Generic Name: Relistor (methylnaltrexone)
Relistor Reviews
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "I have the most difficult time going to the restroom after taking Norco. I would stay in the restroom for hours, pushing and pushing to the point where blood would come out. I was super constipated. I went to my doctor, and she gave me 150 mg 3 times in the morning, 30 minutes before a meal. Within 20 minutes, I got horrible stomach cramps. 1 hour after waiting, I was able to poop like a normal person and a lot came out! The stool was solid, and I didn’t have to strain. After I use the restroom, the cramps are gone! It’s weird, after taking the meds, I could feel everything being broken down and everything moving down to my rectum. Sorry if that is TMI, just wanted to share an honest opinion."
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "My father has terminal acute myeloid leukemia, and his life is very much winding down. He's ingesting high doses of opioids on a daily basis, which has caused him severe constipation. We didn't keep track exactly, but at one point he must've gone 3 weeks without a bowel movement and had the god-awful experience of vomiting feces due to a blocked bowel. Enemas did not work, nor did Colace, senna, milk of magnesia, MiraLAX, etc. After being prescribed Relistor, he injected himself with the shot for the first time a few nights ago. No exaggeration, it was maybe twenty minutes, no more than a half an hour after he took the shot that everything that had backed up inside him over the past several weeks let loose and came out. And I mean, everything. My mother and I were dumbfounded and could not believe that this drug worked so quickly, softening hard stool to mush and helping it out of him. It is a miracle product for cancer patients suffering from severe constipation due to opioid use."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I was given Relistor in an ER environment. I had been on strong medication for a back issue for a few weeks but hadn't taken any in 8 days. Based on the severity of my pain, I believed I had a bowel blockage. The ER did not rule that out and gave me a Relistor injection. Within an hour, I was in even worse pain and began to vomit every 5-10 minutes. In less than 24 hours, I was back in the ER with a sigmoid colon perforation and very nearly died. This is not a drug that should be prescribed for acute or emergent issues, and medical professionals must be educated on potential side effects. It has been two months, and I am still dealing with complications from near-total system failures during the perforation. I may never fully recover from this."
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "Relistor worked one time and one time only, but I did find something that works and could help a lot of other people. I take two full caps of Miralax into a full glass of water with one teaspoon of Metamucil and take a couple of Senna pills. I do this process every other day, and 90% of the time, the next morning I go. It also helps eating Raisin Bran and fruit when you can. The Miralax and Metamucil I get at Walmart Equate brand, and CVS has a Senna pills, 180 for $23, which is the best deal. I bet that will solve the majority of people out there trying to figure this out. I've been on opioids for 15 years and always had trouble even having a bowel movement when I was a kid, so try this process. Good luck."
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "I took my dose of Relistor at 3 PM. By 11:15 PM, I started with the clean out. I thought it was done by about 1 AM, but found out differently and then got worried because by 9 AM I was still on full clean out. The only thing no one said is that this takes 12 to 24 hours to get out of your system."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "Prior to this product I was in a constant stage of constipation. I can recall a few times that I was so dry that it felt like I had a bad case of hemorrhoids blocking the exit. I literally believed that until I tried using Prep H on it and determined that was not a hemorrhoid. A life changer, the first time I used it I had bad stomach cramps for about 20 minutes. I raced to the bathroom and literally clogged up our system I had such a huge bowel movement. My first few uses were free samples from my pain management doctor. My prescription insurance company refused to fill my prescriptions but luckily the manufacturer sales rep coordinated an appeal for me. It changed my life, I lost 40 pounds the first 3 months I started taking them"
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I've been on high dose pain medicines since 2001 and knew I had constipation as a side effect, but it wasn't until I was able to lose a large amount of weight that I realized just how backed up and bloated I was. I heard of this medication online and asked my pain management Dr for it. He had no issues giving it to me. It took me a couple weeks to get the nerve to try it because of the side effects I've read, but I've not had any. This medication has been a godsend! It was recommended to use a laxative prior to help clean things out some, which decreases cramping from your body trying so hard to defecate. I now look forward to my injection every other day! I only need to go every other day because it works so well."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "Follow-up to my previous review on 4/12. I recently began taking the 8 mg injections and have used one every other day for the past 10 days. The pain, nausea, and distension had destroyed my quality of life. I was unable to eat more than a few bites of food at a time. I have had FANTASTIC results with this medicine. It works within 10 minutes or less following injection, causes almost NO side effects except a slight cramping sometimes, so effective I can feel the movement starting right away. I am continuing to use this every other day, to me, this is truly a miracle."
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "I've been on opiates for 20 years and have struggled with constipation. It seems to be getting worse all the time. I drink Milk of Magnesia throughout the day in an effort to produce a bowel movement. I've tried Movantik and Linzess, Dulcolax, Miralax, Senna, and Colace with no luck. Last night I went to the ER because I hadn't pooped in 5 days, and I was in pain. They gave me Relistor, and within 20 minutes I exploded, but it was just brown water and no poop. I had about 5 bowel movements, about every five minutes, but none produced any poop, just water. I also experienced cold sweats and severe cramping and back pain, which passed quickly. I was home in two hours after the injection, and I didn't have any more bowel movements, so my problem wasn't solved. I'm still constipated, and I'm afraid I might be obstructed or impacted. So I guess I'll be headed back to the ER when I can peel myself away from my heating pad and comfy bed. This is miserable!"
For Constipation, Drug Induced "Current pain meds: Fentanyl 50 mcg x 72 hrs & Percocet 10/325 x 4 hrs PRN. Condition: DDD L4-L5 S1 & muscle damage of left shoulder. Past over-the-counter meds: Polyethylene glycol, lactulose, & Amitiza. Relistor experience: Started 2 days ago and was able to have a bowel motion within 30 min with mild cramping & no other side effects. Conclusion: Excellent relief from OIC... 5 stars!!"
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "I just started yesterday, and literally 30 minutes after taking Relistor, I had a complete normal BM. I was so excited, I even called my mom to share the good news. I have suffered with severe constipation for years, taking opioids 10+ years. I will write again to let you know if it continues to work. I also feel like this may help me loose a bit of weight. I never eat, but never poop, so my weight stays same, because I never had BM’s. I am excited about my first results. Reading reviews, it seems like the Tablets work much better than injections."
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "I have been on sustained release morphine for several years for chronic pain from MS and fibromyalgia. I also have a neurogenic bowel and bladder from MS. I have to do a lot to make sure my bowels stay regular. Relistor definitely makes things easier. I can usually have a bowel movement with 1 shot, although not always. The downside is sometimes it works too well and I have diarrhea for a few hours. The injections themselves are easy and relatively painless."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I have been on opioids for 29 years now. About 10 years ago, my doses were so high and the constant pushing because of fecal impaction unless I was taking 10 laxatives at night to wake up with unbearable cramps to have diarrhea, then taking more laxatives throughout the day cured the fecal impaction. But I ended up with an external prolapsed bowel that would come out even going to the bathroom. The doctors had never seen one completely outside, which I would have to manually push back in every time. Surgery was 10 nights in the hospital on one of those automatic beds that move position so you don't get bedsores. 1000+ stitches and staples and now Relistor doesn't always work, but when it does, OMG! It feels like heaven. Yeah!!!!"
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "This medication is a lifesaver for me. It works very well, with no side effects at all for me. It was very expensive, $1,800.99 before insurance and the assistance card from the drug maker. If you have OIC like I do, try Relistor."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "Opioids since 2000, chronic pain from post-polio syndrome. I've been fighting this big problem since 2001, and I've tried everything. For the last two years, I used 'irrigation,' a slow and messy solution. Recently, I tried Movantik, but found it to be significantly harsher on the GI tract. As soon as I got over the 'Yikes! I'm about to stick a needle in my stomach!', everything went swimmingly. Yes, moderate gas cramping, but far gentler than what I'd suffered in the past. It was incredibly fast in my case. First 'urge' in under 15 minutes and major evac in just a few minutes. I figured I was done for the day 1, so I headed back to bed. Fifteen minutes later, my 2nd evac was twice as big as the first. 5 stars."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I take Dilaudid because I am living with multiple sclerosis and have severe muscle spasms. Unfortunately, the Dilaudid has started making me constipated, so my doctor prescribed me Relistor injections, 12 mg (the higher dose - it depends on your weight). I took this medication for the first time this morning because I had not had a bowel movement in five days. I did the injection (beware, it burns when injecting!) and went on with my day. Within ten minutes (I'm not kidding), I had to use the restroom. Success! That's the good part. After my successful bowel movement came terrible abdominal pain. I mean, it wasn't like, 'I have to go to the ER' terrible, but it was significant enough that I am mentioning it. Overall, a good drug."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I am 64 years old. I've suffered from constipation my entire life and have been on opiates for many years due to colorectal cancer treatments/surgeries. I've been using Relistor for 2 weeks, and I have a bowel movement within 5 minutes. For me, I have 3-4 more within the following couple of hours. It has been a miracle for me. Life-changing."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I have been on opiates for chronic back pain and DJD for more than 15 years. I have always had bowel issues, even before being on pain meds. So adding more meds made it nearly impossible to evacuate completely. For years, I have been taking 6 or so prescription and OTC laxative meds per day with very poor results. A year ago, I was so backed up that I was vomiting repeatedly. Long story short, after the ER doc checked for obstructions, he gave me a shot of Relistor and sent me home. 15 minutes later, when I got home, I had to rush to the bathroom. First complete 'normal' evacuation in years. Too bad my PC won't prescribe it for me to take when needed."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I help my 83-year-old mother-in-law with her medical care. She has been on opiates for over 25 years due to broken hips after a fall. After several trips to the hospital a couple of years ago for fecal disimpaction, I began a desperate search for something that could help. This medicine had just come out about 8 months earlier. I only wish someone had told me about it sooner. It has been a lifesaver for her. Within about 15 minutes of her first shot, she had a huge bowel movement. She's been taking it every other day for almost 2 years, and in that time, has had less than a handful of times when it didn't work. This has truly been a blessing for us."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "It works! But, and there is a but, the side effects can be pretty intense. Mostly the abdominal cramps and slight headache. It did not work with my first dose but did with my second, approximately two hours after injection. For me, it's definitely worth it because for the first time in months, I went #2 all by myself (meaning no enemas, no suppository!). Amazing, I do stress that if you do use it, make sure you have time to rest and wait. The cramps will stop, you'll have a lot of gas, and then you'll go potty like a normal person."
For Constipation, Chronic "Nothing yet, not helping, on 3rd day I took 3 shots, but still, not worked... I am on my 8th shot today... going back to docs in the morning... I hurt, I feel tight, bloated... it feels it could rupture at any time... God, the constipation feels like death. I am so full, I don't feel I can eat or drink."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I just used Relistor for the first time. I have chronic abdominal pain that provides the wonderful need for strong narcotics. They are terrible on my system and possibly from the constipation or maybe a result of the many, many surgeries I have been through. I have very painful bowel movements. It's like I can feel the stool winding through my bowels, and it feels like sharp rocks! After the injection, I had almost instant cramps and only a moderate amount of gas. I felt the 'winding rocks' moving with a vengeance. That's why I'm not giving this a 10, because of the cramps (which could possibly be issues with my system). Like another reviewer said, I had a massive movement 30 mins later. NICE!"
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I have used Relistor 3 times. Overall, I think it's working. But I wanted to note here that, as most of us have been using alternatives, including strong stimulant laxatives, for this issue prior to trying Relistor, we have become dependent on them. So although I've had success with this medication, I thought it worth mentioning that I will need to work on becoming free of laxative use for best results. For those of you who are experiencing this, I highly recommend doing some online reading about laxative dependency and using some of those techniques along with Relistor. Good luck!"
For Opioid-Induced Constipation "After injection within 5-15 minutes it will produce a movement and will clean you out completely. It can be taken anytime you want to take it. Very little side effects will make you a little warm for about 1/2 hour then passes. Works great for me but can be pricey without insurance."
For Constipation, Drug Induced "I started the Relistor injections about 3 weeks ago. I was to inject 8 mg but was given the 12 mg syringe on the doctor's order. Very difficult to discard the extra mg because the syringe is not clearly marked. I now have the 8 mg syringes, which I should have gotten to start with. I take the Relistor every other day, and it works in 5 minutes. I set aside 2 hours to deal with the results. 5 to 6 bowel movements, including some diarrhea. I go from bed to bathroom and back again until done. My main problem is the nausea that accompanies the process. I did experience vomiting after the first injection, but now it is only nausea. I take Zofran a half-hour before the injection for nausea, and it helps but doesn't completely take care of it. Even with the unpleasant side effects, I am glad to have this medicine to treat the slow GI movement I have due to scleroderma, diabetes, and the opiates I take for chronic back pain."
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Related treatment guides
- Opioid-Induced Constipation
- Constipation, Chronic
- Constipation, Drug Induced
