Brief Answer:
Take high fiber diet with plenty of water.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to HCM.

I have read your query and understand the concern.

The most common reason to have hard stools is lack of fibers in the diet and less water consumption.

Usually this type of stools will occur in persons with constipation or with fecal impaction.

If you have been diagnosed with constipation and hard stools, you should take plenty of water, foods like vegetables, fruits (except banana), and leafy vegetables on every day as it will make stool bulky and soft by retaining water in it leading to easy passage of stool.

Take high fiber diet (salads like cucumber,carrot,cabbage) in your meal.

Continue with Miralax (laxatives) syrup as prescribed by your doctor to have soft and effortless bowel motions.

Make a habit of going to toilet everyday as if you skip one day the retained stool becomes hard on the next day.

For heartburn, you should take antacids like pantoprazole or esomeprazole (Nexium) before half an hour of meal with digestive enzymes (Unienzyme) which are available over the counter.

Take digene liquid or ulcero-protective agents like sucralfate to get relief from burning sensation or fullness in stomach.

Apart from medications you should also be careful with your diet which I have mentioned below.

- eat plain foods like boiled rice and green leafy vegetables without adding spices or oil. It will help to neutralize digestive acids.

- avoid oily,spicy and fast foods

- avoid eating full stomach at a time rather have small meals frequently in a day.

- drink coconut water will help to reduce burning.

- avoid excess tea and coffee and drink plenty of water in a day which will maintain your hydration.

- do morning exercises like walking or jogging which will reduce your stress level.

You can try all above medications with dietary precautions until you plan your visit to gastroenterologist (digestion specialist) for further evaluation.

Most probably,you will see some improvement immediately.

Hope this detailed information will be helpful.Let me know if you need any more clarifications.

Thanks and Regards,

Dr.Sandip Kabra

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Brief Answer:
Milk of magnesia may help.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the quick response.

Milk of magnesia may help but it is also a osmotic laxatives like magnesium citrate, and sodium phosphate, lactulose or polyethylene glycol 3350 (Miralax which you are already taking).

Both Milk of magnesia and Miralax has more or less same kind of mechanism of action (by drawing water into the intestinal lumen and making stools soft and loose) in the treatment of constipation.

However,you can try it if you are not getting benefit from Miralax.

But the cumulative effect of diet and medications may help for symptomatic relief.

Regards,

Dr.Sandip Kabra

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Brief Answer:
Will not help.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the reply.

Magnesium citrate is a osmotic laxative and works by drawing water through the tissues into the intestinal lumen by a process called as osmosis.

Means it can attract enough water into the intestine and thus making stools soft or loose to induce effortless defecation. The additional water in intestine stimulates bowel motility.

So,if laxatives (magnesium citrate) are used for bowel obstruction (blockage) then using laxatives can make the condition worse.

I will not recommend it if there is some intestinal obstruction.

Regards,

Dr.Sandip

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