Last night I was forced to take two Exlax pills as I couldn't find any Metamusil in the house. When I woke up this morning, I had a bowel movement like no other :eek: It was as if I passed all the food in my body.

This got me wondering if the laxitive had 'forced' food out of my stomach before my body was able to take in the nutrients (fat, carbs, protein, vitamins, etc...). Anyone have any insight in to this?

I think laxatives work by drawing more fluid into the large intestine, forcing you to have a bowel movement. So I think you would still get all the same nutrition as before.

Last night I was forced to take two Exlax pills as I couldn't find any Metamusil in the house. When I woke up this morning, I had a bowel movement like no other :eek: It was as if I passed all the food in my body.

This got me wondering if the laxitive had 'forced' food out of my stomach before my body was able to take in the nutrients (fat, carbs, protein, vitamins, etc...). Anyone have any insight in to this?

Ex-lax and Metamusil work in two completely different ways and are for slightly different purposes, and so are not interchangable. Metamusil adds bulk to the stool which is healthy for the intestine. If you don't drink enough water, you can constipate yourself on it. Ex-lax chemically increases peristalsis meaning you are exciting your digestive tract to just move stuff on through. You can sort of think of it as an irritant. So yes, you wasted some of those those nutrients.
Metamucil is for the avoidance of constipation and health of the gut. Ex-lax is to relieve constipation. It's a big hammer. Don't take it thinking you are doing something healthy for your body.

I definately didn't think I was doing something good for my body. I had constipation and had to do something about it. I guess it's a good think I didn't take Metamusil.

thx for the replies!

Did you guys know that Americans spend $725 million a year on over the counter laxatives? Constipation is the #1 gartrointestinal complaint.

If people just ate healtier (more fiber) most of them would not need any medication.

(Source : Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0743223225/qid=1078692663//ref=pd_ka_1/102-1855721-9307306?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 )