Constipation Side Effects
and Appropriate Responces

So here you are looking for information on constipation side effects. Perhaps you've stopped by because you or someone that you love is constipated?

Well, you have stopped by the right place, as we have loads and loads of great information to get your colon moving in the right direction!

First of all, check out our article that conveys a clear understanding of what constipation is.

Second, it’s important to know the side effects generally associated with delays in bowel movements.

Pro Diagnosis is important

This is important not only so you stop catch constipation in its tracks before it further progresses, but also keeps those pesky fears at bay.

You might be wondering, for instance, if the side effects are truly showing themselves due to constipation, or if perhaps they are related to other, more threatening health conditions.

That’s a good thing to get clarity on, right?  Right!  So with that said, let’s take a look at our constipation side effect line up.

Constipation Side Effects in Infants

Obviously in dealing with a constipated adult, it’s easy to just ask how they’re feeling or what they’re gut feels like.  Babies, however, are a little trickier.

Here’s the good news!  Due to their breast milk or all formula diet, infants rarely ever get constipated.

In fact, a healthy poop rate for infants may be even once per week, far different than that of an adults normal rate of three movements per day!

Never treat an infant for what may look like constipation.  If the child is crying abnormally, or their stool is black, hard or contains blood, please contact your pediatrician.  Most likely they will recommend a change in their formula.

Constipation Side Effects in Adults

Constipation in adults is a completely different ball game.

From a lifetime of battling my own ongoing constipation war, I have become quite familiar with the general side-effects associated with lagged bowel movements.

For your personal convenience, below I have shared my own personal example, showing the escalation of side effects brought on by constipation. I have grouped these into four side effect “zones” of advancement.

The Constipation Zones!

Zone 1 - the 1-2 Day Shrug Zone

The first 2 day zone of constipation is the one for which we all generally tend to shrug off, as not many side-effects show up at this point.

Other than a general mental irritation on the toilet, you may feel just a slight heaviness in your abdomen that makes it a little harder to do jumping jacks.

Ironically, it is due to this zone’s lack of side effects that often leads us to more severe and painful levels of constipation. After all, it’s a normal human tendency not to pull the hand away from the fire unless we start to feel burned.

A proper response is:

• Make sure you are drinking enough water
• Eat foods high in fiber
• Take a probiotic
• Avoid certain foods

Zone 2 - the 2- 5 Day Discomfort Zone

Now this zone is normally the point we start knowing something needs done about our constipation onset, as more unpleasant side effects are beginning to set in.

Side effects during this 2-5 day period of time will many times include: 

• A distended gut
  
  
• A tight full feeling in the colon
  
  
• The beginning of re-circulated toxins through the blood stream, resulting in a decrease in appetite
  
  
• Lack of energy, a depressed mood
  
  
• Overall irritability

On a positive note, this is the time to nip constipation in the bud.  By simply by using a good constipation remedy, it should still be fairly easy to eliminate.

At this zone, with the proper attack, your constipation should be out of sight and out of mind within a day’s time.

Zone 3 - the 5-10 Day Zone of Great Frustrations

If you have entered the 5-10 day zone of great frustrations, this most likely means you’ve entered this place of constipation pain against your will.

The general symptoms of zone 3, caused by a large mass of dry, compacted stool, include:

• Nausea
  
  
• Slight vomiting
  
  
• Complete loss of appetite
  
  
• Sharp abdominal pain and tightness
  
  
• Extreme irritability and lethargy
  
  
• The frustrating loss of desire to do much at all

Those who have entered this stage of constipation may have done what I did for so long – I tried to ignore it and not deal with it. Or perhaps the treatment they tried simply wasn't adequate to handle it.

Zone 3 of constipation can be quite painful to deal with. Speaking from experience, it may require a water enema treatment to break up the large stool masses and stimulate your cranky colon to pass the dark matter through.

Zone 4 - the 10 or Greater Day High Alarm Zone

When a person has gone 10 days or more without a bowel movement, the constipation side effects can be quite serious. He or she should take side effects very seriously; they include:

• Severely hard, large, almost black colored stool
• Extreme sharp pain in the gut
• On-going and torturous nausea and vomiting
  
  
• A very hard, extended gut
• Complete loss of appetite
  
• Completely loss of energy (some become bed ridden from weakness and pain)
  
  
• Loss of normal mental processing and thought, caused by the re-absorption of toxins back into the blood stream
• Fever and sweating
• Extreme irritability

The constipation side effects of this stage are by far the most painful.

If you are unable to receive a water enema from the extreme compaction blocking the anus and are unable to keep down any oral laxatives, please see a doctor immediately.

If there is an ongoing fever, it could be the result of a tear in the colon wall, allowing feces to leak into the abdomen.

The resulting infection can be life threatening 

I must repeat that one must never play around with this stage of constipation, as it will not go away on its own. The colon is no longer capable of moving the trapped stool out of the body without treatment, due to the mass, density and compaction of stool. 

On a Lighter Note

Constipation can be a pretty ugly thing. If you want to avoid even the first zone of constipation side effects, do what I do and consume 1-2 teaspoons of a concentrated sea mineral supplement each day.

The magnesium released by this small gesture will greatly aid in keeping stool soft and moving, despite those extra cookies and milk, etc. Magnesium has other health benefits, too.

I've found a most enjoyable and effective way to drink these minerals. I simply pour a teaspoon into a liter of water and mix in my own favorite flavored powdered mix. I like pink lemonade.

By slowly drinking the minerals throughout the day, my system has a goodly amount of time to properly process them through my digestive system.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  If you have other questions please enjoy our many other informative articles on this site.  May you have a wonderful, health filled and ‘regular’ day. As always, thanks for reading!

By Stephanie.

(Return from Constipation Side Effects to Constipation Complications)