This is an old, inactive thread, but I made a recent discovery. I had to complete a bunch of Medical CME; among the many topics I reviewed was "Opioid-Induced Constipation." There have been ads on TV for drugs to treat this iatrogenic problem. The panel discussion included 3 physicians; a patient interview was also included.
The pt was greatly distressed by her OIC. She frequently clogged the toilet; she kept gloves handy for breaking apart the stool log. She took a LOT of stimulant laxatives, osmotic agents, softeners; the urge when it hit was uncontollable. She admitted to accidents in public, embarassment on clogging a public toilet, etc. She was basically home-bound because of this complication of pain therapy.
There followed an extensive discussion of DRUG therapy for this. Being a Klismo, my first thought was,"Why not an old-fashioned enema 2-3 times per week?" This very old, reliable, CHEAP therapy, completely free of medicine side effects never entered into the discussion. The bias for using medication was absolute.
I do not subscribe to the belief that Drs. are evil, money grubbing parasites, nor that the pharmacy manufacturers are predators. However...Boy, have we forgotten the old time easy cures of the past!