Psyllium husk

[Sophiaa]

So I've heard that some people use psyllium husk to have regular bowel movements etc, I also heard that it can help create more bulkier movements.

I just have a few questions, 1: How much should I take (the powder form) each day? 2: Is it safe to take daily to maintain regular movements, if so, how much should I take per day? 3: Does it cause cramps and are the movements easy to "hold" or is it like a suppository / laxative? 4: How long will the effects take to kick in from when I take it, and if I take it daily is there a certain time to take it so I have bowel movements at a specific time? Morning, night etc.

I also know you need to drink plently of water when taking psyllium husk, i drink a lot as it is. If you have any experience with psyllium husk please let me know how your experience was!

 

[Poofybutt]

Hey Sophiaa,

I was actually prescribed Metamucil with Psyllium Husk by my family doctor early last year in order to keep me regular, I have had problems with constipation in the past. I take mine in capsule form as the powder form doesn't always taste the greatest. I was told to take 2-3 capsules a day before meals and doing so keeps me regular, I have 2-3 movements a day following these instructions. I believe that the powder form is slightly faster acting and when I was trying that out I was told to take 2 teaspoons a day with meals, so I'd say 2 teaspoons is a safe number for how much you should take, for a more accurate number I think two teaspoons breaks down into about 40 grams.

In answer to your 2nd question, yes taking it daily is perfectly safe, psyllium husk is a natural form of fibre, it's not at all like laxatives or artificial supplements. From personal experience 2-3 capsules a day is safe as is 2 teaspoons a day, of course you can always consult the label on the bottle for further details, the labels should have recommended directions/intake listed.

In answer to question 3, it varies, sometimes it gives me no more cramping than usual and the movement is very easy to hold, sometimes it gets my tummy quivering not unlike a laxative, at those times the movement is much harder to hold, but nowhere near a loss of control.

Finally, I don't really know how long it takes to kick in. I usually take mine with each key meal, so one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, doing so I have a movement the following morning, afternoon and sometimes in the evening. I know sometimes if I've eaten heavy food or if I have taken my fibre but haven't gone all day, I'll pop a fourth capsule right before I go to bed and the next morning, like clockwork, I gotta go.

Hopefully this helps, I don't have all the specifics, but based on my experience, some of what I said should be helpful.