Amitiza for Chronic Idiopathic Constipation User Reviews (Page 3)

• Ms...
• September 19, 2011

"I've been chronically constipated since I was 5 (I'm in my early 20's now). I always went to Doctors, who kept saying over and over "fiber and water." Prune juice and normal laxatives (not stimulant laxatives) would have little to no effect on me. Amitiza makes me feel normal, and for the first time I can ever remember, I don't dread when I have to do a bowel movement. It's painless! I've solved this taboo problem that I have suffered with for my entire life! Its a great feeling to have relief now. I do get nausea and a headache if I take it without a moderate sized meal. I also get cramps and explosive diarrhea if I take it and then eat a lot of dairy, like a milkshake (I'm not lactose intolerant though). Despite this, I love this medicine!"

• cbnsdn
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2013

"Amitiza works pretty good. I do still have to take Milk of Magnesia and mineral oil to feel completely emptied out. The severe nausea and headaches are very bothersome and sometimes they are worse than others. The side effects do go away once you have a bowel movement."

• Lil...
• September 26, 2015

"My doctor put me on the 24s twice a day with meal. Despite always taking it correctly, it always gives me unbearable nausea and occasionally diarrhea. For me personally the side effects make this medication very unbearable. However, I gave it a decent rating because it certainly gets things moving along. The first day I took it I passed stool 5 times which seemed excessive. Overall, it's up to you to decide if you feel better or worse after taking it."

• Retir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2018

"Have suffered from Chronic Constipation for many years. 'Specialists' may label it "Idiopathic", which sounds technical, but really means "I don't know why, either, so just take this pill, or this other pill", etc. (So WHY not do more research, instead of just prescribing different pills????) Was prescribed LOW-dose Amitiza, and the side effects were absolutely awful !!!! Spent the night in the bathroom! Incredible pain, cramps, bloating, nausea all night! and NO BM! Eventually had a very painful BM at 4:00 A.M., which left me with an inflamed, painful, distended GI system. My doctor says that I should "try Amitiza AGAIN"??? Really? ! This is insane, and unacceptable; and hopefully, in spite of this terrible experience, I think I am still sane! Will keep looking for something that does not include torture as a side effect! God bless!"

• longc...
• July 7, 2009

"I am 71 and have had constipation all of my life. I've tried OTC products (all of them) and even some prescription products. I take 4 of this per week with plenty of water. More give me some cramps. However, my constipation is finally under control. It isn't easy, but I do get results about 4 times a week. That beats 1 or 2 with a lot of bleeding from strain. I may increase to 7 times per week and see if the cramping stops. I have a superlong colon which has caused the chronic constipation."

• tiffa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 25, 2012

"I take the 24mg twice a day after having severe constipation post-chemo and multiple abdominal surgeries. It takes a couple of days for it to cause a movement, but when it does, it's unbelievable how much it works! I have felt the nausea and headaches, but didn't realize it was caused by the Amitiza. I'm so thankful to have this medicine!"

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2009

"I have had very severe chronic constipation for over two years that has just seemed to get worse and worse over time. I've tried Amitiza on a few occasions over the last couple years and each time has been a awful experience. It works but it takes about 3 days and those 3 days are unbearable. Horrible gas and bloating, headaches, cramps, nausea, not to mention the pain in my back and sides from the severe bloating. I gave a friend some of my samples and it worked wonders for her, she had none of those side effects. Everyone is different, it's always worth a try."

• Evelyn...
• August 15, 2009

"I have had chronic back pain for years, taking pain pills and was always constipated. I was miserable. My doctor prescribed Amitiza and I have had excellent results. No more straining and trying one laxative after another. Absolutely no side effects. What a great medicine!"

