Help for recovering from laxative abuse.

[SonOfEurope]

Hey guys,

Very close friend of mine - so close I consider her family - 56 years old, has had struggles with eating disorders for over 20 years and heavily abused laxatives (the pills and powder stuff ) for years, to the point she's having a hard time restoring natural bowel movement function/rythm.

She tells me she sometimes is able to stop taking them for 4-5 days and might get these thin stools or they may sometimes be very thick and long.... I've recommended the carrot salad and coconut oil but what seems to help her the most is just bulk/fibre in the diet, surprisingly her digestion seems OK with no excess bloat or reflux, however while she may use an oral laxative and may even induce diarrhea she will be constipated for the next 3-4 days and has no guarantee of a solid bowel movement... She's trying her best to drop the frequency of use but It's very unpredictable and sometimes yes some not.... Aspirin in higher doses makes her bleed even with ample K2 so I adviced she dissolve it in water for less irritation.

At the moment she has to take them every 4 days or so or the constipation may result unbearable but sometimes may have another bout of constipation and from what she describes her stools can be very hard and dehydrated and painful so the fear of that is part of the cycle she's in, she had a colonoscopy last year and only two small polyps were remove and she was dismissed.

So I'm really confused and frustrated here.


Her diet is potatoes (typically boiled) Bread (tries to eat brown bread) rice with veggies and greens - she still eats more pufa than optimal so I bought Vit. E for her, although she cooks in C. O and butter her muscle/gelatin ratio could be better. She drinks coffee with 2% milk every morning and seafood around twice a month. I make soups for her. Other than Valium she takes medium dose mirtazapine (30mg) which I've told her can contribute to this but without it her insomnia can be unbearable, I wonder if Cipro might help her in that aspect but be less constipating?

I've purchased Progest E for her too and introspect get on how to use it (post menopausal)

I'd estimate her at 2.200 calories roughly.

I'll get more info and update this... I'm really worried, I want her to be out of that dependence but don't know the proper withdrawal approach and I'm aware of the harm she's doing to her body with these things so I'd much appreciate any useful input.

Thanks in advance.

 

[des yeux]

Her diet is potatoes (typically boiled) Bread (tries to eat brown bread) rice with veggies and greens - she still eats more pufa than optimal so I bought Vit. E for her, although she cooks in C. O and butter her muscle/gelatin ratio could be better. She drinks coffee with 2% milk every morning and seafood around twice a month. I make soups for her. Other than Valium she takes medium dose mirtazapine (30mg) which I've told her can contribute to this but without it her insomnia can be unbearable, I wonder if Cipro might help her in that aspect but be less constipating?

You mean cypro not cipro, right? As in the antihistamine cyproheptadine and not the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. In that case I would say yes, cyproheptadine is better than mirtazapine. Not sure either is a good idea long term though, and if her system is used to the mirtazapine then she will need all the support progesterone can provide to get off it.

Does she take any thyroid? What's her temp and pulse like? T3 is the classic prokinetic compound that we produce. The antibiotic erthromycin has some prokinetic properties, you can try adding a tiny dose to the carrot salad. Cascara is also a good idea, but I have yet to find a reliable supplier that ships to Canada.

The hardest part is having the necessary flora for good digestion. (Still searching!)

 

[tankasnowgod]

Her diet is potatoes (typically boiled) Bread (tries to eat brown bread) rice with veggies and greens - she still eats more pufa than optimal so I bought Vit. E for her, although she cooks in C. O and butter her muscle/gelatin ratio could be better. She drinks coffee with 2% milk every morning and seafood around twice a month. I make soups for her. Other than Valium she takes medium dose mirtazapine (30mg) which I've told her can contribute to this but without it her insomnia can be unbearable, I wonder if Cipro might help her in that aspect but be less constipating?

Mirtazapine is a potent antagonist on the HT-3 "receptor," so it could cause serious constipation. Ondansetron is an antagonist on the same receptor, and constipation is a very common side effect. Cyproheptadine isn't thought to have much action on that receptor. I used cypro quite a bit over the last year, and never had any real constipation issues. I think it might slow transit time a bit (all serotonin antagonists might), but I don't think it has the constipation issues ondansetron has, and maybe mirtazapine as well.

Bread, especially brown bread or "whole grain," might be another major offender. I think that could cause a lot of inflammation in the intestine, which could lead to constipation. A lot of people have issues with all starches, and even some other vegetable fibers. Personally, I saw a lot of benefits to eating a starch free diet (maybe 1 potato a week, deep fried in Hydrogenated Coconut Oil). In fact, the starch free diet, cypro and progesterone really seemed to improve digestion and everything. I think at least ditching the bread is worth a try, and maybe a whole starch free diet.

Digestive enzymes or taurine, or more salt and calcium to stimulate stomach acid, might all be things that could potentially be beneficial, too.

 

[jnklheimer]

Naltrexone will speed up the bowels but I’m not sure it’s appropriate to take it often and it can have some mood effects. The carrot salad doesn’t work?

 

[SonOfEurope]

Thanks those who replied!

She is doing much better now, was able to come off cold turkey and restore functionality and regularity with a low fat diet and increased magnesium intake from whole foods.

 

[LadyRae]

Thanks those who replied!

She is doing much better now, was able to come off cold turkey and restore functionality and regularity with a low fat diet and increased magnesium intake from whole foods.

Oh nice! I was going to recommend a tablespoon or 2 of apple cider vinegar (in a bit of water) with each meal for a while...this helps my digestion for sure..