@gutfeelingmd: You might be drinking plenty of water and eating your fiber, but your medicine cabinet could be working against you. Here is why: 1. NSAIDs & Aspirin (Advil, Motrin, Aleve): They deplete prostaglandins in your gut, which normally stimulate smooth muscle contractions and draw water into the bowel. Without them, contractions weaken and stool dries out.  2. Calcium & Aluminum Antacids (Tums, Mylanta): Aluminum slows down gut motility directly, while calcium binds up bile acids and fatty acids in your digestive tract, turning your stool hard and sluggish.  3. Pepto-Bismol: Bismuth reduces fluid secretions, and loperamide halts propulsive muscle waves in the intestine—taking them for minor stomach upset can cause severe rebound 4. Iron Supplements: Unabsorbed iron alters the water balance and microbiota in your colon lumen, making stool significantly denser and harder to pass.  5. Antihistamines & Sleep Aids (Benadryl, Unisom): They block acetylcholine receptors on your intestinal muscle, which stops the nerve signals that tell your colon to contract and move things forward.  #constipation #ibuprofen #medicine #iron #guthealth 💬 Drop in the comments: are you taking any of these regularly? (Educational only / Not individual medical advice)

gutfeelingmd

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Friday 09 October 2026 02:45:09 GMT