As someone whose struggled with irritable bowel syndrome (and possibly small intestinal bacterial overgrowth—jury’s still out on that one) for over a decade, you can be certain that I’ve researched and tried just about every product and tip for that issue out there. My IBS symptoms tend towards constipation. My boyfriend who also has IBS suffers more from diarrhea. He asserts that his symptoms are worse than constipation but anyone who has my kind of symptoms know he is just wrong. Diarrhea is painful, yes, but only for a few minutes; constipation causes discomfort every second of every day. And, as a woman who is sensitive about having a flat, toned tummy (a concern that plagues females a bit more than men) I can tell you that I’d take my boyfriend’s symptoms over mine any day. But I digress: I want to talk about suppositories—items I rely on with some regularity. Here are things you should know about suppositories.
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They’re gentler than oral laxatives
Since you insert them into your rectum, suppositories don’t run through your entire GI tract the way an oral laxative does. That means they can’t cause an upset stomach, and have a much smaller chance of causing food related allergic reactions. If you’re new to laxatives in general, suppositories can be a nice, gentle way to go.
