Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Severe constipation; "gas," a cute word for horrid belly pain

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Severe constipation; "gas," a cute word for horrid belly pain

    Had a bad day today. After an exhausting day seeing the doc yesterday for a checkup, I awoke due to belly pain after only 4 hours of sleep! Sat on the john to pee and passed gas as well--a first for a night john journey! And hearing that gas brought me back to how the neuro mentioned it as a side effect in passing. Stomach still hurt bad but found comfort eventually on my side, only to be disturbed by a truck and/or lawn mower.

    Though I haven't cracked three weeks yet, I really wonder if this drug is for me. It is enough to put up with several episodes a day of transient nausea and abdominal pain, I have already pressed through e-mail tonight to be taken off the med and put back on Avonex. There is nothing to add relief for me as NSAIDs, Benadryl and Prevacid have been part of my standard med diet for years.

    Why is there no mention of severe constipation in relationship to this drug???!!! Google it, and you will find some interesting--and colorful--blogs to say the least! I patched together relief with MiraLAX plus 1/4 - 1 tsp magnesium citrate.

    The most obnoxious insurance procurement ever to boot!

    First symptoms July-August 1994, am convinced I have it by August, pursue neuro on my own for October 1994, was diagnosed officially on April 19, 1995 (OKC Explosion). Betaseron May 1995-April 2000, Copaxone only 2 weeks till suffering the Post-Injection reaction, Avonex May 2000 to mid-October 2013, Tecfidera late-October 2013 to present

    #2
    may call it quits with this one

    Something in your post made me question how many horrible side effects am I supposed to take?! Because of Tecf I have blurred vision, bad nausea, extreme itching, extreme fatigue - especially when I was taking the two 240mg, the dizziness, headache. That's alot for a person to have to endure. Maybe that's telling me this isn't the right thing to do!

    Comment


      #3
      Tec side effects, quality of life

      I too had an initial headache, mine was a horror-movie "head is going to explode." Fortunately, that went away.

      I am pretty disappointed the neuro's office did not call or PM me today. I am about to write back and how bad the "gas" was last night, a least I know the trick for me is to lie on my left side. At least I slept, however it was disconcerting to keep feeling my bottom to see if this could be, let's say, gas plus. I am not sure if I heard or felt sensations I equated to liquid in my abdomen, though that has not been my problem. I am very careful measuring out the mag cit with a child's medicine spoon and take my last dose no later than 6 hours before retiring.

      I am in my mid-40s so my life is too short to put up with these side effects for any length of time. Off to do another PM to the neuro clinic and to inform, not ask them, that I now take only one 240 mg capsule per day, 12-14 hours before bedtime, though after last night, I am considering increasing that interval before bedtime.

      Comment


        #4
        After dropping to 240 mg once daily, feel better

        I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!!

        Before I had a chance to enact any of the instructions from the MS Clinic (below) regarding my "high GI" sympto- matology, cutting back on the dose in the only way available, which is to increase the time interval between doses, produced results in 16 hours from the first capsule I skipped. I had 7 BMs in 6 hours. No wonder I had belly pain! And no, I did not do anything different other than to skip that one Tec dose. Pressing hard on my belly button is
        still painful, but much less so. I still have transient nausea and heartburn that has not responded to one dose of Tums EX, so I am going to take another and go to bed. I still hear and feel the occasional squish from my abdomen.

        According to the nurse at the clinic because I already take antihistamines, an NSAID and Prevacid, all that is left is to premedicate 30 minutes before a Tec dose with Phenergan for the nausea. She said I should aim for two doses a day.

        As to the constipation, she dislikes my use of mag citrate. Rather, she wants me to get PlumSmart and to add more fiber and water to my diet. I have some FiberCon tablets in the house already, so I will give that a try before buying something else. The Dollar General near where I live did not have PlumSmart so I bought the Clover Valley brand of prune juice, which was not bad tasting. Not knowing how much is too much, I carefully measured out 4 ounces.

        The nurse made clear that I have permission to take a break with the one dose a day for the holiday weekend but I would be expected to resume twice a day after that. While I hear her, I still plan to do what I have to to get by: I plan to take 240 mg roughly every 18 hours, setting alarms on my cell phone. I will not get up from sleep to do this, so that is why it is roughly.

        Comment

        Working...
        X