Brief Answer:
Should return to normal once off both opiates and laxatives

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service,

Opiates such as you were taking are notorious for causing constipation.

But once off of them, constipation usually resolves. It sounds as though you may have taken too much stool softener, and now have the reverse problem. The good news is that if you are no longer taking any opiates in any form (no codeine, etc), and have stopped the laxatives, and have returned to your usual diet, your bowel movement should return to normal soon (within 2-3 days).

Without medications that cause constipation or loose stools, things should return to how they were naturally.

If you got concurrent gastroenteritis, that could keep the loose stools going for a few days, but that is usually watery type diarrhea, not just softer than normal.

I hope this information helps.
Please let me know if I can provide further information or clarification.

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Brief Answer:
Information

Detailed Answer:
If you were given an antibiotic during any of this (such as post-operatively), then I would say yes, take a probiotic, because the antibiotic may have gotten rid of some of the "good" bacteria that normally live in the colon.

A good probiotic to consider is Culturelle, which can be purchased at many drug stores.

But, if you did not have an antibiotic, and no signs of an infection (bowels churning and frequent watery stools), but just loose BMs from the stool softener, then you probably don't need to take a probiotic. If the loose BMs are just from the stool softener/laxative, it should correct itself in the next few days.

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Brief Answer:
Depends on whether you were given an antibiotic

Detailed Answer:
Yes, take probiotics if you were given an antibiotic. In your query description you have not mentioned an antibiotic. If no antibiotic, then no need of probiotics.

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