My 15 year daughter was given antidepressant for anxiety problem, she seems to be a happy going girl now. Yet she has some problems like late night falling in sleep and constipation problems which she had even prior to being on antidepressant.
For the treatment of her constipation she has been given stool softeners, milk of magnesia, sodium suppositories and some herbal treatment along with high fiber food that includes bran. The above mentioned remedies seem to work for first one or two days if at all. The urge to go for bowel evacuation is particularly strong when leaving home for school at morning, but the bowel movement doesn't happen most of the time and she looks very stressed at this moment. If at all she is able to evacuate it's a little bit of liquid as she mentions. Below is the copy and paste from the website https://www.medicinenet.com/constipation/article.htm which I feel very much describes her condition:-
'Constipation also can alternate with diarrhea. This pattern commonly occurs as part of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At the extreme end of the spectrum for it is fecal impaction, which is when the stool hardens in the rectum and prevents the passage of it (although occasionally diarrhea may occur even with obstruction due to colonic fluid leaking around the impacted stool).' Could you kindly suggest more effective ways to relieve my daughter from her problem.
Fish oils can help a lot. First, they are helpful for the nervous system which can help with anxiety and second, they really help with creating softer stools. You can buy them in gummies too. I give my dd Dolphin gummies. They taste great and they have real fish oils.
My IBS - diagnosed in high school - turned out to be celiac disease and a dairy intolerance. In order for me to stay regular now, I have to avoid gluten and dairy, drink at least 10 glasses of water a day, get 30+ grams of fiber (which I get through vegetables, fruit, almonds and my morning smoothie), include chia seeds in my smoothie and take 800mg of magnesium every night before bed. Digestive enzymes also help as well.
Have her doctor look at food intolerances - if something she eats is irritating her GI system, all the supplements in the world won't help. Bring her to a good GI specialist if she isn't already seeing one.
My daughter has many of the same problems as yours.
Here are some things that have helped:
1. Make sure your daughter does not eat or drink ANYTHING with sweeteners such as sorbitol, erythritol, mannitol, aspartame, splenda, etc. All of those things, while useful for many people, can cause constipation or other digestive issues in people who take certain meds or who are prone to those issues. Use raw natural local unfiltered honey or organic maple syrup if something needs sweetening. Absolutely no diet sodas, sugar-free gum, etc. Read every label.
2. Eat as many pure recognizable foods as possible. No processed stuff, boxes, mixes, cans, etc. Simple foods in their natural state.
3. Miralax mixed with water or white grape juice, every day.
4. Biofeedback. My daughter went to a women's physical therapy clinic. Usually their clients are new moms or older women who have incontinence (from childbirth, or from diseases or old age), but they also deal with constipation. The therapist inserted a small wire in (it wasn't painful, but a little embarrassing but done very privately and with great sensitivity) and the client learns to recognize the bowel movement feeling, learns to contract certain muscles. My daughter's program included suggestions from the therapist about a bowel movement schedule, proper posture, core strengthening, gentle yoga, and the biofeedback, where my daughter could contract certain muscles and see the computer screen light up when she did it correctly. Her problem is not solely due to meds, she has a connective tissue disease which has impacted her pelvic floor muscle, but the therapist told us at the initial interview that they deal with constipation and incontinence from a wide variety of causes.
5. A low residue eating plan also helped. You can look it up. It basically eliminates rough foods (seeds, nuts, tough meats, high fiber foods), vegetable skins (I peel everything), raw foods (cooked, soft foods are easiest). It's not something you need to stay on forever, but it helps reduce the problem. It gives the colon a break.
6. Lots of water. Not sodas or fruit juice. We buy 2 liter bottles of water so that our daughter can keep track of how much she's had. Filling a bottle or a glass didn't work for her. She tries to drink 2 of the bottles a day.
7. Talk to the pharmacist, not the doctor, about the meds side effects. The pharmacist is the best help in situations like this.
I'm sorry your daughter deals with this. It's so uncomfortable.
Hi R.,
Could you walk me through what her typical breakfast. lunch, and dinners are including what she drinks?
R.,
Welcome to mamapedia.
Sorry - but I won't click on your link. You're new here and in the past - people have tried to give people here viruses through links..
Your daughter needs to be seen by a Gastroenterology doctor. She should be checked for IBS, Crone's (which I doubt she has) and other intestinal issues.
You don't say what her normal liquid consumption is, but I can tell you that if you are constipated you MUST drink water. Not coffee. Not soda. Not tea. WATER. Prune juice might help - but WATER is the way to go.
For some, like me? Peanut butter and syrup...I put peanut butter on my pancakes, waffles, french toast with REAL maple syrup and eat...I get cleaned out.
The longer your daughter goes with an impacted colon? The chances of her losing her colon are higher. It stops losing the "feeling" to go and will just "leak", which will lead to a colostomy bag.
She needs to STAY AWAY from soda, coffee, and fake sugars - no yellow packets, no blue packets of sugar. ALL NATURAL sugar. prunes and raisins are good for relief as well. I realize she's 15, but have her sit on the toilet at the same time EVERY DAY ready to poop. Get her body on a schedule. That's what we did with our youngest son. Oh yeah - another thing that helped him was a stool under his feet so his legs were raised...now I know there's a "new" stool out there - it was on Shark Tank - lol - found it - squatty potty!
http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/11/squatty-potty-poop...
I truly hope your daughter finds relief!!
Good Luck!
I'm not going to click on your suspect link.
What does your Dr say? Maybe you need to see a specialist.
What does her Dr say? Have they tested her for IBS.
What does your doctor say?
I'm not sure IBS is something you have if you are having side effects from a medication.
Did she have constipation issues before she was on an antidepressant?
"she has been given stool softeners, milk of magnesia, sodium suppositories and some herbal treatment along with high fiber food that includes bran"
Given by her doctor or someone else?
Fiber is all good and well but you need to drink a lot of water to keep things moving along otherwise the fiber will block you up.
Fruit and prune juice will help.
So will soluble fiber like Benefiber - it's tasteless and you can add it to almost any drink.
Exercise will also help keep things moving.
Mirilax, every day. But check with your doc about dosing.
Some of us have lactose intolerance in our family. It can be misdiagnosed as IBS. Stool softeners, bran etc. can back you up and cause diarrhea.
Keep a log - for diet and BMs. Do it for a month or two. Record it all. Record bloating, gas, everything, even sleep patterns.
Take that in to doctor appointments. See a dietician if necessary.
As for relieving constipation gently, I suggest Miralax. A lot of doctors use it with their children.
