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Constipation Blog

Related terms: Difficulty passing stool, Irregularity of bowels

Blog (12)

Bowel Issues Affect 3 Out of 4 Pregnant Women

Posted 16 hours ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 24 – Nearly three out of four pregnant women experience bowel problems such as constipation and diarrhea, but these issues don't significantly affect their quality of life, a new study finds. Researchers from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., noted that these bowel issues are due to physiological and hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Nutritional supplements that women take during pregnancy also can play a role. The study authors added that since women expect these problems to arise during pregnancy, they're better able to tolerate them. The study included 104 women in their first trimester of pregnancy and 66 women in their third trimester. They completed two questionnaires: one asking about the bowel disorders they experienced and another on how these problems affected their quality of life. Specifically, the women were asked if their bowel ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Diarrhea

FDA Approves Amitiza for Opioid-Induced Constipation

Posted 23 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com

BETHESDA, Md. & DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 23, 2013-- Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. announced today that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sucampo’s supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Amitiza (lubiprostone) (24 mcg twice daily) as the first and only oral medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. The effectiveness of Amitiza in the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients taking diphenylheptane opioids (e.g., methadone) has not been established. This is the third indication for Amitiza, which is also approved in the U.S. for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults (24 mcg twice daily) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adult women (8 mcg twice daily). There ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Amitiza, Constipation -- Drug Induced, Lubiprostone

Health Tip: Help Prevent Constipation

Posted 22 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

-- Most everyone is constipated at one time or another. The U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse defines the condition as occurring when a person has a bowel movement fewer than three times per week. The agency offers these suggestions to help prevent constipation: Eat a high-fiber diet rich in whole grains, bran, fruits, vegetables and beans. Drink plenty of fluids. Get some exercise every day. If possible, don't ignore the urge to have a bowel movement. Use laxatives or enemas only if your doctor recommends them. Read more

Related support groups: Constipation

Constipation Treatments Not Equally Effective: Review

Posted 28 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 28 – Some treatments are more effective than others for relieving constipation in seniors, according to a new review. And laxatives aren't always enough, researchers say. Constipation is common in seniors and can have serious health consequences and affect quality of life. Excessive straining in frail elderly people can cause them to faint and put them at risk of injury or falling, or restrict blood flow to the heart and brain. Chronic constipation can lead to fecal impaction, a large lump of hard stool that remains stuck in the rectum. Fecal impaction can cause nausea, pain and loss of appetite. "Given the growing proportion of older adults in North America, effective management of constipation by health care professionals will be increasingly necessary," Dr. Dov Gandell, of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, and colleagues wrote in an article appearing Jan. 28 ... Read more

Linzess Approved for Irritable Bowel, Chronic Constipation

Posted 30 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Aug. 30 – Linzess (linaclotide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat forms of chronic constipation that don't respond to traditional treatment, and irritable bowel syndrome accompanied by constipation, the agency said Thursday in a news release. The National Institutes of Health estimates that some 63 million people are affected by chronic constipation, and about 15.3 million have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the FDA said. Linzess is taken once daily on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before the first meal. The most frequently noted adverse reaction is diarrhea. The drug's label contains a boxed warning that it shouldn't be taken by people aged 16 or younger, the FDA said. Linzess is produced by Cambridge, Mass.-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals. More information Medline Plus has more about constipation. Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Constipation -- Chronic

FDA Approves Linzess to Treat Certain Cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Constipation

Posted 30 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

August 30,2012 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Linzess (linaclotide) to treat chronic idiopathic constipation and to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults. According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 63 million people are affected by chronic constipation. Chronic idiopathic constipation is a diagnosis given to those who experience persistent constipation and do not respond to standard treatment. Additionally, an estimated 15.3 million people are affected by IBS. IBS-C is a subtype characterized mainly by abdominal pain and by hard or lumpy stools at least 25 percent of the time and loose or watery stools less than 25 percent of the time. Linzess is a capsule taken once daily on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before the first meal of the day. Linzess helps relieve constipation by helping bowel movements occur ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Constipation -- Chronic

