Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Constipation & Laxatives

Dear All,

As Heather says, the abuse of laxatives can be habit-forming and the colon can become reliant on laxatives to stimulate bowel movements. Prolonged use of laxatives can damage the nerve cells in the colon and interrupt its ability to contract, slowing motility and causing the loss of normal bowel functions.

My question(s) is, if the nerve cells in the colon become damaged is it possible that this contributes to the symptoms of IBS, or even to the development of IBS in the first place? If so, do/can the nerve cells be repaired? I know that Heather says that it is possible to transit from laxatives to a soluble fibre supplement to help relieve/eliminate IBS-constipation. However, is this advice also applicable to constipation brought on by the abuse of laxatives? My thoughts are that soluble fibre would be effective at relieving both IBS-C and constipation brought on by abuse of laxatives.

Any thoughts/research that anyone has on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

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IBS A. Managing my symptoms with the EFI/FODMAP diet and probiotics.

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