Senocalm - does it work for you?

[Spacemonkey14]

Hi my consultant at the hospital recommended I take Senocalm for possible IBS, I do find it helpful but when I have read the ingredients it surprises me that it helps, I’m trying to work out if it’s coincidental, or if I should be focusing on eliminating which ever food caused the symptoms. I have struggled for many years, I had a positive breath test for lactulose but that’s the only ‘positive’ diagnosis, everything else is that it could be IBS. Been following FODMAP but that’s not long term sustainable. Just looking for advice for over the counter remedies really to stop myself going mad when I have an attack!

[Maureen1958]

In a word "NO"!

[FRreedman]

Well, thank Maureen for her reply, even though it appears rude and distasteful. What a way to welcome a new member, and how disrespectful to answer a long standing member. Sorry, but I had to put that comment here.

With IBD/IBS, there is no rhyme nor reason to what works for one and not for others, so while I haven't had relief from sennacalm, it is possible that you could. If it works for you, you could still try eliminating various foods from your diet, but you know that when push comes to shove you've got that extra trick up your sleeve.

[Maureen1958 in reply to FRreedman]

Sorry, I thought this site was to answer peoples questions. Not bad mouth other members!

[Spacemonkey14]

Sorry I didn’t mean to ask the wrong question, I’m just trying to stay calm when I have an attack, I’ll just keep trying pharmacy medicines and see which work

[Maureen1958 in reply to Spacemonkey14]

Hi Spacemonkey14, I feel I have to apologise for my above reply as FRreedman appears to think it was rude and distasteful. Personally, I just thought I was giving a succinct answer. My apologies.

[Spacemonkey14 in reply to Maureen1958]

Don’t worry, not a problem.

[asbayford]

Yes I swear by them! They are very gentle on the body and contain peppermint, they also prevent the bloating happening so i take them in the morning then again for night. If you google senocalm you'll see other IBS stories where they carry them everywhere. It also contains peppermint which there has been studies on where it's been proven to be one of the best ways to relieve symptoms such as cramps, spasms, wind.

Are you seeing a dietition for the low fodmap diet you're on? It's not meant for long term and tends to work better when under guidance of one

When you say positive for lactulose test, was it a sibo breath test? As your symptoms sound like sibo, I have it too and on herbal antibiotics by a functional medicine practitioner, sibo can give you multiple food intolerances, so fodmap will definitely help with that whilst you tackle the sibo but in the meantime, senocalm is great!

[xjrs in reply to asbayford]

I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who has tested positive for SIBO, had antibiotics or natural antimicrobials and feel that their SIBO was cured, to the point that they no longer need to be on a restrictive diet and their digestive system is 'normal' again. I tested positive for SIBO and went through hell having it treated (antibiotics, natural antimicrobials, anti-SIBO diet etc.). I lost a huge amount of weight, became very ill and it didn't fix my symptoms. Every nutritional therapist I came across diagnosed me with it - even just from symptoms in some cases. It seems to be the latest thing, unfortunately that people are making a lot of money from due to the incomplete science in relation to IBS. I am devastated by the amount of money I spent trying to fix it - fees, elemental diet, private antibiotic prescriptions and extortionately costing supplements. However my NHS gastro diagnosed me with IBS-C and visceral hypersensitivity and I am doing far better on Linaclotide. After all the tests he conducted (including a small bowel MRI scan), he said it was highly unlikely I'd ever had it. This makes for interesting reading: drchristianson.com/is-sibo-.... The danger with SIBO treatment (if you don't actually have it), is that you spend ages attacking your microbiome, which is really important for your health. Perversely antibiotics can make IBS worse in some people. From everything I've read it does seem to be a condition, but the science isn't 100% there in detecting it accurately.

[Spacemonkey14 in reply to xjrs]

Thanks for your reply, good to hear from someone else diagnosed with SIBO! I was given an NHS prescribed course of antibiotics to treat it, I only found afterwards there is a private drug usually more effective, I’d have to check the name of it. NHS don’t offer follow up breath tests to see if the antibiotics worked so it’s just been a case of seeing if symptoms return. I’m loathe to try any more antibiotics now especially as they likely caused the issue in the first place. I’m focusing more on identifying food triggers now, my diagnosis coincided with my decision to lose weight so it’s been trial and error for diet improvements for me. Good luck with your condition and hopefully you will see some improvements in the future.

[xjrs in reply to Spacemonkey14]

Hi Spacemonkey14, Yes the private drug is Rifaxamin. I had to pay for a private gastroenterlogist to give me a prescription (around £150 appointment) and he only gave it to me reiterating that he didn't advocate it. The drug itself cost £332 for 1 course of treatment. It did absolutely nothing for me. The nutritional practitioner also diagnosed me with a Citrobacter Freundii infection, so I took antibiotics for that too. Again, no improvement. In fact I was very low weight (from the SIBO treatment not from IBS) and I was finding it very difficult to gain weight again. This is probably because the microbiome is required to break down and gain energy from food and I'd zapped mine. It wasn't until I started taking probiotics that I began to gain weight again. Diet is a good way to go. I found the fodmap diet helped my symptoms. After being on the SIBO protocol for so long (only eating protein, certain veg & white rice), I've been finding it difficult to re-introduce foods and finding I'm getting reactions (to even low fodmap) foods I used to be able to tolerate. The Linaclotide is certainly helping. One of my latest challenges is getting reflux (pain higher up the digestive tract) from some of the foods I am trying to reintroduce. This is probably due to even small amounts of fodmaps feeding my gut bacteria (that have been without any for so long) and producing gas which weakens the valve that sits between the stomach and the throat. However, I am loathe to go onto PPIs due to unknown long term effects. There is obviously something different in the microbiome of IBS sufferers compared to healthy individuals. It is likely that healthy individuals have a microbiome that can make use of fodmaps without causing symptoms. Pathogenic bacteria probably play a role too, but it seems to me it might be better to try to shift the bacteria towards the good stuff from diet (if this is possible) and probiotics. It would be good once the researchers finally figure out what is different between the microbiome of IBS and non IBS sufferers so they can come up with treatments for us e.g. tailored probiotic supplementation. I have ordered my free Alflorex from the IBS Network, which has been studied for IBS - another thing to add to my list for testing. Good luck with it all too!