Constipation May Help Explain Some Bedwetting

Posted 6 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 6 – Constipation is often the cause of bedwetting in children, a small, new study suggests. Failure to diagnose constipation as the cause of bedwetting can lead parents and children on an unnecessarily long, costly and difficult effort to cure nighttime wetting, the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers said. They found that 30 children and adolescents, aged 5 to 15, who sought treatment for bedwetting had large amounts of stool in their rectums, even though most of them had normal bowel habits. Laxative therapy cured 25 (83 percent) of the children of bedwetting within three months. The study appeared recently online in the journal Urology. "Having too much stool in the rectum reduces bladder capacity," study author Dr. Steve Hodges, an assistant professor of urology, explained in a Wake Forest news release. "Our study showed that a large percentage of these ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Primary Nocturnal Enuresis

Fiber Beats Other Remedies for Constipated Kids, Study Says

Posted 27 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 27 – Many children in western countries suffer from chronic constipation, and when the going gets slow, fiber seems to beat all other non-drug remedies, new research from the Netherlands suggests. A review of nine studies with 640 children up to age 18 with functional constipation, which has no known physical cause, found that fiber supplements were somewhat better than placebos at reducing kids' abdominal pain and improving frequency and consistency of stools. Other common non-drug treatments – including prebiotics and probiotics, which help restore the digestive tract's balance of "good bacteria," increased water intake or behavioral therapy – were deemed to be of little use, a finding that puzzles some doctors. "Treatments we typically use were not, in fact, proven by these studies to be effective. I find that very difficult to believe and put into practice," said ... Read more

Experimental Drug May Help Ease Chronic Constipation

Posted 10 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10 – An experimental drug called linaclotide can help reduce the symptoms of chronic constipation, according to new research funded by the drug maker. In two randomized 12-week trials, about 21 percent of participants taking the drug had at least three spontaneous bowel movements a week, compared to no more than 6 percent of those taking placebo, the study results showed. "People who received the drug had improvement in symptoms, and the treatment was generally well-tolerated," said the study's lead author, Dr. Anthony J. Lembo, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the GI Motility Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The study, which was funded by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, was published in the Aug. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Between 12 percent and 19 percent of Americans have experienced ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Constipation -- Chronic

Chronic Constipation Appears to Be Increasing Among Kids

Posted 1 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 29 – An increasing number of American children require treatment for serious and chronic bouts of constipation, according to experts. Lack of physical activity, low-fiber diets and insufficient consumption of water may be contributing to the problem, they suggest. Gastroenterologists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center reported seeing a 30 percent rise in the number of such cases between 2008 and 2009. The center has opened a new clinic to provide medical and behavioral therapy for children with the condition. It's not clear whether the increase in children requiring treatment is due to an actual rise in the number of severe cases of constipation or whether it's the result of delayed diagnosis, insufficient treatment, and referral at more advanced stages, said Dr. Maria Oliva-Hemker, director of pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition at Hopkins Children's. Constipation is ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Constipation -- Chronic

Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes

Posted 30 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 30 – Japanese herbal medicines may help people with gastrointestinal disorders – such as constipation and indigestion – that don't respond to conventional treatments, a new study suggests. Many drugs used for these gastrointestinal "motility disorders" don't work or cause unwanted side effects, the researchers noted. "Japanese herbal medicines have been used in East Asia for thousands of years. Our review of the world medical literature reveals that herbal medicines serve a valuable role in the management of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders," lead researcher Hidekazu Suzuki, an associate professor at the Keio University School of Medicine, said in a news release. The researchers analyzed data from studies that examined several different Japanese herbal medicines, including Rikkunshi-to and Dai-Kenchu-to. The results showed that Rikkunshi-to, which is ... Read more

Related support groups: Constipation, Indigestion, Constipation -- Chronic, Constipation -- Acute

What You Need to Know When Your Stomach Aches

Posted 28 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, March 28 – If your tummy feels funny, it could be a one-time bellyache, but it also could be a sign of something more serious. Dr. C. Richard Boland, chief of gastroenterology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, says that everyone should know five things about serious digestive disorders: Symptoms: Alert your doctor if you have persistent symptoms, such as abdominal pain or discomfort, nausea, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn or blood in the stools. Diagnosis: Because many digestive disorders are not detectable with blood or imaging tests, they can be difficult to diagnosis. Irritable bowel syndrome, for instance, is usually diagnosed by first ruling out all other disorders. Talking to your doctor: Symptoms and your health history play a major role in diagnosing digestive disorders, so be frank with your doctor. Recording your eating habits and symptoms ... Read more

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Further Information

Related Condition Support Groups

Constipation -- Chronic, Constipation -- Acute, Constipation -- Drug Induced, Gastrointestinal Disorders

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