Constipation Relief: Tips and Treatments

Stay hydrated 

Water is important for preventing constipation, too. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Try coffee

While caffeinated drinks and alcohol can make you dehydrated, there’s evidence a cup of coffee or tea in the morning may be an effective constipation treatment.

Limit high-fat/low-fiber food

Cheese and other dairy products, processed foods, and meat can make constipation worse.

Watch your FODMAPs

Certain carbohydrates cause digestive problems, including constipation, in some people. The names of the carbohydrates are abbreviated “FODMAPs.” FODMAP foods have several similar characteristics:

• They're hard to absorb into the small intestine.
• They cause the intestines to draw too much water from them.
• They undergo fermentation in your gut and cause gas.

Foods that contain them include dairy, apples, broccoli, wheat, and lentils. You might try cutting these foods individually from your diet, but do it carefully. Many of them are good sources of fiber and other nutrients you need.

Other things you can do to relieve constipation include:

Bowel training

When stools move into your rectum, it triggers the urge to move your bowels. When your system gets off, it may be necessary to retrain your bowels to move regularly. To retrain them, try the following:

• Find a regular time of day to use the toilet, preferably about 10 to 20 minutes after a meal (it's a good idea to include coffee, as it can help trigger the urge to move your bowels).
• Sit on the toilet for a while; try for 15 minutes or so.
• Don't strain if nothing happens.
• Try to relax.
• Repeat the training daily; consider using an enema if you have no success after the first few days.

Tips for immediate constipation relief at home

The remedies mentioned above may help trigger your bowels, but may not provide immediate relief. How you sit on the toilet may help in the short term:

• Lean forward with your arms on your thighs.
• Use a footstool or other means to raise your knees higher than your hips.
• Whether you're using a footstool or your feet are on the floor, plant them firmly.
• Practice breathing through your mouth to avoid straining.
• Don't tighten your stomach, but push it out as you take a breath.
• Relax your bottom so your sphincter (the opening to your anus) can pass the stool more readily.
• Straighten your back.

High Fiber Food Chart for Constipation

To soften your stools and avoid constipation, you should eat enough daily fiber and drink plenty of water or other liquids such as no-sugar-added fruit juice, vegetable juice, or broth, which help the fiber work better in your gut. Adults should aim for 25 to 34 grams of fiber per day.

Use this chart to choose high-fiber foods to aid in constipation treatment.

Natural Treatments for Constipation

In addition to adding high-fiber foods to avoid constipation, there are other foods and remedies that can act as a natural constipation treatment.

Prunes

In addition to being high in fiber, prunes contain lots of the natural sugar alcohol sorbitol, which doesn't readily break down during digestion. Because of this, when sorbitols reach the colon, your body immediately tries to flush them out through a bowel movement.

Herbal teas

Green tea and herbal teas such as peppermint are another natural treatment for constipation.

Senna

A natural laxative, senna is a plant whose leaves and fruit stimulate your gut. Don't use senna for more than a week, as long-term use can stop your bowels from working properly. Senna (brand name: Senokot) usually comes in pill or liquid form and may be added to herbal teas.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is a good source of fiber and a gentle, natural treatment for constipation. It's best to consume milled flaxseed, which gives your gut easier access to its fiber, or flaxseed oil.

Laxatives for Constipation Treatment 

A box of laxatives shouldn't be the first place you turn to relieve constipation. Reserve laxatives for constipation that doesn't improve after you've added fiber and water to your diet.

If your doctor recommends laxatives, ask what type is best for you, and for how long you should take them. Laxatives are best taken short-term only because you don't want to start relying on them to go to the bathroom. Also, ask how to ease off laxatives when you no longer need them. Stopping them too abruptly can affect your colon's ability to contract.

Laxatives come in several forms:

Bulk-forming fiber supplements include calcium polycarbophil (Equilactin, Fibercon), methylcellulose fiber (Citrucel), and psyllium (Fiber-Lax, Konsyl, Metamucil), and wheat dextrin (Benefiber). Unlike other laxatives, you can take these every day. They make the stool bigger and softer. Although they are safe to use regularly, fiber supplements can interfere with your body's ability to absorb certain medicines, and they may cause bloating, cramps, and gas. Drink a lot of water with them.

Lubricant laxatives, including Zymenol, help the stool pass more easily through the colon. In general, doctors do not recommend using mineral oil or castor oil. Mineral oil can cause problems such as vitamin deficiencies, and castor oil can lead to long-term constipation.

Osmotic laxatives such as lactitol (Pizensy), lactulose (Kristalose), magnesium hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia), polyethylene glycol (Miralax), and Sorbitol help fluids move through your intestines. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor before taking osmotics because they can cause electrolyte imbalances.

Stimulant laxatives such as bisacodyl (Correctol, Dulcolax, Feen-a-Mint) and sennosides (Ex-Lax, Senokot) make the muscles in your intestines contract to help push stools out. These laxatives work quickly, but they can cause side effects, including cramping and diarrhea. So, use them for as short a period as possible.

Stool softeners such as docusate calcium (Surfak) and docusate sodium (Colace) make stools easier to pass by adding fluid to them. Having softer stools can prevent you from having to strain during bowel movements. Your doctor may recommend one of these products if your constipation is due to childbirth or surgery.

Medicines for Constipation

Suppositories are over-the-counter constipation medications meant to be inserted directly into the rectum. They typically work faster than laxatives you take by mouth.

If over-the-counter remedies don’t do the job, your doctor may prescribe a different kind of medication for constipation treatment.

Prescription laxatives such as linaclotide (Linzess), lubiprostone (Amitiza), and plecanatide (Trulance) work by increasing the amount of water in your intestines and speeding up the movement of stool. Note that Amitiza is approved for use only in women.

Serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptors. Prucalopride (Motegrity) is a powerful stimulant that’s used for chronic constipation without a known cause.

PAMORAs. This is a shorter way of saying “peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonists.” These work on constipation that’s caused by opioid pain medicines. These drugs include methylnaltrexone (Relistor) and naloxegol (Movantik).

Constipation Relief Surgeries

Sometimes, constipation is caused by a structural problem in your colon or rectum. Your colon may be blocked or unusually narrow, or you may have a partial collapse or a bulge in the wall of your rectum. In that case, surgery can correct the problem.

Surgery may also be a last resort if your colon just works too slowly and typical constipation treatments haven’t helped. You may need to have a section of your colon removed.

Constipation Relief in Infants

Although your baby may seem constipated, many times they're not. Maybe they haven't developed a regular routine for bowel movements or there's been a change in their diet -- breast milk to formula or a liquid diet to solid foods. 

However, the following may be signs of constipation:

• Fewer stools than usual
• More straining than normal for a bowel movement
• A change in their stool's appearance
• A bloated belly or cramping

Some remedies for infant constipation treatment:

• If your baby is too young to eat solid food, give them 1 to 2 ounces of 100% apple, grape, pear, or prune juice and stop when their stools loosen.
• Feed your baby oatmeal, wheat, or barley cereals instead of rice cereal, which can sometimes cause constipation.
• Give your baby a warm bath.
• If your baby is too young to walk, manually exercise their legs, as exercise can stimulate the bowels.
• If changing your baby's diet doesn't work, try a glycerin suppository, but avoid using them regularly.

Call your pediatrician to make sure it's safe to use remedies such as laxatives, baby mineral oil, or enemas.

Constipation Relief in Pregnancy

Constipation is a common pregnancy ailment. It usually appears in your third trimester as your baby weighs more and presses into your bowels, but it can happen at any time during your pregnancy. Some new mothers experience constipation as long as 3 months after giving birth.

Constipation treatment during pregnancy:

• Try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily. Fiber softens your stools and makes them easier to pass. Eat a combination of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) to ease constipation.
• Drink lots of water. Pregnant women need more than the recommended eight cups a day. Try to aim for 12. If that's too much water for you, drink other sugarless beverages or juice.
• Moderate exercise three times a week will help stimulate your bowels. Ask your obstetrician what type of exercise would be best.
• Try switching up your prenatal vitamin. Sometimes, your daily dose may contain too much iron, which can cause constipation.

Check with your doctor before using any laxatives, supplements, mineral oil, or caster oil to treat your constipation. It's not proven whether these are safe to use while pregnant, and laxatives may cause dehydration or your electrolytes to get out of balance.

Constipation Treatment: Long-Term Outlook

Regardless of what constipation treatment you use, give yourself enough time to sit on the toilet when you need to go. Holding in the urge can make your constipation worse. Set aside a regular time of the day when you know you'll be left undisturbed for several minutes.

Also, don't ignore the problem. Untreated constipation can lead to real problems, such as hemorrhoids and tears in the skin around the anus (called fissures) that make you bleed. If you strain too hard, you might even cause part of your intestines to push out through the anus -- a condition called rectal prolapse, which can sometimes require surgery.

Call your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms with constipation:

• Stomach pain
• Blood in your stools
• Unexplained weight loss
• Inability to have a bowel movement

Also, call if you've been having trouble going for more than 3 weeks and constipation treatments aren't working. You may have a condition called chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), which means your constipation may be caused by something that's not physical or physiological.

Takeaways

Constipation treatment starts with changes to your lifestyle and diet. Eat foods rich in fiber, and try to consume about 25 to 34 grams of fiber daily. Drink lots of water, exercise, and maintain healthy bowel habits — don't resist the urge to use the bathroom. If changing your diet and habits doesn't work, you can try a natural or over-the-counter laxative. Use laxatives sparingly, as some are not safe for long-term use and may interfere with the regular function of your bowels.

Constipation Treatment FAQs

What is the best treatment for constipation?

Your constipation is best treated initially by changes to your diet. First, up your fiber intake by eating at least 25 to 34 grams a day. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and eating foods with a high water content, which soften stools and make them easier to pass. If you must use a laxative, first try gentle ones that soften or lubricate stools.

How do you treat constipation in newborns fast?

Give your baby a tiny amount of water or 100% juice such as apple, pear, or prune juice. Try pureed foods such as prunes or peas if your baby is eating solids, which have more fiber content. If these don't work and your baby's constipation lasts more than a few days, talk to your pediatrician before resorting to laxatives or suppositories.

How do you relieve lower back pain from constipation?

Your constipation is probably not causing back pain, but the two probably stem from some of the same sources, such as lack of exercise, tension, and stress. Treatment for back pain with constipation is similar to regular constipation treatment: eat more fiber, drink more water, get more exercise, and use laxatives sparingly.

What is the fastest way to relieve constipation after surgery?

Constipation is common after surgery, especially if you're taking certain types of medicine to manage postoperative pain and not eating or drinking as you normally do. Don't take fiber supplements for constipation and bloating, especially if you can't or aren't drinking lots of water. Start with gentle laxatives in consultation with your doctor, who can also give you a prescription medicine, if needed.

How long does constipation last without treatment?

Most people can relieve their constipation with diet and lifestyle changes. However, long-term constipation (14 days or longer) can lead to hemorrhoids, impacted (stuck) stools, and incontinence.

What does constipation feel like?

When you have constipation, you struggle to pass stools. Your bowel movements may be painful and your stools may be hard, dry, or lumpy. You may feel as if something is blocking your rectum, that all your stool has not passed, or the need to use your finger to release the stool.