• FINALLY...
• February 12, 2018

"I have been severely constipated for years after 20 years of chronic diarrhea. Have had to resort to enemas and laxatives just to get some relief. Was on linzess 290 for year and a half and it was so inconsistent when it worked. Started amitiza 24 mcg couple of months ago. You definitely have to eat while taking it literally. I only have to take it once a day now and I feel like it is a miracle. I just hope it doesn't stop working. I am finally feeling normal and not sluggish and miserable anymore. It is quite expensive as my insurance pays very little and I'm out $259 per month. It's definitely worth it to me. I was probably spending more than that on OTC stuff anyway."

• honesty
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 24, 2019

"I have been taking Amitiza 24 mcg twice a day for several years. I also take psyillium fiber and drink water up to 2 quarts a day. Since my work does not support a lot of walking, I tend to get abdominal bloating in the afternoon due to incomplete bowel emptying and inactivity. When my stool becomes dark brown, I may experience diarrhea as my colon is attempting to move hard stool. When my stooI is soft formed and a light tan color, I experience a feeling of complete emptying and no abdominal bloating or diarrhea. This is a daily challenge to ensure sufficient exercise, water intake, and fiber rich and roughage producing foods. I feel that the medication would be more effective if the dosage could be titrated or time-released to meet individual patient needs."

• Jo Jo...
• May 16, 2016

"I'm just writing to tell people ifAmitiza isn't working for you DO NOT switch to Linzess! It worked great in the beginning, but for me and thousands of people complaining on line....it just stopped working. I actually went from taking one 145 mug capsule to THREE, and nothing! Linzess sucks."

• Mouse
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2020

"I was taking linzess with total success then insurance wanted me to try amitza. Then I became twice as constipated and had extreme fatigue, abdominal cramps that felt like labor pains headaches and severe dehydration and my movements went from 3 to 4 days to 5 to 7 days. I became toxic. I will never take that amitza again. I swear it is nothing more than a placebo. Bad stuff. I now have to reschedule my colonoscopy because of a blockage that could have been prevented. My life and health is a joke to fidelis insurance."

• Staga...
• January 9, 2009

"I have been on pain medicines for the last 6 and 1/2 years. My doctor finally gave me some samples of Amitiza. When I haven't gone in so many days, I just take two pills late in the evening and they work great in the morning. I haven't noticed any side effects at all."

• Belly...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2012

"I've have suffered from constipation for about 10 yrs now. I would use a laxative once or twice a week. Tired of laxatives so Doctor prescribed Amitiza. The first 2 days I suffered from severe nausea and had to lay in bed for an hour or so till it passed. Then I had extreme diarrhea that lasted the whole day. So far it seems that I'm only experiencing light nausea with the first dose, which seems to subside when I fill my stomach with food. It has been a full week now that I've been taking it and have yet to have a full bowel movement. I have constant gas and pains. I feel like I have to have a movement but when I go to the bathroom I find I still have to strain and nothing really comes out. "

• Sue
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2019

"The first night, I was sick as a dog. Felt like flu. I even woke up to find I had an accident in bed. Very disturbing. Then couldn’t go for a few days, had a very small bowel movement then went several days without. Had constant stomach cramps, bloating, total unease and feeling ill. Had to take Miralax just to produce a small bowel movement to get relief. After almost 2 weeks and almost ending up back in hospital for hypo motility and gastroparesis, I decided it was time to stop. I really had very little relief but a lot of nausea, cramps, uncomfortable flu like sickness."

• Neelyy
• December 28, 2014

"I took 24mcg of Amitizia for 6 days twice a day. I got a pretty bad reaction from this. I had dry mouth, lightheadedness, my face was always warm, stomach aches, loss of appetite, severe anxiety, and nausea. I've come to the conclusion that the 24mcgs twice a day was far too much for my body. I weigh 117 pounds, and I don't think my body could handle that amount. If anyone is experiencing these side effects don't take it, make another appointment with your doctor to see if the dosage is too much. Also, if you have had a loss of appetite like myself, make sure to get enough sugar in your system, I had a hypoglycemic attack. Drink ginger ale, or eat if you can."

• Anonymous
• September 20, 2012

"I started taking Amitiza a month ago. I am on the 24 mg. It works sometimes but I am experiencing side effects that I didn't think resulted from this medication until I read some of the reviews. I have trouble taking in breaths, coughing, severe headaches, nausea, but most of all bloating and gas. Before the medication while being constipated, I could still button up my pants. Now that I've started the medicine, its a struggle due to bloating."

• Anony...
• December 2, 2017

"I've recently started taking Amitiza 24 mcg twice daily for chronic constipation. I wasn't having any luck with OTC remedies. It took me 3 days to finally start have things move. I did experience slight nausea after taking each dose. Tolerable though. Hopefully as the next few days come and go things move along much better."

• Bano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2019

"I've been experiencing constipation for over 15 years. I was so miserable. I tried everything nothing worked, so I had to take herbal teas with Senna or cleanses to go. When I first tried Amitiza 8mcg it didn't work then finally after about a week and half it started working. I just have to drink a lot of water and take 2 bulk laxatives with it. I did experience some gas and bloating.. but it's better than being full of poop. I'm so thankful. I finally don't look pregnant anymore! Yayyy"

• Mkc
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2019

"I have struggled with constipation most of my life. After a car accident I began taking pain meds which of course made it worse. I took Amitiza for 5 days. Never had a BM, I just stayed curled up in bed for 3 days with bloating, cramping and extreme joint pain. I was excited about this medicine but was very disappointed with the result . I will continue to use OTC drugs and my normal full of fiber diet. I still haven’t gone and it’s been a week. I also believe that Amitiza lessened the effect of some of my daily meds ."

• aeran...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 7, 2012

"I have been on this for about a week. First few days, was amazed. Before this medicine I would do enemas every week or so due to pain, etc. The day after I took this medicine, I went three times, once after every meal. Wow! Same for the next few days. Side effects: Majorly tired, headaches that develop into migraine by end of day, weird feeling in chest and throat, breathing funny (like a bad cold) and VERY nauseated until I have a movement. Also, the last few days, only having movement every other day. So don't know what is going on. Need to try increasing the water and see how that goes. Don't know if normal bowel movements are worth all this, plus, it seems to not work as well as it did a few days ago."

• Nickn...
• November 1, 2015

"I've had chronic constipation and IBS for six years. When I was first given this drug it was stronger than I needed, and caused severe cramping with gas. Later, when nothing else worked, I was given it again, and I learned to take it at bedtime, so that I don't notice the cramping. It's just one of many medicines I take, but my body can't expel without it. I have developed hypoglycemia, and found on an MRI that I also have a spastic colon, so I think we're about to make some trial changes, but I'm not sure I would be alive without amitiza. My insurance only pays a portion, but I use the online coupons to make it affordable."

• sharut
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 3, 2012

"Actually - CIGNA covered this, but I now have United Health Care and they won't cover it unless you have irritable bowel syndrome or idiopathic constipation. I have constipation from M.S. and chronic opioid use and used it for over 4 years twice a day. I'm going to try lactulose but this pill is so much more convenient and for me, works without side-effects. Prior to this, only over-the-counter senna helped, but with cramping side-effects at times and only more than the recommended amount worked."

• Ley
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 1, 2019

"I took the other reviews here with a grain of salt, and I wish I hadn’t. Do yourself a favor and clear your schedule before taking this medication. It completely knocked me off of my feet. Insane dizziness and nausea. I’m so sick I can’t even talk. I wish I had never taken this medication and definitely won’t be taking it again. I’d take constipation over this. It was extremely expensive as well and now I see is a waste of money since I can’t even use it without puking my brains out. (I’m also not prone to nausea from medications which is even more shocking to me that this drug did this to me)"

• crstl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2019

"This medication gave me terrible side effects: bloating, gas, diarrhea, abdominal pain, exhaustion, headache. Do not use it if you do not have to. The benefit was not enough to warrant the amount of side effects I got from Amitza, so I had to stop it. It took 2 weeks for the side effects to completely go away."