S/O chronic constipation thread...probiotics? fish oil?

[mo2]

How do you know what dose, what form, what brand? Is there any chance that fish oil or probiotics could potentially *harm* a child?

 

Our pediatrician doesn't seem to "recommend" natural remedies or supplements for kids very often. When my child suffered with constipation, he prescribed mineral oil. When I voiced my concerns about mineral oil, he gave me an answer along the lines of, "This is what we've always done; this is what I feel is best." I really *do* like our ped for the most part, but he doesn't give much advice regarding supplements or natural interventions.

[Ottakee]

We use probiotics and fish oil but not for constipation.

 

For constipation, we found that a low dose of Miralax works like a MIRACLE.

[mo2]

We use probiotics and fish oil but not for constipation.

 

For constipation, we found that a low dose of Miralax works like a MIRACLE.

 

Well, there are other issues that I think would be helped by the fish oil and probiotics, as well as the constipation....SPD, eczema....

 

I really just wonder if there could be any adverse effects to trying the supplements, and what to look for/how to dose.

[Cricket]

We use probiotics and fish oil but not for constipation.

 

For constipation, we found that a low dose of Miralax works like a MIRACLE.

 

One of my dd's suffered from chronic constipation. She took a low dose of Miralax and it worked great. She was actually on it for a year and had no side effects.

 

I missed the original thread but sometimes constipation can be caused by mild dehydration. You could try upping fluids and see if that helps.

[gardenmom5]

my son's DAN! (she's a naturopath) has him on 1200mg of fish oil daily. (she also thinks kids fish oil formulas are a joke.) he's a skinny seven. He also takes a probiotic. super supplements has a kids dosage probiotic.

 

eta: after rereading your post - I'd find a new ped. how old is he? check the source of the fish oil, some of the 'cheaper' ones my ND-DAN! did not consider safe. the kind we use is norwegian.

Edited April 26, 2012 by gardenmom5

[Ottakee]

We use 1000mg of EPA per day which is 2 of the Omega 3 Mood by Country Life. We also just use a good probiotic like Supremadophillus.

 

Have you tried an elimination diet? Eczema and constipation might indicate a food allergy/intolerance. Milk comes to mind first but there are others as well.

[Acadie]

I wish we hadn't used mineral oil with dd. It's a petroleum product for heaven's sake, and who knows what the side effects are?

 

Dd was on Miralax (there's now a generic) for a year or so. She had stool withholding (aka encopresis) so we really had to get past her trying not to poop.

 

At 9 she's not on anything, though we do pay attention to fluids and fiber. Due to nerve damage in pregnancy, however, I take 1.5 tsp of inulin fiber at every meal. It's colorless, flavorless, mixes into any drink, and is a natural veggie fiber. There's a CVS store brand, "Sugar Free Fiber-Powder" that is cheaper and more effective for me than the name brand, Fiber-Sure.

 

Probiotics and fish oil make a lot of sense, too, but you may need something that holds fluid in the gut and moves things along. Magnesium also helps, but I'm not sure if you need to be careful with dosing for kids.

 

You have lots of options. I think mineral oil is the worst. I'd try a natural fiber that mixes into drinks like inulin before Miralax/generic, but that's also a very reasonable thing to try if the natural fibers don't work. Do treat it aggressively and for longer than you think you need to, if there's any question of stool withholding. The psychological part takes a long time for kids to overcome. Basically they need to feel no pain whatsoever for a long, long time before they give up their resistance.

 

Amy

[CroppinIt]

Have you tried an elimination diet? Eczema and constipation might indicate a food allergy/intolerance. Milk comes to mind first but there are others as well.

 

This was my thought too. In addition to treating the symptom, I'd be searching for a cause.

 

My ds had a double hernia as a toddler (his boy parts descended properly but nothing closed up behind them, so his intestines went along for the ride). He had nasty constipation long term, and my ped said that when the intestine gets overly stretched like that it can take years for the full elasticity and muscle control to return. We had ds on Mirilax for oh, goodness.... I forget how many months.... after his surgery. I think it might have been close to a year. Whatever you do, it's not going to be a short-term fix.

[Isabella]

A very simple thing is to up water consumption and fat consumption. Shoot for at least one tb of fat per meal. 2 is better. This can be olive oil for dressings, avocado, butter, t etc. Always the good fats of course.

 

I've recommended this to several people and they've said it works.

 

Mineral oil??? That is one of the least healthy things for your ped to suggest!!

[Rosie_0801]

You could try a chiropractor if nothing else is working. It may or may not help, of course, depending on the reason for the problem.

[Ottakee]

Another good and healthy fat source is coconut oil. Tastes better than most oils and is really good for you as well.

[mo2]

Thank you everyone who responded.

 

 

Have you tried an elimination diet? Eczema and constipation might indicate a food allergy/intolerance. Milk comes to mind first but there are others as well.

 

I have thought about an elimination diet but I'm not sure how to go about it. There are so few foods he will eat as it is!

 

I wish we hadn't used mineral oil with dd. It's a petroleum product for heaven's sake, and who knows what the side effects are?

 

That's how I'm feeling now.

 

You could try a chiropractor if nothing else is working. It may or may not help, of course, depending on the reason for the problem.

 

I *wish* I could find a chiropractor that treats children.

[Sandra in FL]

For constipation, I'd give magnesium. Can your dc swallow a pill/tablet? I'd give 200 mg for a small child or 400 mg for a bigger child.

 

Don't think fish oil is for constipation. High doses of probiotics made one of my dc very regular (and going 2-3 times a day) but would not use probiotics for something like constipation which needs more immediate relief.

