Probiotics or Miralax

[Anonymous]

Ever since starting cow’s milk (about a yr ago) & eating more table food Brodie (my 2yo) gets very constipated. Sometimes 4-6 days b/w poops, very very uncomfortable & they’re rock hard. We suspect some sensitivity to wheat &/or milk & try to limit those things, but he loves bread/carbs & dairy (milk, cheese, etc)… & since he’s a skinny minny that doesn’t eat much anyway it’s sometimes hard to limit.

We were buying the Live Active cheese (w/ probiotics) & it seemed to help, but now our grocery stores don’t carry it anymore (don’t know if they stopped making it or what).

So my question is: should we do probiotics or Miralax? Ped wants us to start Miralax daily & I’m ok w/ that but just wondered if probiotics would be good instead or as well.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

My daughter sounds much like your son. I’ve long wondered if it’s a sensitivity to dairy as well. Anyway, she is on a daily dose of Miralax.. very small dose.. you have to play around with it a bit.

But, we are also starting probiotics, and they do seem to help. But, from what I understand, it can take some time for the good bacteria to fully occupy the gut. So, I think I would start the probiotics, but also the Miralax with the hope that you would be able to eventually wean off the Miralax and then the good bacteria would be able to work on its own. That’s our plan anyway!

[Anonymous]

I was going to say just what Naomi said. Probiotics are good for so much so I would definately do them in addition to the miralax and after about a month or so try to “wean” off the miralax and see what happens. It is so gentle though that if he had to stay on it it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the others, probiotics certainly could help but they do take a while to fully colonize the gut. Give them time. In the meantime if he needs some laxative to keep things moving and to be comfortable then by all means do what is necessary.

Now to stray a little from the topic, you mention that he loves bread/carbs and dairy. Does he seem to want to eat almost only these foods? Or is he OK with eating a variety? The reason I ask is because my son Ben used to ONLY eat grains and dairy – he had a VERY self limited diet. It turns out that this because he was intolerant to them. I know, it sounds really weird, but a lot of children (not all) with a very self-limited diet seem to only eat the exact foods that their body is reacting too. Now this might not be anything at all related to your son, but it just rang a bell with me so I thought I would mention it…

MFPIx22008-07-17 17:36:21

[Anonymous]

Sheri,

I remember his speech therapist talking about this… how the food that ppl are intolerant to are the ones they crave b/c it releases something that makes them feel good?! Is that right?!

Yes, he pretty much limits himself to carbs (bread, crackers, pasta, etc) & dairy (milk, cheese, sour cream, etc). He’ll only eat fruit (very limited variety) once in a while & same w/ veggies. He will eat chicken (& some other meats) & beans well though.

We’ve always thought that the reason he did this was b/c a) his sensory issues (although those are almost completely regulated & the eating hasn’t changed) & b) he’s just not a big eater in general.

I do need to get the IgG testing done w/ him. His regular allergy testing only showed peanuts & ped was ok w/ those results. But, like I said, I suspect some sensitivity to other things.

Thanks for the heads up!

erinntx2008-07-17 19:03:12

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