A GI Doc’s Guide to Constipation Treatment (in 2 minutes!) 

Yep. Gotta love when people who literally just learned you have *insert thing here* think they can solve your problem in two seconds. Like yep, I've been dealing with this for years, been to multiple different doctors, but yeah, I'm sure that thing your mom's best friends cousins daughters girlfriend tried will be the solution to my problem.

@billieblue Sheepie Billie, I am praying that things keep getting better for you!

This tutorial would be easier if he used the universal generic names

Which opioids are you taking? You could try talking to your doctor about trying the mix of Oxycodone and Naloxone (if it’s available), it can mitigate the constipating effect and you won’t need to take 2 medications

@@microcase - I’m on oxycodone long term - doesn’t naloxone work against the oxycodone? Seems like an odd combo

@@lostcontrol1981 It blocks analgesic effect only if you administer it i.v. If you do it orally naloxone gets immediately metabolised in the liver so it works only in the gut (well, in theory at least).

Take macrogol regularly and you should be fine

Based on a conversation I once had with a ward secretary, I often use hot apple juice, (apple juice heated to the temperature of hot tea or coffee, not spiced). It is both soothing and effective. In the case of long standing bouts of constipation, 1/2 & 1/2 apple juice/prune juice with a few tablespoons dark berry juice (blueberry, cherry, pomegranate, cranberry), again heated to hot tea temps can get things moving without triggering cramping or diarrhea.

@@tmalloy9 I'll definitely give that a try.

IBS-C here, too, and stress is such a trigger! I'm finding a low-fodmap diet and magnesium bisglycinate with enough water has helped me a lot. The magnesium has been wonderful as well since it seems to help my sleep and reduce the number of nightmares, but that's just my experience. Finding that balance really is an art.

Usually it’s caused by stress and change of routine. Could also be from your diet changing, since most people eat pretty differently while traveling or on vacation :-)

Could be because we drink lesser water than usual while travelling.

Agreed. If it was that easy,all of us with gi problems would have already done the usual and all would be fine.

@@dacisky 😥

Doc Schmidt is mostly on Tiktok, and videos there are short and fast. You can slow videos down by clicking on the settings wheel (in the right bottom corner) --> Playback speed :)

That was going to be my comment.

Let’s gooo

What is/are(?) macrogoles

I believe that MiraLAX (brand name) = polyethylene glycol (PEG) = macrogol 3350, i.e. all different names for the same drug! (In the UK, the brand name is Movicol)

@@DoctorAzmain ahhh that's clear, thanks!

@@OliviaLee777 they're drugs that work by osmotic activity, which causes water secretion in the large intestine and therefore loosening of fecal masses. They have few if any side effects and their OTC :)

PEG……not taking. Made me nauseous, sick and just had diarrhea

Funny prune juice story. I was in college and had bought a bottle of prune juice and swore I'd only drink 1/2 a glass...It was so good,I had a whole glass..I paid dearly for that. Lucky for me classes were over for the day.

@@dacisky And I can’t stand prune juice! I like prunes but have yet to find a balance between eating few enough that nothing happens, and too many where everything happens all at once 😅

Wow. Were these patients with other conditions that meant they were on medication that caused constipation? Or just really terrible diets?

So fun!

If you are going into any branch of medicine and the primary consideration is income…….maybe it’s time to become an investment banker?

@@JamesDecker7 Why? Income is important too, it's not everything but it's my right to ask. Why the offensive !?

@@Katsukisaud No offense meant, it’s just my opinion that you should not pick a medical speciality or medical work in general just “for the money”. Because just about everything except being a GP can get pretty good income if you become a proceduralist (hell, I know someone from family medicine working as an Aesthetician making 750k+). I’m not saying it doesn’t matter, but if you really care about making a significant amount of money there are MANY professions with a much higher level of income versus work input. I can almost guarantee that if you pick a speciality based more on how much you will make versus what you might really want to spend a giant chunk of your time doing for the next 20+ years that your overall experience of life will suffer. Also, you can very easily look up the average income through most speciality associations so not something you should need a RU-vid video to walk you through? Those were my reasonings for the response. Truly, no offense but I don’t want people in medicine who can’t take the Hippocratic oath and mean it.

@@Katsukisaud This is a nice summary of the reasons people shouldn’t go into medicine: ru-vid.comSJOhnBao2ts?feature=share

@@JamesDecker7 Thank you but I want money

It’s the artificial sweetener just research xylitol

Some candies and gum contain the artificial sweeteners xylitol or sorbitol - both of which cause an osmotic effect (water enters into the bowel) and can lead to diarrhea if you have too much.

Thank you

Xylitol has a random activation point which makes it too inconsistent for use. Some folks can eat it all day long, nothing happens. Some folks are so sensitive they'll be screaming on a toilet for hours. Worse it's activation can have a tipping point. You could eat three sticks of gum for years and the day you take a fourth, you're running to the toilet. It's also extremely painful and lasts much longer than is ever necessary. Note, a lot of this is painful personal experience, but some is just from relating to others who did the haribo challenge and regret it.

I’m remembering those incredible posts about sugar free gummy bears…😝