[Ottakee]

Thank you everyone who responded.

 

 

 

I have thought about an elimination diet but I'm not sure how to go about it. There are so few foods he will eat as it is!

 

 

 

 

What foods does he eat? Does he crave any foods? That can often be a sign that those are the foods that are an issue.

 

The special needs board deals a great deal with food allergies/intolerances as well so if you need more information, pop over there as well.

[mo2]

What foods does he eat? Does he crave any foods? That can often be a sign that those are the foods that are an issue.

 

The special needs board deals a great deal with food allergies/intolerances as well so if you need more information, pop over there as well.

 

Totally craves milk. If I would let him, he would only drink milk and eat no food.

[Liz CA]

Has anyone mentioned magnesium?

[Ottakee]

Totally craves milk. If I would let him, he would only drink milk and eat no food.

 

Then my first guess would be that he has an issue with milk--be it an allergy or intolerance. As hard as it is, it might be well worth trying to go COMPLETELY dairy free for a month and see if you notice any changes.

 

You will have to read each and every label VERY VERY carefully to look for whey, casein, etc. as dairy is hidden in lots of things. Almond milk might be a good substitute but there are concerns about giving boys much soy so I would personally avoid soy milk.

[swellmomma]

fish oils I give my kids the children's brand that I have found. I forget what it is called. I know it when I see it at the store at any rate and need to pick up more today. Probiotics I have not seen any ill effects with ds. He is off of all dairy for the chronic constipation/encopresis. Plus his supplements and the probiotics are one of those. He is on a active culture of acidophilus & bifidus daily with no issues.

[swellmomma]

Totally craves milk. If I would let him, he would only drink milk and eat no food.

 

This is what ds8 was like. He battled constipation since 4 months old when he went on formula. For 8 years the dr told us there was no way it was dairy related. When the dr started putting him on 3 different laxatives at a time, and he was down to only going once a month I decided to give cutting out dairy a try. The change was shockingly fast. HE started going more regularily and even if he held for a week it was still soft enough to go down the drain. We also realized that was we merely thought was dry skin on his cheeks is a rash that shows up when he has dairy. It has been an interesting transistion. I do not allow much soy for him due to the estrogens in it (tofutti cheese slices is it). And because his reaction is consitpation and a little rash on rare occasions I still allow him pizza with real cheese, or a small dollap of sour cream on a potato or a frozen yogurt tube. But those things are rare and are being phased out gradually. We are also now working at souring out the others foods we eat that have milk ingredients and getting rid of them. Learning lactose free cooking etc. Once we have this down pat we will be going gluten free as well because there is still issues going on that are not cured by going milk free but that step made a world of difference in his constipation. Instead of going once a month he now goes 2-3 times a week.

[Mandamom]

Totally craves milk. If I would let him, he would only drink milk and eat no food.

 

This was my daughter except it was gluten. We had to hide crackers and bread or she would go through them like crazy. I worried about going gluten free for similar reasons as you but it turns out it was the best thing for her.

 

She was my pickiest child and once we realized that she had to eat gluten free (months of stomach aches ended within 2 days off gluten) her diet expanded immensely.

 

This was also the child who had to go dairy free when she was 4-6 years old due to dairy related constipation. Once she was off the dairy the constipation cleared right up.

 

Currently she is gluten free and she does have dairy in some foods but it is limited.

 

Anyway, maybe commit to going dairy free for 2 weeks and see if there is any improvement. It may take longer for all dairy to leave the system but you might see some improvement right away that will encourage you to keep going.

[LostSurprise]

I am not a doctor (just need to preface this) but my son is on a high fat diet which expects constipation to be a side effect. While I'm sure Omega fats work for some, lots of time it doesn't.

 

We're not a fan of Miralax (but it works...just in a rather explosive way for some people).

 

SENNA (sometimes sold under the name Senna-lax) is a natural supplement which draws water down the lower intestine. The increased water helps move everything along. Thus the stool is formed (not explosive) but soft and comes regularly.

 

My son's pediatric endocrinologist recommended it to us and its worked very well. It comes in a small pill form. We crush it because my son can't swallow pills yet. You can find it at Target.

 

Also, increase water intake. I recently started increasing my water intake and I was amazed with what a difference that makes.

[mo2]

When you all went dairy free (or gluten free, or anything else), did the whole family do it, or just the child? I almost think it would be easier to just not keep the offending foods in the house at all, rather than making the poor guy sit and watch his siblings drink their chocolate milk and eat their ice cream.

[LMA]

Our ped recommends a glass of prune juice per day for constipation. Some kids like that better than mineral oil.

[Mandamom]

When you all went dairy free (or gluten free, or anything else), did the whole family do it, or just the child? I almost think it would be easier to just not keep the offending foods in the house at all, rather than making the poor guy sit and watch his siblings drink their chocolate milk and eat their ice cream.

 

In our family we keep the house free of offending foods (1 is gluten free and 2 others are dye free). That being said, if we go out to eat or eat at someone else's house I don't police the child that aren't effected by the problem food.

[Shellers]

When my step daughter had problems with constipation I'd give her a prune or two to eat. If she really got stuck, I'd have her drink some prune juice. My MIL swears by a prune a day.

 

My DH takes Pearls, which are probiotics. He takes them to help control yeast overgrowth.

[Ferdie]

One of our foster children has bad constipation when they were 2. The doctor me to add mineral oil to diet. It was a small amount, like tsp, but you can google for exact dosage. Worked great.

[momtoamiracle]

I can't believe a dr would prescribe mineral oil....

 

 

 

 

I've read that elderberry concentrate works.