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 legal 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 visit See response times

Quick facts

You must be physically located in Virginia or 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 times apply 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)
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 a few questions to check that this visit fits you, and choose how fast you want an answer (the response window). If your concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends you a secure update after you 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.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD. He is board-certified, has extra training in heart care (a cardiology fellowship), and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. He is licensed in Virginia and West Virginia, and your care is never handed off to someone else.

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What is the usual treatment for everyday constipation?

A common first step is an over-the-counter osmotic laxative (one that draws water into the stool: 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 legal 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.

Other conditions we treat

Not quite what you have? Here are other conditions we treat.

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