Hi everyone,
Does anyone know if you can become resistant to dulcoease?
I've been suffering with fissures since I was a kid (nearly 44 now), and from them badly for around 13 years. I've been seen by surgeons but I don't want to go that route if I can avoid it. When I have a flare up it's certainly well past the point I should have surgery, but I can manage things in between and bad flare ups only happen every couple of years or so, so I'd rather cope.
The surgeon, and other Dr's, said I was fine to take stool softeners long term (indefinitely I guess) and that dulcoease was ok for this. I've now been on this for around 3 years and have been fine until a couple of months ago. You can take up to 5 a day and I would take 2, or 3 if in trouble. 4 would be way too much and cause problems.
Jan this year I started on a high protein diet for body building and over the next couple of months I was finding 3 dulcoease was not quite enough (scared to take 4 due to the last time I did that getting into trouble).
When I realised what was happening (unfortunately after having a bad flare up and spending a few nights in the bath due to pain and several hours a day sat on a hot water bottle unable to get off it) I stopped the excess protein and upped my dose to 5 per day.
Currently still on 5 day, I'm eating lots of fibre, drink lots of water and I exercise regularly, yet it's been over a month since cutting out the protein and although my stools are a little softer than what I'd consider 'normal', they are not quite soft enough for me to not cause trouble. Being on 5 dulcease a day, they should certainly be softer!!!!
I'm beginning to worry that I am becoming resistant to dulcoease.
My questions are:
• Does anyone know if you can become resistant to dulcoease (this is NOT dulcolax)?
• If so, can you recommend an alternative?
• Any ideas on how to change over to this without too many problems? I will be in trouble if too soft or too hard and so can't risk going ever a day without something and can't see how I'd balance a change over effectively.
I'm starting to get quite worried!!
Thank you