I get depression and anxiety after constipation is fixed

[hberg]

Hello,

i've had constipation/bloating/abdominal pain my whole life and could only go around 1-2 times a week to the toilet. After changing my diet many times (LCHF was the best but not perfect) i tried some supplements to help with digestion. These were digestive enzymes (Enzymedica Gold), artichoke extract (german brand) and dandelion root (tea).

After taking any one of the supplements, my constipation resolves around a day and is then completly gone (i can go like 1-2x times a day!).

The thing is, after one day, i get heavy depression, anxiety, sight issues, brain fog, can't find any words, .. and so on.
After stopping any of the supplement, i get back in around 2-3 days to my old constipated self.

I've tried it around many times with each supplement, always the same outcome.
My guess is this somehow bile or liver related, because artichoke extract and dandelion root support the bile flow.

Maybe you guys have any idea what this could be. Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[Hip]

Hard to figure out what's going on.

Have you tried anything else for constipation? Probiotics can be helpful. And high doses of ascorbic acid (eg, 10 grams of more) or high doses of magnesium (eg, a heaped teaspoon of Epsom salts) cause bowel flushing which can relieve constipation. Possibly you might find some of these other treatments don't have the side effects.

 

[Cipher]

What works best for my constipation is Movicol (Macrogol 3350 w/ electrolytes). I haven't noticed any worsening or improvement in my ME-symptoms if I don't take it. I've heard good things about B. Longum BB536 for IBS-C, so that might be worth a try also.

 

[hberg]

Hard to figure out what's going on.

Have you tried anything else for constipation? Probiotics can be helpful. And high doses of ascorbic acid (eg, 10 grams of more) or high doses of magnesium (eg, a heaped teaspoon of Epsom salts) cause bowel flushing which can relieve constipation. Possibly you might find some of these other treatments don't have the side effects.

I get constipation relief with magnesium oxide, movicol and common laxatives, but these are just quick fixes. There must be some underling condition that causes constipation. At the moment, my thumb is on methylation. I had huge positive and negative effects (mainly depression and anxiety, but also sight and energy) with methylfolate and b12. I'm waiting for some supplements to try it again more steady and slowly.

What works best for my constipation is Movicol (Macrogol 3350 w/ electrolytes). I haven't noticed any worsening or improvement in my ME-symptoms if I don't take it. I've heard good things about B. Longum BB536 for IBS-C, so that might be worth a try also.

Thanks, i will look into the b. longum strain, looks promissing!

I'm thinking, when the bile flows (artishoke, dandelion root) and/or the food is digested correctly (enzymes), maybe because of an existing leaky gut condition (not tested) i get an intolerable reaction to the now broken down foods?

 

[Moof]

I realise you've said that you have pain and bloating, @hberg, which doesn't sound normal, but it might be worth adding that some people do just have naturally slow transit. I'm one of those; it's usual for me to go every three or four days. It used to be considered something that needed fixing (I've been put on various diets, none of which helped much), but doctors now realise that normal bodies work to different timetables.

I feel very odd if I get a bit of an upset stomach and have to go more often – agitated, exhausted from the extra effort my gut is putting in, and it's hard to sleep. I don't think I've ever experienced the depression you describe, but I'm not prone to this anyway.

I wonder if you could try reaching some sort of compromise, where you go often enough to prevent the abdominal pain, but not so often that it affects your wider wellbeing?

My three to four-day schedule causes no discomfort or other symptoms, so I think it's just normal for me. If I do get slightly constipated due to a change of diet (whilst away from home, for instance), two or three apples or a small bar of dark chocolate usually sorts it out.