Will taking laxatives help in relieving constipation?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 29-year-old male. I have been experiencing something like constipation for the past one week. I have had no abdominal pain, but I feel like I need to go to the bathroom. I have a bowel movement in the morning, but I feel constipated the rest of the day. I took some stool softeners a couple of days which helped, but I am still experiencing the need to evacuate my bowels. Also, I am passing some gas, but it is coming in little blips. Should I take a laxative or could it be like hemorrhoids or something?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your complaints and what I feel is you might have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but before I could make this diagnosis, I need to know, do you have abdominal pain along with your constipation part? Do you feel relieved after defecation, by relief I specifically mean relief in the pain? Does this constipation sort of thing keep on recurring along with some episodes of diarrhea? Did you ever have complaints of blood or mucus in stools?

If the answer to the first three questions is yes and a no to the fourth one, then it is more likely to be in favor of IBS. The cause of IBS is not known, but this I related to some sort of stress at work, studies, etc. You could try laxatives and modify your food in terms of food low in FODMAP. FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligo, di, monosaccharides, and polyols. You should avoid high FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) diet.