Quite often, just knowing more about why you feel unwell can be a huge relief. To help you with that, here you can find a series of articles, stories, and links all about different aspects of opioid-induced constipation (OIC).
These resources will help you not only understand your condition a little better but will also help you to have clear and open conversations with your doctor.
Information and Resources
We know that it can feel strange talking about your daily toilet habits. If it is too much for you to speak openly about it with your healthcare professional, it might help to keep a ‘toilet diary’ where you note down the times that you go to the toilet, what it was like, and general daily habits. Each day’s entry might look like this:
-
The opioid you’re taking and what the dose is (if you know)
-
How much water, fruit, and vegetables you have consumed
-
Any form of activity (walking counts)
-
If you went to the toilet, did you have a poo; what did it look like, did you strain, did you experience any other problem?
You can download and complete the toilet diary here and then hand to your healthcare professional if you feel more comfortable doing so than speaking to them about the details.
How opioids cause OIC.
When opioids bind to opioid receptors in the gut this can lead to changes in the gastrointestinal tract, affecting the activity of the muscles in the intestine, which can cause OIC.
OIC can mean that some people reduce their dose of, or stop taking their opioids altogether.
There are several studies now that show that some people with OIC reduce, or sometimes even entirely stop, taking their opioids for pain relief. These people feel like they need to juggle the benefits of opioid pain relief, with the pain and discomfort that comes with OIC. This isn’t a situation anyone should be in.
OIC can be a barrier to communication.
There are now easy tools available to help make conversations between you and a healthcare professional that much easier.
Hear from others living with OIC.
Learn more about what OIC is and how it comes about, as well as testimonies from people who have been living with OIC.