Very interesting...I am glad to know that you can take both the Miralax and Magnesium in the same day. I currently take something called Natural Calm which is a powdered form of Magnesium and drink it like tea at night. Like I said, I only drink it every other night, so I only go every other day, sometimes every 2 days. Maybe I should try the Miralax every morning, half the dose like you do, and the Natural Calm at night?? When you say you take 1/2 a dose of Milk of Mag how much exactly is that? Are you taking the liquid or caplets? My Dr. in NYC feels Milk of Mag or Miralax is completely safe long term.
Thanks!

By half a dose I mean 2 tablespoons of the liquid.

I would say try the miralax-half dose or even smaller amount if you are worried.

I wish I would only go every other day but I would be afraid of it getting hard in there.

I don't have constipation problems unless i eat the wrong foods for a period of time. But I eat bran cereal in the AM and prune juice. I take Flax seed oil caps 3x a day, I eat 1 Metamucil bar a day and 1 coalce at night. Also lots of lots of water!! Everyone is different so you have to figure out what is the best compination for you.
Take Care,
Patty

i go every day, like clockwork, before work. i drink a full bottle of warm water and that gets things going every morning.

i eat very healthy everyday, LOTS of fruits, veggies, fiber, and water. i take stool softeners 3x a day now, along with flaxseed oil and fish oil twice a day.
i've recently started using milk of magnesia if i ever miss a day of going to the bathroom, or if i've eaten too much one day and feel like i'll have problems the next. it makes things come out perfectly the next morning - kindy liquidy but NO PAIN at all. my dr even told me today that it's safe to use everyday for comfort's sake.
interesting hearing what everyone else's "schedule" is like. like patty said, everyone is different so it's up to you to figure out what works for you.

buttgirl wrote:When I first got this thing, I used to take 2Tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia per night. that kept thing super super soft for me and also kept me on a daily schedule--I was an everyday/every other day bmer. After the abscess surgery, I became a 2X a day bmer, for some reason I cant figure out.

Now that I am mostly healed, I take 3 Tablespoons of Mineral oil each night. It is an emolient laxative--a fat that can't be absorbed by the intestines, so it just mixes with the stool. Your dr can also prescribe something called lactulose, which is sugar based but, like splenda, can't be absorbed by the intestines.

Does that mean you just pass it straight out? I was put onto lactulose, but stopped taking it becasue I was worried it might make me put on weight :oops:
I take 40ml of MOM a night, but it doesn't seem to be working for me :| I might give the mineral oil a try :)

Yep, the mineral oil and the lactulose just pass right out. you'll know when you get the mineral oil amount right because if you take too much, you'll notice drops of oil in the toilet. If you take the right amount, everything will mix in.

MOM what is that again?? Is it like Colace??? Is it safe for long periods of time??
Patty

MOM is milk of magnesia. Yes, it can be used for extended periods of time. It is just a stool softener though I would say it is quite a bit stronger than colace. It can make it downright runny. If you try it don't go for the full dose, just start with 1 tablespoon and see how it does you if you go that route.

i don't have a regular schedule.
so far this past week, i've been lucky to have a bm in the evening daily.
the few weeks before, it was a weird and random schedule: like sometimes three days in between bms but then when i would have them, they would be gentle and smooth. go figure.
i have not tried miralax. i have not had any additional OTC stool softners or fiber supplements in that way. i've actually also been off my fish oils and aloe vera juice cause i am just all over the place with work and pets.