Restoralax for constipation??

I was reading a thread below from NiceEyes72, but thought I would put my questions separately.
Does anyone know why Ottawa (or other centres maybe) don't reccomend Restoralax for post op constipation?  My young son has been on it for months with the okay from a pediatrician, so it must be safe.
Is there a reason it would not be safe for RNY patients early out?

Just wondering if anyone has any info
Thanks
Tina

I have been using it almost daily for about a year now.  My iron was really low so I had to take supplements and no matter what I took it caused me to have constipation issues.  My family doctor told me this would be safe since it works osmotically (absorbing water out of your system to keep the stool soft) and isn't like a laxative that affects or controls the muscles of the bowel.  If I find that things are getting a little too loose, then I don't take it for a couple of days, and then I get back on it.  I don't think there is any reason you couldn't safely take it.  It is not addictive and does not cause dependency as other laxatives do after long term use.

I used it for a long time. It wasn't soon after surgery though. It  helped sooooo much.
The only thing I could think of that they may be worried about is possible dehydration?

It's much like Milk of Magnesia, it's an osmotic laxative, meaning it brings extra water into the bowel. The main difference is that Restoralax acts further down in the digestive tract and may be considered a little more powerful than MOM. It is still safe for frequent or long term use as it won't cause bowel dependence the way stimulant laxatives can. As noted below though, you should be drinking extra fluids though when using it as a precaution. The Ottawa centre probably is against recomending laxatives in general and may not understand the differences - this is why I always talk to a pharmacist about anything drug related.

My dad used it every second day for the last 18 months of his life (his cancer required extensive opiate use, which constiipated him severely, in addition to the incursion ofthe growths into his bowel).

The downside was that he had to drink much more than he would have liked BECAUSE it was osmotic.
The upside was that because it was osmotic, there were no additional chemicals going into his body on top of the gallons he was already ingesting.

Now, old people don't drink much at the best of times. That's where we're better off. We can get our 2 litres in every day without too much trouble.

I use it sometimes, with no ill effects - but I'm one year out.

Lax A Day, Miralax, Restoralax is what what was recommended to me by my GI doc.
Maybe not early out if you are not getting in enough fluids but later on it is fine and safe to take long term.

Linda

Just wondering how much extra water do you need to drink to use restoralax?