Opioid Induced Constipation & PAMORA’s
This is INCREDIBLY embarrassing for me to post, so I’m begging everybody to please be kind and compassionate when commenting. Has anyone here taken Movantik (naloxegol) for OIC and had a really strange reaction to it?
I have CRPS, chronic migraines, suspected POTS, and general chronic pain, and I have been on long-term opioid therapy for the past 7 years. I’ve struggled with severe constipation for years, including Bristol 1 “rabbit pellet” stools, incomplete evacuation, and needing to do vaginal splinting to have bowel movements, and at times, even gloving up to do a manual disimpaction….I’ve suspected that I may have a rectocele or some type of outlet obstruction for the past 3-4 years because of the splinting and incomplete evacuation, but I haven’t been able to get clear answers yet.
My doctor recently started me on Movantik 25 mg. Within a couple of hours of the first dose, I had significant bowel activity, cramping, gas, and eventually softer Bristol 4/5 stools. For the first time in years, I was able to empty much more completely, and my pelvic pressure/heaviness improved dramatically.
The problem is that I also developed an absolutely awful bitter/foul “sewage-like” taste that seemed to be coming up from my stomach/throat. It woke me from sleep two nights in a row, caused severe nausea, and I ended up needing Zofran ODT. I also felt achy, had a headache, and felt generally unwell… Almost like I had the flu.
I skipped my next dose, and the taste completely disappeared overnight. The nausea is still there, but less intense and overwhelming.
I’m calling my pharmacist this afternoon, but I’m curious if anyone else has experienced:
• a severe bitter/foul taste with Movantik
• reflux-like symptoms
• nausea that lasted all day
• increased pain or withdrawal-like symptoms
I’m honestly devastated because it seemed to help my bowels more than anything else I’ve tried in years.
Would love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience, or if things improved with time, a lower dose, or a different medication.