Unstuck - The Official Constipation Coach Blog
MiraLax, part 2: Risk versus Reward
I finished writing my last blog post about MiraLax and immediately wanted to write another post addressing the many worries that some people have about MiraLax. I’ve heard a lot of them in my career: "MiraLax turned my kid into a nightmare." "It gave her seizures." "It made him so angry he hit a wall." "He was totally normal and then started having the symptoms of autism as soon as he started on MiraLax." Oh. My. Goodness. These are real struggles, and I don’t want to discount the wisdom of the parents who attribute these challenges to MiraLax. And, listen,...
We need to talk about MiraLax (and laxatives in general)
Ahh MiraLax. Doctors love it. Parents love it but only every now and then. Or they hate it because they don’t think it works. Or they know it works but they hate the thought of their kids being on a laxative. Kids are usually OK with taking MiraLax. But parents … Parents take some convincing. But here’s the thing: If you were researching how to manage constipation in kids back in the 80s or 90s, you would have found several studies reporting that laxative use alone is not effective at treating childhood constipation in the long-term. When treated with lactulose...
Why is my kid so grumpy lately?
Have you ever found yourself wondering: why is my kid (or my student, or my patient) so grumpy lately? I learned early on from my incontinence patients and their families that constipated kids can sometimes be irritable kids. They have outbursts, they refuse to participate in activities, they just want to sit around. Time after time, I advise families to do a clean-out (after checking with their doctor, which I always recommend), and they come back gushing: “she’s eating so much more!” “He’s running around and playing instead of just moping!” It makes sense, right? I won’t make assumptions about...
Not convinced your kid is constipated?
What if a child refuses to sit on the toilet?
A speech therapist friend of mine reached out a few weeks ago to ask for advice for a family with a five-year-old child who refused to poop on the toilet. I get this question a lot, and, frankly, it’s part of the reason I started this newsletter and wrote The Constipation Game Plan. As a physical therapist, I can teach kids all about how to sit on the toilet, relax their pelvic floor muscles, and use their belly muscles to bear down to push out a poop. But when I evaluate a kid who is refusing to sit on the...