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Constipation guide

Constipation treatment online for children and adults in Virginia and West Virginia

A red-flag review for everyday (functional) constipation in children age 4 and older and adults, then a weight-based over-the-counter osmotic laxative (PEG 3350) plan with fluids and fiber.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Constipation (functional).

Everyday (functional) constipation — hard, infrequent, or difficult-to-pass stools — is common in children and adults and usually improves with fluids, fiber, and an over-the-counter osmotic laxative (PEG 3350) dosed by weight for a child. This visit screens for the warning signs that need an in-person exam and then gives a maintenance plan. For a child, a parent or guardian completes the visit and enters the child's weight. It does not manage a suspected blockage, bilious or bloody vomiting, or features that suggest an underlying cause.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visitSee response windows

Quick facts

  • You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
  • Starts at $59
  • No insurance needed
  • No app download
  • Physician review around the clock
  • Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
  • A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
  • Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

  • Hard or lumpy stools, or going less often than usual
  • Straining, or a sense of incomplete emptying
  • Stool-withholding or holding behavior in a child
  • No blood in the stool and no severe pain

May fit online care

  • Adults & children 4+ (with a parent or legal guardian)
  • Child age 4 or older with a parent or guardian completing the visit, or an adult
  • Everyday hard or infrequent stools without warning signs
  • No bilious (green) or bloody vomiting and no severe belly pain
  • Looking for a weight-based over-the-counter maintenance plan with fluids and fiber

Look for another care setting

  • Green (bilious) or bloody vomiting, or a severe, swollen, or hard rigid belly
  • Blood in the stool or black tarry stools
  • No stool for a week or more, or a hard blockage that will not pass
  • Constipation since the first weeks of life, ribbon-like stools, poor growth, or new leg weakness

What to have ready

  • How long the constipation has lasted and what has already been tried
  • The child's current weight if the visit is for a child
  • Any vomiting, belly swelling, blood in the stool, or growth concerns
  • Any allergies and current medications

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

What is the usual treatment for everyday constipation?

A common first step is an over-the-counter osmotic laxative (PEG 3350, sold as MiraLAX) taken with plenty of fluids, dosed by weight for a child, along with more fiber and water. The dose is adjusted every few days to keep one soft, comfortable stool a day.

Can a child be treated online?

Children age 4 and older can be treated with a parent or guardian completing the visit and entering the child's weight so the over-the-counter dose is correct. A child who may have a blockage or warning signs is directed to in-person care instead.

When should constipation be seen in person instead?

Please seek in-person or emergency care for green or bloody vomiting, a severe or swollen hard belly, no stool or gas at all, blood in the stool, or a hard blockage that will not pass. Constipation since birth, ribbon-like stools, poor growth, or new leg weakness also need an exam.