How to Get Off of Laxatives

January 16, 2018June 26, 2019 by Wendy

How to Get Off of Laxatives like Miralax

Most laxatives say right on the package that they are for short-term use. Miralax, for example, says that it is only for adult use and no more than 7 days. But many doctors are prescribing it off-label to children and telling parents to give it to their children for years. That is what started me on this journey of finding Natural Solutions for Constipation. My son had horrible side effects from Miralax. If you would like to read my son’s story and the stories of many other children who were injured by Miralax, please read my article Is Miralax Safe for My Child.

My son developed tics, anxiety, panic attacks, night terrors, hallucinations, slurred speech, OCD, abdominal pain, etc. I worked to get him off of Miralax and going regularly with no laxatives at all. Then we worked to heal his gut. He has been laxative-free for quite some time now and is doing much better. He still has some issues from his time on Miralax but he’s improved so much that I am incredibly grateful.

There are a lot of options for you to get off and stay off of laxatives like Miralax, Ex-lax, Dulcolax etc.

Magnesium as a Substitute for Miralax and other laxatives.

The easiest short-term way to get off of a laxative is to use Magnesium to bowel tolerance. Most of us are magnesium deficient so it might take a bit of magnesium to get you there but it will work. The trick with magnesium is to not stop with one dose and think it didn’t work if you aren’t running to the bathroom. If you are deficient, it may take many doses because your body will be so happy to finally get magnesium that it will soak it up and hold onto it. You will have to flood your body so that it will finally let some go in the form of loose stools.

There are a lot of different types of magnesium. Magnesium Citrate, Epsom Salts internally and in baths, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium oil on the belly or in a bath, Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Threonate, Magnesium Malate and Magnesium Oxide.

Milk of Magnesia (Click on the link to check prices on Amazon) is Magnesium Oxide. I would only use that for very short-term use at it also works as an antacid. We need acid in our stomachs to digest food. Use a Milk of Magnesia that is just magnesium and water, you don’t want any other additives in it, like PEG or food colors or artificial flavors.

Magnesium Citrate is really good for producing a bowel movement quickly or for doing a cleanout for a medical procedure. This is what doctors used for cleanouts prior to the invention of products like Miralax and GoLytely. Neither Miralax or GoLytely have been approved for use in children. Magnesium Citrate isn’t well absorbed by the body and when you take it to bowel tolerance you have a bowel movement. It is very effective and quick. Natural Calm Magnesium works really well and is well accepted by most children because of the lemon taste. My son is a supertaster but he would take this when he needed it. Mix it with hot water to activate it and it will fizz. Once it stops fizzing, add lots of ice or blend it with ice and lemonade or mix it in juice or a smoothie.

Organic Epsom Salt Magnesium Sulfate is another great laxative. It was what mothers 100 years ago gave to their family members when they were constipated. It is really good for the magnesium it provides your body but also for the sulfur since most of us are sulfur deficient. The downside to Epsom salt is the taste. It doesn’t taste great. You can mix it with juice or mix it with a spoon of honey. I have posted a recipe for an electrolyte drink that uses Epsom salt and masks the taste pretty well. You can find it here. Homemade Electrolyte Drink Epsom Salt is also wonderful to bathe in. I add two cups of Epsom salt to the bath water whenever anyone is taking a bath at my house. It is easily absorbable through the skin. Or you can soak your feet in an Epsom salt bath. Baths aren’t probably enough to cause a laxative effect on their own but are a great way to build up your magnesium stores and they are also very relaxing and can help your child to have a bowel movement, both because of the warm water and because of the Epsom salt being absorbed through their skin. So be ready if your child needs to jump out of the tub and make a run for the potty. Taking an Epsom salt bath is a great way to get things moving when you have given your child Magnesium Citrate but they are worried about going because they are used to it hurting. The bath is very relaxing and helps them to let go.

For more detailed information on using magnesium as a substitute for Miralax and other laxatives, please read my article Choosing the Best Magnesium for Constipation Relief

Diet is often the cause of chronic constipation

The first thing to correct chronic constipation long-term that I would look at is diet. Our Standard American Diet, which is spreading internationally, is filled with chemicals that ruin our digestions. 100 years ago, all food was organic. All of our meat was grass-fed. Homemakers made all most of their food from scratch with no preservatives, artificial colors or artificial sweeteners, wheat wasn’t sprayed with glyphosate. Corn wasn’t genetically modified.

One of the simplest things you can do is start reading every label. Buy organic. Buy foods with a short list of ingredients. The more ingredients in it, the more likely it is that some of those ingredients are not good for you. Avoid artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, additives like carrageenan, maltodextrin, anything with a number after it, any ingredients that are chemicals and not food. You should be able to pronounce every ingredient in your food and recognize it as an ingredient and not a chemical.

Once you clean up your diet if you are still having constipation issues, try an elimination diet. Eliminate the foods that most likely to cause constipation issues. Gluten and dairy are the two most common problem foods.

Many people aren’t able to digest gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, spelt, rye and oats. Most of my family is gluten-free because it causes them problems. You don’t have to be celiac to not be able to tolerate gluten. There is a reason why restaurants have gluten-free menus and grocery stores have entire sections of food that are gluten-free. They are making money by offering gluten-free options because so many people feel better not eating gluten. No one wants to go gluten-free, but if it is causing your problems and you feel better without it, it will be worth it. For more information on gluten and how it can cause chronic constipation, please read my article Is Gluten Causing Your Constipation?

