WARNING: This post contains frank descriptions of poop. Do not read while eating chocolates.

Way back in November of last year, I wrote about mannitol, saying I recommend taking it “in small doses throughout the day rather than all at once.” This was because it had a strong laxative effect when I took a full day’s worth all at once, and at that time, I had no need for laxatives. But things change.

Several months ago, I rather suddenly started to experience constipation. I don’t remember exactly when, so I don’t know exactly why. It could be caused by my Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or it could be a side effect of either of the medications that I’ve started taking over the last several months. The first of these new medications is GoCovri, which has greatly reduced the fatigue and depression that my PD was causing. I also started taking Mirtazapine, which has helped to quash my insomnia. The fatigue and insomnia were my two least favorite symptoms of PD, so I’m not willing to stop taking GoCovri or Mirtazapine just to determine which (if either) of them is causing the constipation. It occurs to me now that I should be keeping a log of when I start or stop taking any medication, and when symptoms appear or disappear, or suddenly become worse.

Regardless of what’s causing it, this constipation thing is all new to me. I’ve always been at the other end of the spectrum – trending towards “soft stool” with relatively frequent diarrhea. I’ve never been one to flush more than once per “sitting”. But these constipation poops have been so huge and solid that they’ve actually clogged three different toilets (both of the toilets in my home, and one hotel room toilet). So now I flush after every second or third “plop” to make sure the crap doesn’t coagulate and leave me up Shit Creek (which would be a great name for a housing development).

For whatever reason, it wasn’t until just the last couple of weeks or so that I realized I could put mannitol to good use against my own constipation. So now I’m taking all my mannitol (one tablespoon) first thing in the morning. Most days, it seems to help. Other days, not so much. I’m thinking I’ll increase it to two tablespoons, and if that doesn’t do it, then I’ll ask my PD specialist about Over-The-Counter laxatives.