Lactulose issue

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi, since last January I’ve needed lactulose every day (two large gulps out of the bottle) after getting super constipated and trying to lay bricks. Average time between going has been every three days on lactulose, and every so often this doesn’t work for some reason so i take two Dulcolax and go the next day - and some. Then back to normal, every three days with lactulose.

Took Dulcolax last weekend, had been five days since I went, it still hurts to go and if it’s hard I still tear, so I bit the bullet. Ok, went on Sat morning the next day, ok. Then went Thursday, 4 days not that unusual after a full clean out. But went again this morning, and this is odd. Sometimes I go the next day as well but NEVER with a day between. Took lactulose after lunch, forgot this morning again.

An hour later I’m in pain with gas and nausea and feeling as if I have the runs. And I do. This is, I presume, what would happen to anyone else who was normal and took two large gulps of lactulose. I also experienced those lovely pushes you get when you go, it uses up the whole of your pelvic area and lower back and (I think) feels nice, IYSWIM. Not had those since last Christmas!

Perish the thought that I might be fixed but it sure seems like it. I’ll try lactulose tomorrow morning and see what happens. Beans tonight and you know: Beans beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot! Oh and chicken for Sunday Lunch, and chook and pork both used to give me the runs, not that I’d notice since last Christmas. Had pork last night! Then today’s runs would be NORMAL.

I’ve had new symptoms in new places, all ruddy painful, recently. So not entirely fixed.

Have had terrible times with the prices of lactulose. Chemist across from me had the generic bottle at £4.50, then it went up to £5.00 and then to £6.99! This is the price of the boxed named version, I think. I did tell them that they’d mispriced them, they didn’t seem at all interested, but now found a chemist that can sell me a bottle for £4.65 in the next town. I need a bottle every two weeks.

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Hi NM,

Could your GP maybe get the lactulose on a regular scrip for you, to save you having to shell out for it ?

Movicol sachets can be good as an alternative - take one daily, take two if you need to … they might help. Movicol you can get on a scrip from the GP.

All the dietary things can be worth a try - weetabix, bran, prunes (or prune juice), pineapple juice, the fibrous veggies etc. when movements hadn’t happened for 4-5 days, extremes sadly had to be considered and one that worked was microlax - a 5 ml micro-enema but I’d certainly consider going down the routes you’re using or the movicol route first, as you’d find them easier.

Best, Matt

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Hi Matt. I do eat a good deal of fibre, as I don’t peel anything, have porridge for breakfast, everything is wholewheat and eat grapefruit often. And I drink almost 3tr of liquid a day. Feel thirsty now without it, my body is used to getting that much. Also pork and chicken give me the runs, (normally) and I eat quite a lot of this too, but it doesn’t give me the runs like it used to, sadly. I’m VERY sluggish.

I’ll ask the GP about prescription but I’d have to get several bottles to cover the prescription charge. I had a Movicol sachet, made up, go weird on me when I had to answer the door, couldn’t stomach one now. Maybe the unflavoured one.

I sometime use suppositories but am so FULL with rock hard bung I struggle to get them against the wall of my bowel and they just don’t work. This has been going on for just over a year now and I still tear when I go, even on Lactulose twice a day.

Every day is different! Been very busy today. Will pay tomorrow, maybe.

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Update: I get the runs every time I go now, and have cut down the lactulose to one gulp one day, two the next and so on, and soon to one a day, but I do need to heal. Still hurts, even with the runs, but not so much so am healing slowly for the first time in 14 months. Happy days!

I’ve heard it can come and go, and I’m very pleased that it can go before it comes. And am loving the natural push spasms that I should get when I go. Not had those for over a year. Oh, and we grin when we do that, and no other animal does and they don’t know why we do it.