What Is The Solution For Severe Leg Pain And Constipation When On MS Contin And Suffering From Cancer?

Posted on Tue, 21 Jan 2014

Question: my wife is a cancer sufferer, Right now, she suffers severe legs pains caused by a pinched sciatic nerve, The medical people looking after her has recommended 10 mg. of MS Contin tablets twice a day. The pain are practicallu gone but she is left with severe constipation. They have prescribed different laxative to relieve the problem without much success. Right now she is on Ducolax plus 15 mg of Lac dol. Can you find a solution, firstly to the pain reliever and secondly to help with the constipation? Thank you

Answered by Dr. Dr. Shruti Rijhwani (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Follows. Detailed Answer: Dear Sir, Thank you for posting your query on XXXXXXX Well looking into the query I will like to tell you that MS Contin contains morphine , which is an opioid analgesic and constipation is a known side effct of this drug. Your treating doctor have rightly recommended dulcolax plus . First she has to mobilise and take high fibre diet only with this dulcolax will be effective . Other options can be Docusate which is a stool softener , bulk-forming laxatives such as fiber, psyllium, and XXXXXXX . Osmotic laxatives, such as mannitol, lactulose, and sorbitol can also be used. Stimulant laxatives senna and bisacodyl are not used that frequently . For pain relief this is the best medication . You can try tramadol but it can also cause constipation . The choice depends on your treating doctor as he is the best judge of entire situation as he has examined the patient and knows regarding all the comorbidities. In my oinion continue with dulcolax , move around and add loads of fibre to your diet . Take care. Dr. Shruti

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar