https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:26:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890989 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 22:50:12 +0000 jedeve 1890989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel like that article is kind of fear mongering. It's essentially saying that there is no evidence of a problem, doctors have been using it for years and feel comfortable with it, it's not as good as dietary changes, but it's not technically approved for the off label use. Which is a big so what in my book.</p> <p>LO was significantly constipated for a while. We used miralax. Now when he gets backed up, we add in a lot of berries, grapes and raisins and a little bit of juice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890955 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:24:44 +0000 luckypenny 1890955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Kemma: I don't know if I can find it in the states :) otherwise I would totally try it! Plus it sounds delicious - I love kiwi! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890930 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:58:37 +0000 Kemma 1890930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: So obviously I don't know anything about infant / toddler constipation but I have friends that swear by a drink called Kiwi Crush which is basically pureed up kiwifruit. I do know that it's often given to patients in hospital so maybe that could be worth a try? Hope you can get it sorted soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890928 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:53:19 +0000 luckypenny 1890928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: ok. That makes a lot of sense. There is IBS and other GI diseases in both our families so I guess I'm not too surprised either. Thanks for answering so many questions :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890916 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:39:53 +0000 mrbee 1890916@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: Yah we did the scratch test... he came up clean!</p> <p>There's a family history of constipation, so we weren't too surprised when it came up as an issue. Bee and I did a month of Whole30 meals which gave significant relief on that front, so we suspect that diet is a factor. </p> <p>As Charlie gets older, we're transitioning his diet to include less dairy, bread and sugar - which has been helping a lot! It's been tough because he doesn't eat a huge variety of foods as it is, so eliminating food groups has been hard. But as he gets comfortable eating more and more types of foods, it's getting easier to swap out food groups. His diet changes have enabled us to lower his Miralax dosage a lot, so I feel like he's on a good path! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890900 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:19:00 +0000 luckypenny 1890900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: wow. That's amazing. I may try that. I also want to seek out a naturopath. </p> <p>@mrbee: even if it is safe for long term use, do you ever wonder what first caused Charlie's constipation? I'm afraid we will be on the miralax track and not treating what had been causing her constipation for most of her life. Did you do allergy testing? See a GI doctor? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1890894 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:14:16 +0000 lady grey 1890894@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: some of the doctors I work with have their pediatric patients take senna (sometimes along with miralax, sometimes instead of). Senna works as more of a stimulant, while miralax make the stool softer. Usually its given before bedtime, does its magic over night and then parents will have their children sit on the toilet after breakfast. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889823 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 08:31:48 +0000 looch 1889823@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also had to put our son on Miralax, I was very nervous about it, but I called both the ped and the nutritionist on staff and that was what they recommended. I had the idea to use a fiber supplement, but they advised against it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889821 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 08:29:46 +0000 Mamaof2 1889821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am not sure what functional diarrhea is but my DD starting dealing with constipation as a baby. Around 2.5 I finally went to the dr and they put her on Miralax - it worked and I know its safe to use long term but I just couldn't fathom doing that - on another forum I was on someone said her Naturopath suggested OJ and Fish oil every day so I tried it.</p> <p>I stayed on the Miralax for 2 weeks while starting the fish oil and OJ and then held my breath and stopped she miralax.</p> <p>Its been a year now just being on fish oil and OJ and she hasn't dealt with any constipation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889782 Mon, 06 Oct 2014 08:12:51 +0000 bpcmarj 1889782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The only thing that has worked for us is a probiotic chewable and a small scoop of a fiber supplement in one cup of water/juice a day. I use the generic version on benefiber. Makes it SO much easier for her and much more regular. Now if I forget (or run out like this week) she wants me to give her "medicine for my poop". Hope it gets better for your LO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889618 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 22:40:16 +0000 mrbee 1889618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: Long term, I do think that dietary changes and natural remedies are very important. Bee wrote up some of the changes we made along those lines:</p> <p><a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2013/05/22/treating-constipation-with-dietary-changes/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2013/05/22/treating-constipation-with-dietary-changes/</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2012/01/03/toddler-constipation-remedies/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2012/01/03/toddler-constipation-remedies/</a></p> <p>They were great, and helped a lot. But in the end, they weren't enough to fix the functional constipation - which we learned had a psychological component (a phobia of pooping) along with a physical one (the consequence of holding in all that poop on the rectum). The Miralax consistently treated the physical symptoms, which allowed the psychological phobia to be subside relatively quickly.</p> <p>We've been lowering our son's dosage of Miralax steadily over time, and I feel good about our journey. As for research, everything we found regarding Miralax's safety was from scientists who indicated that it was safe... while everything I found about Miralax's dangers came from online postings by parents who were worried that it wasn't natural. In the end, I decided that the risk was worth it given how severely encopresis can affect a child's life.</p> <p>My thought process when we went through all this was to use the Miralax to cure the functional constipation, and then see how quickly we could wean off of the Miralax and rely on natural remedies/dietary changes. What ended up happening is that I kept on lowering his dosage to fast and re-constipating our son, and causing functional constipation to start to develop again. Since then, we've been reducing his dosage at a much slower rate - and it's been a much happier medium.</p> <p>I wish we hadn't had to rely on Miralax to get here, but I have to admit that we never would've gotten this far without it! Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889613 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 22:34:50 +0000 Espion 1889613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is a good general article. You should be able to request it from your library. </p> <p>Am Fam Physician. 2006 Feb 1;73(3):469-77.<br /> "Evaluation and treatment of constipation in infants and children."</p> <p>Of interest in regards to your question about whether your DD will be like this in the long term, (excerpt from the article, credit author W. Biggs):</p> <p>"Functional constipation is difficult to treat, and the relapse rate is high. In one study, 52% of children with constipation and encopresis still had symptoms after five years of treatment. A second study found that 30% of children who had been treated medically for constipation for a mean of 6.8 years continued to have intermittent constipation.</p> <p>If a child’s symptoms do not improve after six months of good adherence to a treatment regimen, referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist may be warranted." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889609 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 22:22:14 +0000 Espion 1889609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: I've seen pediatric gastrointestinal specialists give 4 capfuls of Miralax every four to six hours to children to clean them out. That is a LOT of Miralax. </p> <p>Like @FliegepilzHut: noted, Miralax stays in the gut and just attracts water molecules, which is how it makes poop soft. Many of the medications we use on children are not technically FDA approved for use in children. Honestly, I could take the word Miralax out of that article and substitute it for a lot of medications I use regularly on kids. Medication safety studies are tough to perform and, at times, questionably unethical to perform on children. For better or for worse, anecdotal evidence is what we've got to go on. It is not very reassuring for a mama, I know, but in my opinion, long-standing constipation is far worse. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889575 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:21:31 +0000 mrs. bird 1889575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i'm sorry :( i don't know much about miralax, but i do know a kiddo that has had great success with sorbitol given daily mixed in their water, it was prescribed by the dr &amp; was the only thing that seemed to help (poor thing was ending up needing to be disimpacted it was so bad). plus it's super sweet so it's not hard to give, kids actually usually like the taste. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889573 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:19:41 +0000 FliegepilzHut 1889573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: Disclosure: I didn't read the article...but Miralax is not absorbed and therefore extremely safe. Hope things get better for you and DD soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889570 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:17:48 +0000 luckypenny 1889570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: do you mind walking me the other research, if you have it? I would do anything to see her happier and comfortable but something about the daily meds does not sit right with me. I almost feel like it would just be treating the symptom and not the cause. I mean, what happens when you stop? Won't whatever caused it initially just make it happen again? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889564 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:09:24 +0000 mrbee 1889564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@luckypenny: he still takes a small dose daily. We've been slowly weaning him by lowering his dosage over time.</p> <p>I was also concerned about that article, but further research put my mind at ease! And our son is so so much happier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889557 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:00:17 +0000 luckypenny 1889557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: do you still use it or is he "cured"?</p> <p>ETA: this is what concerns me ... <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/us/miralax-a-popular-cure-but-never-approved-for-children.html?pagewanted=all&#038;_r=0" rel="nofollow">http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/us/miralax-a-popular-cure-but-never-approved-for-children.html?pagewanted=all&#038;_r=0</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889553 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 20:58:00 +0000 mrbee 1889553@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use Miralax and it's been amazing! So easy and effective...</p> <p>Good luck with Dr. Tom! He saved Charlie after months of misery... he's a true miracle worker. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889551 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 20:56:03 +0000 Espion 1889551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you tried Miralax? It is a stool softener in a powder form. It is tasteless and you can mix it in anything. It is not a laxative, so there is no potential for addiction, but some kids need it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/functional-constipation-laxatives-and-enemas#post-1889434 Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:15:03 +0000 luckypenny 1889434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok. So we've come to the breaking point with DD's constipation. I can no longer stand to see her in such pain. We've tried everything - eliminating gluten/dairy, prune juice, increasing water, rewards for pooping, you name it...</p> <p>I remembered MrBees post on dr tom awhile back so we ordered his book and scheduled a 45 min phone conference. Just browsing the book the idea of laxatives and enemas and how long this may take in general is so overwhelming and I can't stand to give her one more suppository (she gets so scared and begs "please don't use the medicine"). She is totally potty trained for pee but will only poo in a diaper and even then she tries to hold it in for days. My heart is breaking for her and I just want it to get better. </p> <p>Can someone please share their success story! I need to know there's a light at the end of this tunnel </p>