Can Medication Be The Cause of Constipation?

Around the holidays or after a great vacation filled with fine foods and great wine, we hopefully have come to expect the occasional bouts with constipation.  If not, we have somehow failed to notice that traveling or sudden splurges in alcohol consumption or rich foods can tend to be a cause of constipation.  But what happens when we cannot find the cause of constipation so easily?  What if we are avid “health nuts” who always consume a balanced diet rich in fiber and foods great for normal bowel functioning?  Worse still, what happens when we cannot identify the cause of constipation and the condition doesn’t just go away?

In truth, there are a number of factors that can be the cause of constipation—be it short term or the more annoying and painful variety—chronic constipation.  Diabetes can actually cause constipation because it causes dehydration when the body attempts to stabilize blood sugar levels.  Of course if diabetes were the cause of constipation, there would be other symptoms such as blurred vision, fatigue, and headache.  If any of these symptoms occur with your constipation be sure to make an appointment with your physician immediately.

However, if there is no history of diabetes in your family and no other symptoms are present, then the chances are slim that diabetes is the cause of constipation in this case.  If, however, you recently were prescribed some medication and the constipation problems began a day or two later, you may have your culprit!

Some medications are known to be potential causes of constipation.  Anti-depressants such as Xanax and Valium are two such drugs that will cause constipation via dehydration.  Many pain killers such as Vicodin are also known to be the cause of constipation in some people.  Many of the muscle-relaxers prescribed for back pain will cause the muscles in the intestines and bowels to malfunction and also cause constipation.

In most cases, the simplest cure for constipation caused by medication is to take an alternate version of the drug without the same side effects.  You should always talk with your health care professional any time side effects occur as a result of taking medication.  This is especially the case with constipation because prolonged periods without bowel movements can lead to bacteria and toxins being released into your blood stream.  Blockages may even form given enough time.

Even if a blockage does not form as a result of the constipation, it is still a good idea to cleanse your intestines, colon, and bowels in order to remove compacted feces that often sticks to the walls (called mucoid plaque) which can eventually lead to some blockages.  Colon cleansers are great for flushing out the digestive system every quarter and those made with all-natural ingredients are preferred to those made with harsh chemicals that can cause dehydration and future constipation problems.  By keeping “the pipes” clean and clear of medications that cause dehydration or muscle relaxation, you should be able to steer clear of constipation and the many painful symptoms associated with it.