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Stay Regular
Constipation
Also called Can't poop, Backed up, Hard stools
Who it's forA man aged 18 to 45 who goes every few days and has to strain.
When to see a doctor
- Call 911 now: bleeding from your butt that will not stop, or a lot of blood or clots. Black, tarry poop with dizziness, or vomiting blood.
- Urgent care or your doctor today: black or dark red poop, or bloody diarrhea. Black, tarry poop: 911 or the ER.
- Call 911 now: new back pain with weakness or numbness in both legs, numbness around the genitals or butt, or new trouble peeing or holding your bowels.
- Today: no poop and no wind, with vomiting or a swollen belly that will not go down. It can be a blocked bowel. Take no laxative until a doctor has seen you.
- Your doctor: blood in your poop, weight loss without trying, a new change in how you go, belly pain, or feeling tired all the time.
- Your doctor: blood or mucus (clear slime) in your poop, or belly pain or bloating that keeps coming back. These can be signs of inflammatory bowel disease.
- Your doctor: low iron on a blood test, or a close relative who had bowel cancer. The risk rises again past 50.
- Your doctor: constipation that is regular, not getting better with treatment, or started with a new medicine such as an opioid painkiller.
I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose on this page is the one a trial or a label used, quoted from it. It is not a prescription. Talk to a physician who has your history before any medicine or procedure. Blood in your poop, black poop, or weight loss without trying: see a doctor first.