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Thread: Movicol - Advice Needed

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    37

    Movicol - Advice Needed

    Hello!

    I'm hoping someone can give me a bit of advice regarding Movicol. I've been having tummy troubles for the past three weeks with what I think might be IBS (but is so far undiagnosed and no tests have been run to rule anything else out). It started with wind and constipation, but has since moved on to bouts of diarrhoea, constipation, wind and bloating.

    I saw my doctor last week and she gave me a prescription for sachets of movicol, as she seemed to think my problems might have been stemming from constipation. However, I'm not so sure - I've been going to the toilet every day and on most days am having three or four bowel movements.

    For the past few days, I have started to feel a bit constipated with tummy pain and a 'pressing' feeling like stools are waiting to come out, but won't come without pushing but, again, I have passed stools easily at least once each day - so that's not proper constipation, is it?

    So I'm not sure what to do about the Movicol. From what I've read, it looks like a mild laxative and, having had more diarrhoea-like symptoms earlier in the week, I'm not keen on the idea of returning to that. What I really need is something to fix both the constipation and diarrhoea and get my bowels back to normal!

    Has anyone had any experience with using Movicol? Would you recommend it and do you think it might help in my case or make things worse? I have another appointment to see my doctor on Monday and will discuss this, but I'm just a bit anxious about whether to try the Movicol over the weekend or not.

    Or maybe there's a more natural remedy that someone could recommend? I tried Andrews salts before but I'm not sure if they helped and I've been drinking lemonade, which seems to help with breaking the wind. Any other things I could try?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    268

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    HI Princess, how are you feeling?


    I've tried Movicol before, and I found it quite helpful for my ibs I was prescribed it because I couldn't go to the loo, and it helped me get a... well... a regular rhythm

    I took it on a weekend, when I wasn't doing anything, just in case I had to go to the toilet a few times, but I actually found that it was several hours later, around bedtime, that I just felt I wanted to go, and everything was fine I've got several sachets in the cupboard incase I ever get to a point where I need them again. I think its worth a try - I do remember hearing a lot of gurgling during the day after I'd taken it, which at the time made me feel a bit nervous, but it was nothing untoward, it must have been the movicol working!


    So, if you decide to give a go, feel free to pm me if you feel anxious I'm often around

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    286

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    Hi Princess Sparkle.
    Movicol is a bowel stimulant. It is designed to empty the bowel. Your doctor obviously prescribed it as he/she believed you had an issue with perhaps a hardened stool in your bowel which allows diarrhea to still pass through. IBS is a different issue all together and I would not think you should be treated with a laxative type medication. I would encourage you to get some pro-biotics, which will put some healthy bacteria in your gut and help your digestive functions to manage your up and down bowel habits. Look for a brand that offers a range of different types of bacteria in the one capsule and a dose of around 10 billion to 20 billion a day should give you results.


    Kel

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    37

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    Quote Originally Posted by Budgie View Post
    HI Princess, how are you feeling?
    Hi Budgie,

    Thanks for your reply and for the info on the Movicol. It's really helpful to get someone else's experience of it while deciding what to do. I know my doctor will ask me on Monday why I haven't taken it, but my bowels have been so up and down, I just don't want to risk making them worse. At the moment, I'm going to stay off the Movicol and talk to my GP again on Monday to see what she advises, based on my new symptoms, but it's nice to know the option is there if needed!

    I'm feeling a bit better today (thanks for asking) though I'm still getting a lot of wind and tummy pains and feel a bit constipated again (though I did pass stools quite easily this morning, so can't be that constipated really!).

    Thanks again!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    37

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    Quote Originally Posted by Kelley View Post
    I would encourage you to get some pro-biotics, which will put some healthy bacteria in your gut and help your digestive functions to manage your up and down bowel habits. Look for a brand that offers a range of different types of bacteria in the one capsule and a dose of around 10 billion to 20 billion a day should give you results.
    Hi Kelley,

    Thanks very much for the advice - that's really helpful. I too am concerned about the Movicol because I'm not sure it's the right thing for my symptoms, so I will ask the GP about it when I see her on Monday. In the meantime, I have bought some Actimel drinks to try - I think they are pro-biotics, but not sure? Anyway, I'm sure they won't hurt and hopefully they might taste nice too!

    PS x

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    181

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    I have had ibs problems for over 10 years and i get a mixture of diarrhea and constipation, i use fibregels which bulk up the stool and soften so it kills two birds with one stone, they help me sooooooooo much, as long as i take one a day and drink plenty of water, you can buy them from supermarkets. xx

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    37

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    Thanks for the advice, Katie! I've made a note of all suggestions and will bring them all up with my GP tomorrow to see if we can decide on the best way forward for me. I've actually been a bit better the last few days, so I'm hoping that means my tummy troubles are starting to settle down a little now. I'm probably speaking too soon, but it can't hurt to be optimistic!

  8. #8

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    I have just been prescribed Movicol for a faecal impaction so I thought I would share my experience of it.

    I was getting overflow diarrhoea with the constipation and my doctor prescribed me twenty sachets, so I took eight the first afternoon between 5pm and 9pm, eight the next day between midday and 4pm, and four the next morning at 11am.

    After the first eight, very soon my BMs started to become very watery. That evening my stomach was making loads of rumbling noises, which made me happy because I'd read someone say that meant it was working.

    Next morning I had a loose BM. All day I expected *more* to come out, because my system was supposed to be 'flushing out', but there was just more watery stuff and one more small episode of diarrhoea in the evening. Again, I had a lot of stomach rumbling that evening. Next morning I had a lot of sudden diarrhoea (the contents of which were the previous evening's supper - sorry to be graphic, I just thought that might be helpful to anyone trying to predict what will happen to them on this stuff).

    Yesterday was my last day of treatment. It's hard to tell if it's removed the impaction but it seems like I am having slightly more frequent BMs. I'm now taking Dulcoease instead, because I have haemorrhoids as well and think I should keep my BMs soft. They are still very watery and I often have to rush to the loo.

    So, that is my experience of Movicol...

  9. #9

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    Hi all,

    I would really appreciate some advice from you regarding the same issue, been sick for 8 days and got Movical for faecal impaction after I tried all i could at home to rectify the problem! I was seriously in pain with it and it was a bad case!!

    I am on day two now of the Movical and so far have had 16 sachets in the 2 days, yesterday nothing happened and I was expecting that, today thankfully I did finally go to the toilet, little bits at a time through the day and tummy has been growling all day. Anyway, my problem is I was expecting to pass stools today or tomorrow but instead it was runny, not watery runny but just really soft; no stools at all. I do feel some relief in my tummy, the pain is gone and the bloat I had in it has also started feeling normal again, but the stool are nowhere to be seen. I am scared now its going to make the impaction worse!

    I have had about 5 litres of water since yesterday also so am wondering is maybe that the problem as I know Movical is a stool softener by absorbing water into the bowel, but I am worried this impaction is still there - and I really, really don't want to go to the A&E with something like this.

    Any advice would be most appreciated as nobody I know personally has ever had this problem and my doctor seemed very casual about it and didn't share much knowledge

    I hope someone can share some of their experience with this with me as I am freaking it, and google is no help really!!
    !


  10. #10

    Re: Movicol - Advice Needed

    My daughter has the same sort of problems and I asked her specialist about movicol dosages today. She said you can take up to 8 a day and that you need to take enough to give diarrhoea in order to get rid of the impaction. It sounds like youve got it right and hopefully are now feeling a bit better x

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