I'm constipated. i took the correct dosage of a laxative 3 hrs ago. i am just now experiencing bowel movements, but it's painful and slow. help?

Laxative is working: There are lots of drugs that have a laxative effect. If the one you selected stimulates GI muscular contractions you will experience cramping which at times may be quite unpleasant. I recommend, next time, that you opt for a more gentle approach using stool softeners and/or miralax (polyethylene glycol). Better still, get checked to see if your system is too slow, rectum doesn't work, or a disease requires treatment.

Suppository: You may have hard impacted stool in your rectum that is being pushed out by the loose stool from above. Try a suppository to see if it may soften the stool below and assist in its passage.