About Constipation
Constipation can mean going to the toilet to pass stools less often or passing small amounts of hard or painful stools. There is a wide variation of how many times a person may pass stools; with some people going 2-3 times a day, but others may go 2-3 times a week. Every individual is different in their bowel motions, and therefore constipation can mean different things.
Symptoms of Constipation
The main symptoms are
- Bowel motions less often from the individual's normal
- Passing small amount of stools (they may like look rabbit droppings)
- Passing hard or painful stools
- In severe constipation people may suffer from abdominal pains, bloatedness and nausea
There are a number of causes which include
- Not eating enough fibre which is found in fruits, vegetables, and wholemeal
- Not staying well hydrated
- Medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and thyroid gland problems
- Medications such as anti-depressants, iron tablets, painkiller (codeine based ones) and many others
- Idiopathic causes- this means that we don't usually find a cause which is common if a person has a good fibre diet and is hydrated. We then classify the constipation as functional
Treatment of Constipation
The treatment and prevention is divided into the following categories:
- Lifestyle measures
- Increasing your fibre intake
- By eating more fruit and vegetables; prunes in particular are helpful.
- Switch to wholemeal based foods- like bread and biscuits
- Drink more water- aim to have 2L of water a day
- Exercise regularly- as keeping active actually helps gut mobilisation
- Have a good toilet routine- this means go to the bathroom straight away when you feel the need to, don't hold it in and when you are there avoid straining
- Increasing your fibre intake
- Medications- these are known as Laxatives and there are a few different types
- Stimulant laxatives- these stimulate the activity of the bowel to help bowel movements.
- Bulk forming laxatives- act to bulk stools in a similar way to fibre. Commonly these would be natural or artificial fibre supplements
- Osmotic laxatives- these work to keep water within the large bowel and this process helps bowel movement as well as the bulk of the stools
- Stool Softener- these work by softening the faeces and are helpful in people passing hard or painful stools
Treatment can be a combination of lifestyle advice, and medications. A doctor will be able to guide you on what would be best suited to you.
Our doctors are available now to help you with constipation or any other medical condition which you would normally see your GP about. Book an appointment now and start feeling better right away.