I'm quite new to this website, but have read a lot of posts. My biggest problem is keeping stools soft/loose enough to not hurt like heck or retear, but not so loose that it's more like diarrhea, which can hurt, too. Often, my morning BM is on the firm side and any other (time varies) are quite loose or too loose. I'm eating plenty of fiber (and water), taking 1 Colace in the morning and have a half-dose of Metamucil after breakfast. I have tried taking Magnesium at night, but don't know if that will help the am situation. I really don't get the timing of when to take stool softeners. It sounds like plenty of people have found Miralax to be helpful--I'm reluctant to become dependent on it. Should I try that? Any other ideas? Thanks so much for any responses.

same problem here but I don't have watery stool. I m also reluctant to take stimulant laxatives that can b addictive n cause later on more harm. I have pasted a topic about laxatives please read it. n try lactulose it's non addictive but it will b effective in 3 days.

Try miralax... Works better than colace. I became pain free when i switched three days ago. Its a little weird but im not straining so i think its helping to heal, the difference has been significant.

I think generic Miralax is miraculous. Since it's not a stimulant and I find plenty of people on this website using it on and on, I plan to continue using it - the recommend dose, once per day. I still use generic Metamucil and plenty of water, but those alone did not do the job.

Thanks for your ideas! :) Those of you who take Miralax (or generic version)--do you take it in the morning or at night? Does it make a difference?
I'll have to research the lactulose more, I have read posts from a number of people who like it.

Milk of Magnesia works wonders for me. It doesn't need days to get into your system either. It'll hit anything already in your colon along with what comes. I take it to the point of watery stool, but it wouldn't sting you in any way like diarrhea. It's watery in the literal sense - it's water drawn into your colon. I've taken so much I once pooped water .
Both it and Miralax are osmotic laxatives that draw water into you. Milk of Magnesia just does it much more readily.

J.P.T. there're quite a few posts on Miralax here on the Foum. Here is a link and hope that you will find one of the posts useful!
http://anal-fissure.org/search?search_keywords=Miralax

Thanks guys! I'm having some success from backing off as much insoluble fiber, focusing more on soluble fiber and healthy fats. Those were ideas I got from people on this site! Mornings are going a little more 'smoothly'! :)

gud to hear that at least u r defeating it. please tell me which soluble fibre n healthy fats u r using.

Magnesium and Miralax both have helped me. I take 3 teaspoons of miralax with dinner each night (I dissolve it in tea), and about 900 mg magnesium a day (half at morning half at night). I eat lots of figs too, which definitely helps too, but not everyone wants figs I guess.