[Spacemonkey14 in reply to xjrs]

I’ve considered probiotics might be useful to rebalance my body. The private drug is much more expensive than the pharmacist told me it was!

I’ve also been on omeprazole and then lanzaprazole when I was told I had acid reflux but then latest info from doctor is that I shouldn’t be taking. Bearing in mind the possible long term affects I’ve stopped taking it.

[Carlettejaque in reply to xjrs]

The difference between IBS sufferers an non IBS is an over proliferation of bad gut bacteria in IBS. Ordinary probiotics don't reach the right area of the gut. The only true treatment the works that I've heard of is faecal transplant but I don't think you can get it in the UK. In the U.S. some people are doing their own DIY treatment but that is risky.

[xjrs in reply to Carlettejaque]

Interesting point. Much more research around the safety of faecal transplant is needed. This paper is interesting:

bmjopengastro.bmj.com/conte....

Just as FMT is being explored in its utility to alter certain conditions, the opposite could be true. At least theoretically, FMT from a donor with certain

disease phenotype could potentially transmit the disease to the recipient. Data on long-term safety of FMT is lacking.

There was also an interesting TV program where a mother received and faecal transplant from her daughter and became obese (as her daughter was).

There is also a question mark over how long it is possible for patients to retain the new microbiota:

pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/c...

However, Dr. Fischer acknowledges that beyond C. difficile infections, one-time fecal transplants often aren’t enough for a microbiome reset. Irritable bowel syndrome patients, for example, don’t retain probiotics long-term, and must take the pills every other day to sustain health benefits

The thought of being able to start again from scratch and become symptom free does sound very appealing. In some ways I'd hoped the antibiotics would do this for me - i.e. kill off the pathogen whilst I supported my good guys with

saccharomyces boulardii

, but I must say I didn't become symptom free from it. IBS also has a host of other factors including physiological (such as a long loopy colon), psychological (gut/brain axis) / neurological (pain centres).

[Maureen1958 in reply to xjrs]

Very interesting video. Thanks.

[Spacemonkey14 in reply to asbayford]

Hi thanks for your reply. Yes I have been to see an NHS nutritionist for FODMAP, I found it very hard to stick completely too but I’ve identified some triggers. There seem to be so many different types of milk, only some of which cause issues!! It’s a minefield when you eat out isn’t it!!

It was a sibo test yes, I wondered if I should pay for a follow up to see if the antibiotics worked but as my symptoms are not greatly improved I would assume it’s still there. Trying to balance my diet now, sometimes the symptoms I feel I blame on anxiety but maybe it’s nearly always food intolerances I’m reacting to!

[Angelreader]

Hi, you say you've been following FODMAP, is that under a dieticians guidance? I've been on the FODMAP 'diet' for 2 years now and it is meant to be a long term thing. Under my dietitian I followed the fully restrictive diet for 6 weeks to clear my system (this is the bit that isn't sustainable long term) then started the long - but worth it - process of testing one group of foods at a time. 3 days with increasing portions unless there was a reaction then 3 days back on the restrictive diet and so it went on for 6 months. This enabled me to identify the specific FODMAPs that caused my attacks or the ones that I could tolerate in small quantities. I still have attacks, mostly not knowing what has caused it, but I think that's the way with IBS 🤷 however not nearly as much as before. I've had a terrible time with it over Christmas but it's mostly my own fault....too much alcohol, chocolate and I got caught out at the sister-in-law's with a garlic basted turkey 🙊

Sorry I can't answer your question about the medication as I've not heard of it but wanted to tell you how the FODMAP 'diet' has helped me.

[Spacemonkey14 in reply to Angelreader]

Thank you for your message, I saw an NHS nutritionist before starting FODMAP. I found the restrictive part very hard to stick to but introduced food groups has helped me find some issues, I think I need to revisit it to ensure I’m not eating trigger foods

[Angelreader in reply to Spacemonkey14]

Yes I think that's a good idea. I couldn't get any help from the NHS, waiting list too long and I was desperate, it seemed everything I ate, even lettuce, was making me ill and it was making me anxious which of course was making the IBS worse 🙈 I found a private dietician and paid for a course of visits.....best £150 I could have spent! As I had to keep a food diary (and a poo diary 😂) to discuss with her on my next visit it made it easier to stick to. She have me booklets to complete as I went along and was always available on email and messenger so great support! My main triggers are gluten, onions, garlic, mushrooms, high lactose foods and fructose. Good luck x

[Maureen1958]

Hi, your reply took me back to about 30 years. When I first got IBS about 35 years ago, I used to find going out after work and having about 3 scotch and cokes usually did the trick! I had forgotten about that, perhaps I should try it again sometime!

[Oscar79]

You might try Mebeverine. 3 Times a day If that doesn’t control it you can add Colpermin 3 times s day at the same time as the mebeverine. Don’t take them for more than 2 weeks without consulting your doctor.