Hi! Has anyone been prescribed a medication that has worked for their IBS? My Ibs has gotten out of control and it’s impossible to live my life. I have tried changing my diet (dieition) and that hasn’t worked for me. I have Ibs D so if anyone has any suggestions to what I can ask my doctor for please let me know.
Thank you!!
I was just wondering, have you looked into BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption). It's worth googling it to see if it sounds anything like you get. Basically, when you eat something with fat in it, your gallblader produces bile to help break down the fat, then the bile should be reabsorbed by the body back to the gallbladder but sometimes it doesn't work properly and the bile ends up in the bowel which gives you diarrhoea.
I take codeine phosphate 15 mg X 2. I was also advised to eat soluble fibre like rye, which I get from rye crispbreads and golden linseed. Having moved to much more of a vegetarian diet this seems to have made a difference as an unexpected consequence.
Here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group:
IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce your anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.
There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here: gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/.... This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app it will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.
If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:
iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...
It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.
You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.
You can find some info on self management here:
Hi,
There is nothing like IBS, believe me it is just displacement of naval from its center. This is the concept of Ayurveda. In rural India every one knows about it and never suffers from this disease. You can cure your naval by watching you tube videos and within 5 minutes you be cured 100%. Believe me it is just naval displacement and nothing else
Hi ccprinss, I also have IBS it took me a long time to find what makes me worse. It’s a awful thing to have and the pain can be chronic.
But I tended to find things that are really simple in my diet, peas, sweetcorn, Broad beans.
Some times it’s best to start a very plain diet and if your ok with that you can add or take away foods, it can take a long time.
With me I can eat sunflower seeds but not sesames seeds. I hope you find what can work for you.🌸
Co-phenotrope or Loperomide for the diarrhoea. Anti depressant medication for a nervous gut.
IBS
amitriptyline helps my ibs 
Ibs and meds for af
Ibs medication.
Antidepressants for IBS 
