Relief

[Sflioness62]

What treatments do others use to help their IBS C ,I'm 58 and have epilepsy so AEDS can cause constipation too but at the moment I use peppermint capsules daily wind relief tabs when necessary ,liver salts and also buscopan.I dont have caffeinated drinks and also try to follow a good diet using prebiotics and lactose free milk.

Any other suggestions?

[xjrs]

I'm wondering about the buscopan, since I would have thought it would slow things down.

I have IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it and I am also taking Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS. These in combination have reduced the pain I am in considerably and I have been able to tolerate more foods so that I am able to consume the extra fibre I need to have a BM. Linaclotide is meant to increase transit time and help with pain. Linaclotide reduced my pain by 50%-60%. When I added in Alflorex, the pain reduced to zero and only comes back when I am reintroducing foods back into my diet and before my body adapts (or I have to give up on that food).

To improve constipation in the short term you can try ground flaxseed on your breakfast, starting at 1 teaspoon and increasing at 1 teaspoon every 2-3 days - you'll need to consume extra water with it.

This is what I have for breakfast: 75g oat bran, 50g of all (wheat) bran soaked overnight in water plus 10 almonds & 1 tablespoon flaxseed ground together, 2 tablespoon chia seeds and 9 prunes plus homemade oat milk - all soaked for a further 15 mins (so the chia seeds form a gel).

There is also Shredded wheat (or GF version: Nutribrex) .

Before lunch I have 1 orange (which contains a natural laxative).

Before dinner I have one of these high fibre fruits:

2 small hard pears

5 dried apricots

90g Raspberries

2 kiwi

I bulk buy fruit and freeze where necessary to allow me to have this variety.

At other meals I have:

Quinoa

Wholewheat bread

Whole grain pastas (Spelt or GF: Buckwheat)

I also take 30 drops of ginger extract before bedtime to aid motility. You may need to work up the dose to say 7 drop increments each night.

I have been giving Optifibre a go, which has been helping but I need to be careful with the amount since it gives me gas.

Exercise can help with BMs. The government recommends 150 mins of moderate exercise (e.g. walking as if you are late for an appointment) or 75 of intense exercise (e.g. jogging) per week. I also have a bit of a walk around straight after breakfast to get things moving.

You need to ensure that you are drinking enough fluids (2 litres of fluid per day).

There is some good advice about constipation here:

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

[Sflioness62 in reply to xjrs]

Thanks

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I take optifibre and 1 sachet movicol a day and drink warm water throughout day x