Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Can long term cronic constipation caused by strong narcotic pain medication eventually cause colon cancer

Can long term cronic constipation caused by strong narcotic pain medication eventually cause colon cancer?
Ive been on oxycontin for 6 years now. The doctor prescribes me laxatives but they dont really help and ive tried everything else. Sometimes ill be constipated for 4 or 5 days. Im worried this might hurt my insides because the waste is allowed to rot inside.
Cancer - 4 Answers
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1 :
Just drink some Prune juice on a regular bases and quit worrieing
2 :
The answer to your question is no, chronic opiate induced constipation will not cause colon cancer. However you could get a bowel blockage that might require a trip to the ER. To give you short term relief from your constipation use Miralax as directed, once or twice daily until you can achieve daily bowel movements. This might take a week for consistent results. Miralax was a previously by RX only laxative especially for opiate induced constipation and may be used every day indefinitely but it is relatively expensive. To cure your chronic constipation start by adding a quarter cup or more of raisins to your diet every morning along with a couple glasses of water, coffee, tea, fluid. Mixing the raisins with whole grain cereal will also help. Add a couple apples and some prunes or prune juice to your daily diet also. Do not skip any days eating these items and the more you eat the quicker you will get results. Also - buy a large container of Fibersure and add however many tablespoons needed daily to keep your bowels working properly. Mix the Fibersure with water, juice, soup or other fluid and drink a dose 2 or 3 times daily. I guarantee that if you eat the items above, drink enough water and take enough Fibersure each and every day your constipation will be a bad memory in a short period of time. Walgreen's sells a generic for Fibersure for less than 10 bucks a bottle. good luck
3 :
Yes, it is possible that constipation can eventually cause bowel/colon cancer because the toxins set in your bowels so long. Have you tried Miralax? The generic name is Polyethylene Glycol. This is a powder you mix with a drink. Miralax is available over-the-counter and the generic is available by prescription. How about Senokot-S taken at least twice a day? I have chronic constipation caused by the medications I take, too. So far, the only thing that has worked for me continuously is Miralax. My insurance will pay for the generic by prescription, so that is what I use. Oh yah, and I also mix it in the juice PlumSmart, which helps with the problem too. PlumSmart is in the bottled juice aisle at the grocery store.
4 :
Andee is right about the connection between constipation and colon cancer, resulting from accumulation of intestinal toxins - but please don't use Miralax, it has so many debilitating long-term side effects! (See the Miralax Yahoo Group for details).

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