“How much Colace can I take while pregnant?”
I am 32 weeks pregnant and am dealing with severe constipation. I am getting backed up for days and am starting to feel nauseous and just lousy because of it. I have recently started taking 4 colace a day, spread out between morning and night. This has helped a bit. Could this harm the baby? I am at a loss for what to do. Once the baby is full term, am I able to take dulcolax or other stimulant laxatives?
19 Answers
Copacetic is safe in pregnancy. Normal dosage is 3x a day. Please increase fluid intake and more fiber in the diet. You can also use Miralax and other fiber supplements. Please discuss with your Ob or Miswife.
Coalace works o.k. Life style with diet with moderate fiber and fluid intake is good. Senekot is a stimulant and enhances peristalsis. It can be taken at bed time
Yes
Try Vegas fruits and drink plenty of o
You should not use a laxative more than 2-4 tabs per. Day. It's less about the baby which should be done and more about your colonic health and motility as the growing expanding uterus limits your intestines ability to function easily. If you eat meat regularly avoid IRON in your prenatal vitamin if possible or find a prenatal vitamin that has less iron than the one you now use. Drink more juices and water but as long as you do not have pregnancy diabetes with high blood sugar. Massage will increase the motility and Functionality of your inner organs including the colon. Good luck and thanks for writing!
The amount of colace you are taken does not seem to be working very well. I'd suggest you try something else. Take daily Miralax as directed on the over the counter container. And add Magnesium 200-250 mg orally daily (Also over the Counter).
Constipation is a common problem in pregnancy. The recommended dose of
Colace is 50-300 mg per day in divided doses. As long as you are not
exceeding the recommended amount, then it is safe for the pregnancy. If
Colace is not working for you, there are other safe medications for
constipation that you can take, including Milk of Magnesia, Metamucil, and
Senokot, which are all over the counter. If these OTC meds are not working
for you, then you need to speak with your doctor. You should also be
drinking plenty of water every day and following a high fiber diet.
Colace is 50-300 mg per day in divided doses. As long as you are not
exceeding the recommended amount, then it is safe for the pregnancy. If
Colace is not working for you, there are other safe medications for
constipation that you can take, including Milk of Magnesia, Metamucil, and
Senokot, which are all over the counter. If these OTC meds are not working
for you, then you need to speak with your doctor. You should also be
drinking plenty of water every day and following a high fiber diet.
Taking Colace (which is a stool softener, not a laxative) will not harm your baby. Unfortunately, stool softeners can often be ineffective. If it's been more than seven days since you've had a bowel movement, it's safe to try alternative therapies for constipation. Mirilax (polyethylene glycol) has an extremely low bioavailability (meaning there's no real risk of malformations or adverse pregnancy outcomes). I would not advise its use for more than 3 days in a row. If the Mirilax still isn't working, your last (but some patient's favorite) resort is to try an enema (I would recommend a Fleet enema, any pharmacy will have it). When using an enema, it's important to be in a relaxed and calm environment, especially if this is the first time you're using one or it's the first time you're inserting something into you're rectum. Do not use an enema more than once; go to see you're ObGyn instead. As always I do not know you're complete medical history nor have I examined you, so the best recommendation I can give you is to talk to your doctor before trying any of these options.
Constipation is very common in pregnancy.
You can do the following to help:
1. Drink water, atleast a 75-90 oz per day
Colace only helps if you drink enough water.
Drink 16 oz of warm water first time thing in the morning
2. You can take Colace 100 mg twice a day
3. Prunes help, 5 in the morning an hour after you drink warm water.
4. Fiber in your diet is very important, Celery helps a lot.
5. You can take psyllium husk at night before you go to bed, you need to dissolve the powder in water, it is available as Citrucel or Benefiber or any other brand available in your area
6. Be aware that stomach capacity decreases in 3rd trimester, you can't
eat a whole lot of food, split your food into 6 small meals/day
7. Take antacids for acidity if needed
8. Trying to eat more food at once and acidity are the most common causes
for nausea in third trimester
Take care abc Good luck with your pregnancy!
Dr. Prasad
You can do the following to help:
1. Drink water, atleast a 75-90 oz per day
Colace only helps if you drink enough water.
Drink 16 oz of warm water first time thing in the morning
2. You can take Colace 100 mg twice a day
3. Prunes help, 5 in the morning an hour after you drink warm water.
4. Fiber in your diet is very important, Celery helps a lot.
5. You can take psyllium husk at night before you go to bed, you need to dissolve the powder in water, it is available as Citrucel or Benefiber or any other brand available in your area
6. Be aware that stomach capacity decreases in 3rd trimester, you can't
eat a whole lot of food, split your food into 6 small meals/day
7. Take antacids for acidity if needed
8. Trying to eat more food at once and acidity are the most common causes
for nausea in third trimester
Take care abc Good luck with your pregnancy!
Dr. Prasad
Colace does not cross the placenta and cannot harm your baby.
In General colace is not my recommended drug for constipation. Most
gasterointerologist also agree that colace is not effective in
constipation. Rather I would recommend Metamucil, either daily or twice
daily.
Judy
gasterointerologist also agree that colace is not effective in
constipation. Rather I would recommend Metamucil, either daily or twice
daily.
Judy
Usual recommended dosage for colace is one tablet twice a day. Four times a day is the maximum dose recommended. In pregnancy although colace is considered a safe medication, overuse can cause electrolyte depletion in babies. This is rare but has been reported. If you are having so much trouble there are other options that you can use along with colace, talk to your OB doctor
Try other things that can help with constipation like:
- drinking 3-4 liters of water daily,
- taking prune juice daily in am empty stomach,
- drink a smoothie daily with kale, spinach, apple, carrots, and maybe grapes or pears as well (coconut water to mix), - - adding fiber like metamucil or benefiber to your diet (1 tablespoon mixed in 10 oz of coconut water or 1/2 water and 1/2 juice of your choice).
- change your prenatal vitamin
- walk 1-2 miles daily (20-40 min)
Also cut down on meat, breads, pasta and cheese intake.
- drinking 3-4 liters of water daily,
- taking prune juice daily in am empty stomach,
- drink a smoothie daily with kale, spinach, apple, carrots, and maybe grapes or pears as well (coconut water to mix), - - adding fiber like metamucil or benefiber to your diet (1 tablespoon mixed in 10 oz of coconut water or 1/2 water and 1/2 juice of your choice).
- change your prenatal vitamin
- walk 1-2 miles daily (20-40 min)
Also cut down on meat, breads, pasta and cheese intake.
Twice daily
Anthony James Caruso
OB-GYN (Obstetrician-Gynecologist)
You can take 100mg of Colace twice a day and that should help. Drink plenty of water as well
You can take 300mg of colace daily. It is okay to take Metamucil as needed. Dulcolax will also be ok to take while pregnant. None of these have been shown to be harmful to the baby. It is however very important to have a diet that is high in fiber (fruits, vegetables and whole grains).
Dulcolax is also okay in pregnancy and after your delivery, if it helps you better.
You can still take Miralex powder or enema to help you, you do not have to wait until delivery, Colace does not harm you.
Dietary measures should be first. Drink 2-3 L water per day, eat oat bran cereal with berries for breakfast, eat salads with protein for lunch, and have a little brown rice with dinner. Make sure there are fruits and vegetables with every meal. Avoid hard cheeses. You may use Colace 100 mg 2-3 times per day. Regular exercise in pregnancy barring any contraindications, also helps, even yoga.
