Constipation, a very common problem
Dr. Jesse P. Houghton is a board-certified gastroenterologist. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has been practicing in Southern Ohio since 2012. He has been in practice for over 13 years. He treats both gastrointestinal as well as liver diseases. He prides himself in carefully listening to his patients and their... more
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We don’t usually feel comfortable talking about constipation, however, it is an enormously common issue for many people. At some point in our lives, most of us will have at least transient issues with constipation. For some people, constipation is a chronic problem, resulting in abdominal discomfort, bloating, and just overall feeling bad. Not to mention, straining during bowel movements, hard stools, and the feeling of incomplete evacuation. Constipation is such a common problem, hardly a day goes by that we don’t see a patient in the office for this very issue. Although everyone is different in terms of their bowel habits, we generally refer to constipation as having less than 3 bm's per week.
We can separate constipation into acute vs chronic. Acute constipation, generally refers to constipation that is a new problem, is intermittent, and has been going on for less than 3 months. Medications are one of the most common causes of new-onset constipation, especially narcotic pain meds. Another common cause of acute constipation is the use of NSAIDs (ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, etc) for aches and pains. Other medications that commonly cause constipation are heart and blood pressure medications. Even changes in normal routines, such as a vacation, decreased water intake, and a decrease in exercise, can cause acute constipation.
There are several different ‘varieties’ of chronic constipation, having official diagnoses of CIC, or Chronic Idiopathic Constipation; Chronic slow-transit constipation; and IBS-C, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation. Some prescription constipation medications are approved for one type over another, but we commonly treat them all in many of the same ways.
We usually start treatment by recommending an increase in fiber intake, increasing water intake, and exercising. Often times this is not enough, in which case we proceed to the use of stool softeners and laxatives. There are several OTC stool softeners and laxatives on the market (Colace, Dulcolax, Senna products, Miralax). There are also several prescription constipation medications (Amitiza, Linzess, Trulance). You should see your doctor if you are routinely needing OTC constipation medications, especially if they are not working. You should also see your doctor if you have constipation in combination with rectal bleeding and/or weight loss.
Be well!
