these are always tricky areas because i have to ask my patients a lot of questions. first of all i have to ask who is it for and how long have you had it? because in some cases if you have diarrhea or constipation it could be related to another condition. so i will ask my patients have you referred this to your doctor or other healthcare provider because there may be some other things going on. children too i tend to be more along the lines of calling a pediatrician first before making any recommendations because it could be a virus. in some cases the best therapy is just giving them some pedialyte keeping them hydrated giving them some tylenol possibly for their fever but not really using things like imodium or pepto-bismol because that might keep the virus inside and therefore they are not going to get better. so there are a few things that i need to know. constipation is always a problem. but once again it comes down to have the pharmacist asking you some questions. a lot of medications are constipating so if i find out through your medication list; you should have a list of all your medications at all times and carry it with you that you are on certain pain medications or certain antidepressants these can all cause constipation. so you may have to change your diet. that's usually the number one way we want to go when treating constipation is lifestyle modifications. adding more fiber to your diet. increase your water intake. and not rush the harsh things like laxatives. stool softeners are really safe in women. women become constipated when they get pregnant. so therefore stool softeners are safe for using them along with changing their diet a little bit. so there are a lot of different options that are available for patients but pharmacists are going to ask you a lot of questions so be prepared to open up a little bit so i can help you out.
what are over-the-counter options for diarrhea or for constipation?