Dairy is another problem for a lot of people. There can be varying degrees of dairy intolerance. Some people can’t have any. Even a smear of butter is enough for them to feel really bad. Some people can have cheese but not milk. My recommendation is to eliminate all dairy for 3-4 months, be really strict with yourself, and then try one thing at a time and see how you feel. If the symptoms come raging back, then you know it is a problem. If you can eat it with no problem, then you are lucky! If you want more information on dairy and how it can cause constipation, please read my article Is Dairy Causing Your Constipation?

Corn, soy, and meat can also cause problems in people so they should be things to try with an elimination diet as well to see if they are causing your problems. When trying an elimination diet you need to be very strict and eliminate for a few months, not just days, to get the foods out of your system.

Beyond constipation and stomach pain, food intolerances can cause bloating, migraine, headaches, coughs and runny noses and even hives. They are different from food allergies but can still cause a lot of problems. Functional medicine doctors can run tests to try to find out if you have any food intolerances.

Adding lots of high-quality oils to your food can help move things along, lubricating the stool so it passes easier. Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is one of my favorite oils. Coconut oil got a bad rap years ago but that was highly processed low-quality oil. If you get cold pressed organic coconut oil and use it in your cooking, baking, making coconut oil chocolates, eat it by the spoon, blend it in smoothies or blend it with coffee to make a bulletproof like coffee. I buy coconut oil by the vat and use it for cooking and for lots of beauty products like makeup remover, body cream and face cream.

Organic Flax Oil, Non-GMO Project Verified MCT Oil, Organic Ghee from Grass Fed Cows , Organic Grass Fed Butter, in food or in smoothies, are all great oils that can help with constipation. My Peanut Butter Cup Coconut Oil Poop Candy For Constipation Relief is a fun way to add coconut oil to your diet.

We are built to squat when we go so when we sit on the toilet, we are in a position where our colon isn’t at the proper angle to have the bowel movement come out easily. A Squatty Potty(Click to check the price on Amazon) is a stool that helps you to have your feet wide apart and your knees above hip height to get your body into a good position for going. This is especially important for small children whose feet don’t touch the floor and are just hanging over the sides of the seat. For children, sitting backward on the toilet may help and also blowing bubbles to help them to push can make a difference.

For more information on stooling position and how it can help with constipation, please read my article Would a Squatty Potty Help My Constipated Kid?

Many people have had success with alternative medicine for constipation. Chiropractic, Acupuncture or Aromatherapy. Digest Ease Essential Oil by Edens Garden is one of my favorite oils for digestion issues.

Naturopaths or Functional Medicine doctor are wonderful for helping you to get to the root cause of why you are constipated and they won’t just give you a laxative and send you home. To find a doctor who can help you, read my article How to Find a Doctor to Help you get to the Root Cause of Constipation

Dehydration can really worsen constipation issues. Drinking water, homemade organic lemonade or limeade, Organic Kombucha , herbal tea, homemade organic ice pops made from fresh juices and pear or prune juice are all great ways to combat dehydration and help to get your bowels moving. For more information on dehydration and answers to how much you need to drink, read my article Constipation in Children can be caused by Dehydration

Lack of Good Gut Bacteria can Cause Constipation

Repopulate gut bacteria is really critical for most people. Especially if your constipation was brought on after a round of antibiotics or after a colon prep for a procedure. A rotation of high-quality probiotics with varied strains is an easy first line of defense. My family has had good success with the probiotic Visbiome is shipped in a cooler with ice packs. It has strains of bacteria that are specially selected to help with gastrointestinal issues like IBS, IBD, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis.

Fermented foods and drinks are really good ways to get lots of good bacteria in your body and are much cheaper than buying probiotics, especially when you make your own. Something as simple as breathing in air from varied sources such as the mountains, the lake, the desert and the ocean to breath in new bacteria can make a big difference in your gut health. We spend so much time in our air-conditioned homes and then go in our air-conditioned cars that we don’t breath in regular old, unfiltered air! Playing in the dirt, planting an organic garden, walking on the earth with bare feet, stopping the use of all antibacterial products, drinking apple cider vinegar with the mother such as Bragg’s, Organic Kombucha , Kefir, lacto-fermented pickles, fermented brine from fermented foods, (even a drop or two have a ton of good bacteria). For more information on probiotics and gut bacteria, please read my article Most Effective Probiotics for Constipation Relief

Healing the gut will help you to not be constipated in the future. RESTORE for Gut Health | Restore 4 Life has been a huge part of that for my family. My husband and son are both taking it with great success. Many families have used colostrum, organic home-made bone broth and Grass Fed Beef Collagen to heal their guts.

If you are dealing with a child who is chronically constipated, please read my article How Do I Solve My Child’s Chronic Constipation?

When your child is chronically or functionally constipated, it is frustrating and exhausting for both you and your child. It can also be very hard to figure out what interventions are helping to overcome their constipation and what regiment needs to be followed to help them go 1-3 times a day.

It is very helpful to track what you are giving your child and how it is working. It seems like you will remember how much magnesium or how many Chocolate Coconut Oil Poop Candies your child had last Tuesday when they had 2 great BMs, but the reality is that it is very hard to remember everything when you are stressed about your child’s constipation.

To make it easier for you to track the interventions you are using and what impact this regiment has, I want to offer you a free bowel movement tracker chart that you can download and then print off for each week. It will help keep you organized and will give you insight into what works to help you overcome your child’s constipation.

Click on this link and sign up to receive a Free Bowel Movement Tracker Chart to help you find a plan to manage your child’s constipation.

For more support, please join one or both of my groups,

People Against Miralax

Natural Constipation Solutions

Disclaimers

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*DISCLAIMER, I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR MEDICAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. ALL IDEAS DISCUSSED AND DESCRIBED IN THIS POST ARE MY OWN AND ARE NOT MEANT TO TREAT OR DIAGNOSE. IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION PLEASE SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR.