Has anyone tried peppermint capsules? Why is my IBS worse after an evening meal?

[pink87]

I have been taking Mebeverine for some time. It helps with the abdominal pain after eating but not with the bloating I experience. I find I'm worse in the evening, I'm not sure why. I can eat breakfast with no symptoms, lunch varies but dinner is guaranteed to cause bloating and discomfort, and often excruciatingly painful trapped wind under my right rib. Yesterday my doctor suggested I try peppermint capsules instead of Mebeverine and gave me a prescription for them. I'm wondering whether other people have found them helpful? More helpful than Mebeverine? And what else have people been prescribed for bloating and trapped wind? And does anyone know why I'm worse in the evening?

[saabx30]

Hiya your symptoms are exactly the same as mine....... I believe the bloatedness I had was due to food and that my bowl swelled causing pain and discomfort, but I suffered from constipation in that my bowl slowed down basically because of this I struggled to go to the loo

I was on Merbeverin,Latulose and buscopan ( when needed ) I wouldn't have entertained Peppermint i just wouldn't have gone without the merbeverin

Anyway the long and short of it and I'm not saying this to worry you at all but I asked my Gp for a coeliac test which confirmed that is what my problem is plus direct milk intolerance I can have milk in tea coffee etc but not a glass of Diagnosed 3 weeks ago now on a GF diet and all my 4 years of pain and discomfort are settling down

I've not taken Merbeverin for 2 weeks now

Ps my GP informed me that many people are labelled Ibs when their not their coeliac

Let me know how you go like I say didn't say it to worry you just that I now feel great healthy with more energy

[pink87]

Thank you for the reply. I too suffer with constipation, I always presumed the bloating and gas slowed down the transit of food. It's uncanny our similarities: I was diagnosed with Coeliac about 12 months ago and am now well established on a GF diet. I have seen big improvements from this change as I now have more energy, but it hasn't solved the bloating, particularly in the evening, so I still take Mebeverine (with limited effectiveness) and laxido which, touch wood, keeps my bowels regular. I hoped my Coeliac diagnosis would solve my problems but it hasn't, my GP says it's stress related IBS as there's no reason for it to be the Coeliac as my diet is GF. Oh, and another similarity - I'm also lactose intolerant! I hope you continue to reap the benefits of your GF diet (have you tried Udi's bagels?!), although it hasn't solved my bloating, it has solved my chronic fatigue! I guess I will give these peppermint tablets a go...

[luckymint]

hello, i've just started using peppermint capsules for ibs-d. One a day - as soon as I get up. I've noticed some improvements after a few weeks.

[PatV]

peppermint and fennel teas help me better than the capsules. also chewing fennel seeds or fresh peppermint leaves

[patientj]

If I remember correctly, I think the majority of IBS sufferers' symptoms are worse in the evening than during the day. If you want an over simplistic reason why then it's probably to do with the fact that food takes a good proportion of the day to work through the digestive tract.

Mebeverine is an antispasmodic. You're probably experiencing less pain while taking it because your gut isn't going into overdrive when you eat. However, it may be contributing to the bloating. I noticed my bloating and flatulence was worse when taking mebeverine and I believe this has something to do with the fact that the drug made me more constipated so food wasn't moving as effectively through the gut.

I can't comment on the effectiveness of peppermint capsules, other than they didn't work for me. However, you might want to speak to a dietician familiar with the low FODMAP diet. There are a host of sugars that humans can't digest (known as FODMAPs) and these are common in some foods more than others. They make their way to the large intestine where bacteria feast on them leading to gas production as one side effect. The diet gets you to exclude these foods for a trial period and then selectively reintroduce the foods to find out which foods trigger your symptoms.