Mayo Clinic Minute: Opioids can cause gut problems

Turn on your TV, and you're likely to see advertisements about products and medications to help ease constipation. Some of those ads are geared toward bowel issues caused by opioid use. In a recent study, Mayo Clinic experts say that opioids, which are the most frequently used medications for chronic pain, often cause constipation.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, reporter Vivien Williams talks to Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Camilleri about how prescription painkillers can cause constipation and what you can do about it.