ClearFiber which you can get from any health store.

I take a little more than a half a dose of Restoralax too since stool softeners never quite did the trick for me and this stuff just works wonders. Ive read on numerous posts from people who have consulted surgeons and doctors and they all agree that Restoralax is safe to use as it does not stimulate the muscles.

I get around 30g of fiber from my diet and drink anywhere between 12-15 glasses of water in a day.

Hope this helps.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Luka » 10 Jan 2016, 11:15

hurtinend - Yeah, in some ways I agree. It seems like no matter what I eat or how much water I drink, I can't get consistent stools. It isn't just diet, either, that messes with your stools, it's also stress and hormones. My doctor didn't seem to understand that my diet is very healthy as it is and I'm getting enough fiber. I think he just didn't want to deal with me anymore due to my anxiety issues. The guy was completely unsympathetic. The thing with fissures is that not one size fits all as far as treatment goes, and I think he was just telling me to take the Metamucil and Colace like he tells everyone else and just send me on my way. He wouldn't even mention surgery to me, which I really want to consider at this point since I have been dealing with this for so long (3 years) on and off. I am so tired of it all. : (

I also envy people a little with good genetics that can just eat whatever they want. My boyfriend is like that and he has a lot of trouble understanding my issue. : ( He's chubby, but has no digestive issues whatsoever and just eats whatever he wants. He gets gassy a lot, but that's about it. No constipation or diarrhea issues.

Hafzaal - My stools are large enough as it is, so I don't think the Metamucil is a good idea if most people are saying they make your stools so big. : ( I also don't want to go to the bathroom more than I do (2-3 times in the morning). It just irritates the fissure more. I'll look into that Acacia fiber. I thought Metamucil was almost all soluble fiber. Is there a lot of insoluble fiber in it, too, that causes stools to get so big?

Restoralax is the Canadian equivalent of Miralax, correct? My CRS did not seem keen on me using it, saying it will cause very loose stools because it's a laxative.

The Colace doesn't seem to be doing much, but I'm only taking it the morning once a day. Guess I will add it to my evening meal and see how it works out. It seems to cause some cramping, which I hope passes soon.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Hafzaal » 10 Jan 2016, 11:38

I guess the number of times you go to the bathroom depends on your body and habits. I've eaten up to 50g of fiber in a day but I always go once every morning after breakfast. Metamucil is 70/30 soluble/insoluble and the psyllium is what add bulks to stool.

Restoralax is the Canadian equivalent of Miralax. From my experience it does not make stools very loose. Definitely not. All it is, is an osmotic laxative which means that it brings water in to the intestines making stool softer. I tried stool softeners too but in my case I dont think they did much if anything.

I'm curious as to if you requested surgery yourself since you have been suffering for 3 years!! I just hit my 6 month mark and my appointment is for June to see a CRS! They sure make you wait. I am much much better now than when this ordeal started but I have already decided that if I am not fully healed by the time I see my CRS, I will be going in and asking for surgery right away.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace...

Postby Luka » 10 Jan 2016, 12:13

Hafzaal - Yeah, I realize 3 years is a long time to let this go on. : ( It's been on and off pain, though. I've gone weeks or even months without any pain at all. My latest tear/flare-up resulted from a bad bout of diarrhea. I was getting loose stools for a long time (about a Bristol 5 and 6 on the stool chart) and, while it wasn't bothering me for a while (strangely enough), eventually retore my fissure. I believe I was just eating WAY too much salad and veggies and it was irritating my system. Now that I'm easing off a bit and eating a more varied diet and not all that salad as an only meal for dinner, I don't seem to have that problem anymore with loose stools. The problem for me is avoiding constipation, too, which I sometimes get in the morning with smaller, drier stools, and that seems to occur randomly since I pretty much eat the same thing every day. As I said, it's a balancing act and it's really stressful sometimes. I really hope the stool softerners (Colace) or Miralax can alleviate that without causing the opposite problem for me.

I also don't have good health insurance (our healthcare system in the U.S. is garbage, in my opinion, and pretty much everyone agrees). I was uninsured for a long time because I've been unemployed due to other health reasons, so surgery just wasn't an option for me. I have insurance now (Medi-Cal), but there are no CRS's in the system, just general surgeons, so I have to pay out-of-pocket for any CRS's I see. It will probably cost me a few thousand dollars for the surgery, which I have to save up for myself. Any CRS I see is reluctant to mention surgery since I don't have good medical insurance to cover it.

The one CRS I did see in San Francisco that offered me LIS surgery (for $1500 or about that) will only do it in her office under no anesthesia of any kind (except the numbing shots, of course). Since I have an anxiety disorder and I do NOT want to be awake for any kind of surgery like that, I had to pass on it. She only offered me a Valium to take for it, which I know would not sedate me enough to stay still. I realize some people would have no issue with that, but I just can't do it with my anxiety the way it is. I need the general anesthesia, even if it costs a lot more. I would just feel safer that way.

I really hope you find some relief soon, and I am sorry about the wait. I hope you can get a sooner appointment, if possible (I know the wait times with many of the really good CRS's here can be a long time, too). I'd definitely go for the surgery if nothing else you try works for you. Best to get it done and move on with your life like so many others have. I wish I could do that myself right now.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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