IBS Medication advise & food map diet

[Bfarnell88]

Hi All

My doctor has given me two types of medication buscopan and mebeverine.

Im trying buscopan first (which i only take when i am in pain), it seems to work sometimes but when i have extreme pain from trapped wind, contraption i don't think it is helping because it really hurts still.

Im think about moving on and trying mebeverine but i am also doing the food map diet (which has helped) and I'm just starting to reintroduce foods.

Im wondering if I'm taking medication weather that will stop me from being able to tell which foods in the food map diet are affecting me or not.

Will taking medication mask my symptoms so i think i can have a certain type of food but really if i wasn't on medication i would be ill????

Thanks

[Soooze]

Hi, I've recently been to a dietician who recommended the fodmap diet for my symptoms and I asked exactly the same question. She said to continue with all meds as normal. Also in my experience mebeverine worked really well but only when taken exactly as advised i.e. 20 mins before eating. Good luck

[Nicki1984]

Hi I think taking the mebeverine would actually help you to figure out which foods are troublesome. IBS can mess up how any food travels through your system and mebeverine helps it to relax and move through as it should. You should then be able to identify which foods are causing more problems. I take mebeverine and it def helps, I do try and stick to FODMAP, however I still get the odd flare up as I find my IBS is also linked to stress and anxiety. I am now looking towards probiotics and digestive enzymes to help maintain a healthier gut x

[Hidden]

Did you gp refer you to a dietician for the low fodmap diet? and do you have all the accompanying booklets about fodmaps. I it is strongly advised that you do see a dietician, because it is a very tricky diet knowing how to eliminate certain foods from certain fodmap groups and then gradually re-introducing them, and he gave me all the . My dietician explained everything on my first visit then I had another two follow-up appointments. Was it your gp who called it the food map diet, as some many others on this forum are calling it the fodmap diet and my gp practice does not know anything about the low fodmap diet or IBS. One gp told me that my bloating was caused by water retention so I should use diuretics, another one told me that a bit of bloating doesn't hurt even though my gut was distended.

[Bfarnell88 in reply to Hidden]

I was told by my GP that they cudnt refer me to a dietician until we were sure i had IBS. They told me to cut things out of my diet like lactose and gluten but i had no idea where to start so i did some research and came across the fodmap diet. I ordered some books and downloaded the app and then i just totally cut out everything it told me too. It really helped for about 6 weeks until i started re-introducing food last week (mango). I haven't being right ever since. This weekend i was in a lot of pain so decided to start looking at medication to help. XX

[Hidden in reply to Bfarnell88]

Has your gp referred you to a gastroenterologist? I was referred to a gastroenterologist and then asked to be referred to a dietitian. What books have you go BTW. The dietitian gave me three booklets which are really good guides on reducing fodmaps, suitable products for the low fodmap diet and Re-introducing fodmaps. You might poorly absorb fructans which is why you probably should avoid eating any fruit with a stone (cherries, peaches, plums). Even now if I eat anything that I shouldn't it seems to take weeks for my gut to recover. Sometimes I I just don't know what has upset my gut - it seems to have a mind of its own - even though I have kept food diaries and can't see what the trigger was.

[BELAwesome in reply to Hidden]

Hey. It seems certain foods trigger things for me but some of it I'm not certain. I may need to go back to gastroenterologist and maybe can be referred to dietitian after and I guess it's not covered.

[BELAwesome in reply to BELAwesome]

Cause some fruits or veggies do weird things to me. I get intense rush and then crash later. I get muscle jerks as well. Getting a test in December about the muscle movement type thing. I'm not sure how much they connect or if I'm allergic to something.

[Bfarnell88 in reply to Hidden]

Hi. No haven't being referred to anyone yet. Might speak to my GP next time i go for some medication and see what she says. Its hard trying to figure it out on your own.

Yeah I'm the same. Im leaning towards lactose but I'm not sure either.

[Hidden]

I find that Linseed soaked in water for around an hour or more works for me, I have only recently discovered this. I put the Linseeds in a mug with around a 3rd of a mug of water, then drink.

Also, my IBS is improving as I am cutting out some foods and will be on the FODMAP diet when I come back from holiday, too difficult to do when I'm away. This is without the support of a doctor or dietician as they removed the funding for a dietician a few years ago and I cannot afford one privately. Until they recognise this as a condition then I don't think we are going to get much help that's why I love this forum.

I you improve soon.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I didn't realize that they had removed the funding for dietitians, I got my referral in 2012 and then the follow-up appointments in 2013. The dietitian gave me three booklets: Reducing FODMAP, Products suitable for the low FODMAP diet and Reintroducing FODMAPS which I do keep referring to as a guide. There was a very good article in the Daily Mail on Sat, you probably can get it on-line Dr Max's Cost of doctor not taking IBS seriously. It just sums it up how little help there is for IBS sufferers.

[Rach3187 in reply to Hidden]

Fodmap diet is fab i don't take any meds and jus focus on diet alone n knowing what I can n can't eat, never reintroduce foods as I've been doing so well lately although have been feeling quite tired lately

[Hidden in reply to Rach3187]

Sometimes I go thru phases of feeling very tired and just don't feel I've got any energy. My nails keep tearing very low down and are very thin which is probably down to do with my restricted diet.

[Hidden in reply to Rach3187]

I can see why you have stayed on it as I have cut out a few things so far but not everything as yet as I am doing it on my own without any guidance (see my response to candiedate above). Do you have an app on your phone to guide you?

[Bfarnell88 in reply to Hidden]

Yes i have the app. Its brilliant. Would be lost without it. X

[Hidden in reply to Bfarnell88]

What app have you got? x

[Bfarnell88 in reply to Hidden]

its the FODMAP by FM one. I think its £2.99.

Its a good app, a bit slow at times but you can scan in the supermarket.

I also tried the monash university (£7.99) but i didn't find that one helpful at all. You can't scan anything so its just a guessing game.

[Hidden in reply to Bfarnell88]

Thank you and I really am going to have to get an app for my phone. I've never paid for an app using my phone before and this seems to be my sticking point i.e. I'm a little nervous of paying for something by not using the PC. I order loads of stuff online using my card. I also do not have a Paypal account, maybe this is something I ought to look into.

Once again, thank you.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I think it's a bit like the postcode lottery i.e. where you live. At a guess it's about 5 years ago now that I was referred, saw a Dietician and she said that they were in the midst of being trained on the diet and would contact me but if I didn't hear within 6 months to contact them. I didn't hear back so 7 months later I rang them again and they said 'sorry but the funding has been removed', it would have been good if they could have phoned me to let me know so that was that!!

It might be worth me going to the doctors again as maybe I could be referred now and in particular as IBS is out in the public domain more these days.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I knew someone who attended a low fodmap diet group session run by a registered dietitian. I can't remember how many other people she said attended but it wouldn't have been so costly as having a 1-2-1 with a registered dietitian. She got a lot out of it and it was through her that I found out about the low fodmap diet.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, I never thought of a group session, I will also have a look into that - thank you

[Rach3187]

I saw a dietitian did all sorts of tests and gave me a sheet of foods that I cAn and can't that did help a lot now just having to deal wit bloody pls cramps 😑