Brief Answer:
Fiber tablets and supplements are your best bet.

Detailed Answer:
Hi there, Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic!

Fiber tablets and fiber supplements containing either cellulose or Isbagol are your best bet.

One brand of tablet that has cellulose is called 'Herbalife - Activated fiber' bu there are many other brands, you just have to talk to your local pharmacist.

My personal recommendation is to take anything with Isbagol in it. It is a fiber rich husk that is naturally derived and very safe for daily consumption. The Cremadiet Powder is an example of Isbagol that you can buy Over the counter and has a good effect. Again, there are many brands, so you can find one at your local pharmacy without any problem.

Please remember though. Simply taking tablets is not the best way to deal with this.

The most common causes of Constipation are the following:

1) Dehydration: Not drinking enough water is the most common cause. The Gut is designed to absorb all the water it can absorb from digested food before it is expelled. If they body is lacking water, it will try and absorb more from digested food.. this makes the remaining waste material very hard and difficult to pass.

The easiest way to fix this is to drink more water. PLAIN water, juice and soda DON'T COUNT as they can actually dehydrate you more.

2)Lack of fiber: Fiber is a natural component of cooked food. Processed foods high in Maida are stripped of most of their fiber to make them taste better and give them a long shelf life. If you have a tendency to eat packaged foods or restaurant foods. Then you may be suffering from constipation due to the lack of fiber.

There are two ways to fix this. Eat more homecooked stuff AND/OR take a fiber supplement. They are very safe. I usually reccomend a spoonful of Cremadiet before bed with 2 glasses of water.

3) Lack of Movement: People with desk bound jobs tend to suffer from constipation due to lack of movement. The Human Gut actually works better and faster when you are moving and stimulating the gut. So if you have difficuties with constipation, taking a walk may help mobilize the gut and evacuate the waste.

Those are the 3 first steps I think you should look into. If those don't work, then we might need to look into taking a laxative. But, lets hold of on that for now and try the basic stuff. Sound like a plan?

Vinay Bhardwaj, MD

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