Treatment and Prevention
Constipation can be treated medically, but lifestyle changes are often very important. The following practices can both treat and prevent constipation:
- Avoid medications with constipating effects.
- Do physical exercise to stimulate the movement of waste through your intestines.
- Drink at least 8 glasses of fluid each day - water is best.
- Eat a diet that's high in bulk and low in processed foods.
- Increase dietary fiber to 20 g to 30 g per day by eating whole grains, especially flaxseed, fruits, and vegetables (these add bulk to stools, making them easier to pass).
- Schedule regular times for bowel movements to condition your body (after breakfast, for instance).
- Use prune juice, stewed prunes, or figs to soften hard stools (but increase the amount slowly to reduce gas).
Medications are usually brought in if changing diet and habits don't work. Most laxatives should be used sparingly as needed, to a maximum of once or twice a week.
- Bulk-forming laxatives add bulk to the stool, stimulating defecation.
- Others act by coating the feces with oil, preventing water from being absorbed by the intestine.
- Some laxatives are irritants that cause the lining of the intestine to contract, helping to push out the stool.
- Some laxatives work by pulling water back into the colon to ease transit.
Enemas and stool softeners can be used to increase the amount of water in your stool, causing it to become soft. These can be useful if you can't or shouldn't be straining as in cases of anal fissures or rectal prolapse. Enemas and stool softeners can also
create dependence, so use them only as needed.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
Jeffrey Heit, MD, Internist with special emphasis on preventive health, fitness and nutrition, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.