Does anyone take Metamucil, (psyllium), powder or wafers for constipation? I notice some Dr. do not recommend it for PD but others say give it a go.
Thanks
My parkinson nurse has only ever told me to take Lactulose and Senna never tried Metamucil , Lactulose as a softener and Senna to get things moving .
Thank you, I added them to my list and will see if they carry these at my local drug store. I am very active in the cycling community and I always have a stomach ache prior to our long rides.
Lactulose is such a bind to carry when you go away....heavy.
Our consultant does not advise Senna in any form, far too harsh an action to be taken regularly.
Movicol comes in sachet form, easy to take with you wherever you go, on a day out or a longer holiday, and is much gentler in its action.
You can buy it without a prescription but we are fortunate to have it free on prescription as OH had to have a sigmoidectomy a few years ago and so he takes it to prevent a re-occurence.
Can't say i am a fan of Lactulose causes me far to much embarrassing wind if i take it 
,never really had a problem with the senna i only really take it if i need to which is not often these days touch wood .
Hello
Another good idea is to eat plenty of fibre in the first place even people without PD suffer constipation because not enough fibre is consumed.
I am sorry if that sounds like I am stating the obvious its just in the world of medicine for this that and the other people tend to forget grass roots stuff first before reaching for pills and potions
weetabix or bran flakes are ideal baked beans and sprouts although you wont have many friends and also you can ask your doctor for something called fibrogel which is a powder you mix with water to make a high fibre drink I have found this to be very good hope this helps..........................Paul
Hi stormforce
It is not that there is insufficient intake of fibre, it is simply that bowel movement in Pd is slowed down, it compacts , which aggravates the situation even more and there have been cases of total impaction/blockage even.
I have just started on Laxido, which contains as the main ingredient polyethelene glycol ( plus some electrolytes). Apparently you can buy it over the counter, but when asked about P...G... the pharmacist said they did not stock it. I now get it prescribed. Another name for it is Miralax( I think that's its brand name in the US). It is recommended for PD type constipation. There are different types of bowel movement malfunctions. I came across polyethelene glycol in an article on medscape.com. You have to be careful not to over stimulate/irritate the bowels. I think Senna could fall into that category.
Anyway, everyone has their favourite method to cope with constipation. Drink plenty of water, start the day with a glas of warm water, eat wholemeal bread/cereal. Especially multiseeded bread (linseed!), my favourite is Sainsbury's. Dried and then soaked prunes, apricots, figs or buy the "non-soak" varieties. Plenty of exercise, daily walk,etc.
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Your first paragraph says it all Kate and later your opinion of Senna. I totally agree.
Extra fibre is not the answer. PD slows down all muscles, inculsing those in the gut/colon. That is why my OH had a complete blockage and had to have a sigmoidectomy a few years ago and they now take Movivol to avoid a reoccurence. Believe me, I wouldn't wish 3 weeks in hospital. ICU, and over 3 months to recover from the op on anyone! for the sake of taking any preventative measure. In that case, Movicol has proved to be a godsend, to date.Fingers crossed that it will continue to do so because any future blockage would result in a far worse outcome
Interesting messages apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick regarding fibre and not realising PD slows down gut movement medical term for this is peristalsis.
I take domperidone and I find this helps me a lot but its handy to have the information regarding movicol as my PD progresses....................Paul
On the advice of PD nurse I take linseed seeds when I have constipation. You can buy them in health shops and two teaspoonfls on food (sprinkled over) usually does the trick without any undue sidei effects Whenever I have a day or two when I can't 'go' I have some on my meal in the evening (virtually tastless) an the next day all is well. I have recommended this to two others with PD and they also reported improvement. I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried this.
Hear, hear Paul!
I like your common sense reply. Funny that so few PWP eat properly.
Personally I use glyserine suppositories 
Best regards,
James
Stormforce.
Peristalsis is the usual movement of digested food along various sections of the gut/intestine. Parkinsons affects all muscles, therefore it affects the usual modus operandii of persistalsis! Simple really.
Domperidone is prescribed for the symptoms of nausea connected with Parkinson medication, not constipation.
Glycerine suppositories are for short term relief and not long term relief of constipation.
It's such a relief excuse the pun. to know so many other people suffer with constipation .I also try to eat well but it doesn't always help .Thanks for all your tips .
I eat a handful of pumpkin seeds for breakfast. They taste nice and keep me going, so to speak. They can be bought in 2.5 kilo bags from Amazon.
Peter.
I swear by MOVICOL have taken it for many years and it woks well bl......ell and damnation,, sorry I have to swear by it,, ar,e bug...r damn tohell in a hand cart bug////r
fed ,, my bro gettin his tea
e
i was struggling with it and tried a few over the counter remedies with limited success. however over the past few weeks i have been regular and normal. The thing that has sorted me is eating 2 -3 tangerine type oranges each day and never needed a sennokot since. Could be worth a try for others.
CHIA seeds are the answer.
I tried most of the other laxatives mentioned, but find a teaspoonful of these little poppy-like seeds, work wonders!
Amazingly, all my cramps and spasms have gone too!
Cant recommend them enough. Google and read for yourself.
Twinks.
It's best to avoid constipation at all costs, not just take remedial action when it occurs. When the gut is even partially blocked and slow to move things along, it actually causes the gut to stretch.
When this happens on a regular basis the gut will not return to its normal size, just like continually stretching an elastic band, the elasticty is lost and it becomes slack. You then have this distended area of gut which, when a bit emptier, can fold over on itself and cause a complete blockage..... a volvulus.
This is how the consultant explained it to us and also told my OH that it was very important that this did not happen again as, if it did, it could result in a far less favourable outcome where they might not be able to successfully join up the two ends of the colon and thus have to have a bag.
So, it's Movicol for prevention in our house so that constipation is kept at bay.
Sorry for the gory details but this is something that we both feel strongly about sharing if it helps just one person not to go through what we did.Well, me actually, as OH was oblivious to most of the 3 weeks in hospital.
I know this is a daft advert, but there is a serious message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q
Peter.
I have started having terrible constipation about 3 months ago and have tried all the usual non medical solutions including senna, none of which has helped significantly..However I have found that giving myself a water enema works wonders and rather than buy a kit I use our ''arabian/bidet shower''. It's just a small shower unit with a small shower head next to the toilet.