I have been given sertraline to take as my anxiety has become much worse since starting to have IBS symptoms. Has anyone tried these do they help without making IBS worse. I've only taken a small dose and seems to have triggered diarrhoea 🙄
Antidepressants for IBS : I have been given... - IBS Network
Antidepressants for IBS
Hi first of all I sometimes suffer from anxiety but my GP wouldn't give me anything for this. Just a website that I don't think is Ideal. But if you're taking the medication and it is giving you diarrhoea then first of all read the information leaflet and if you still feel unhappy then tell your GP your concerns and see if another form of medication can help you.
Thanks seems to have settled down was bit worried about making my symptoms worse. Why won't your doctor give you anything for anxiety is it to do with your IBS?
To be honest I don't know the reason for not being given medication for my anxiety. I spoke to a locom doctor months ago and all she sent me was a link to a anxiety website. I did mention it again on a conference call but still no luck. I will probably ask again but because I deal with Patients myself and work on call and long hours I just haven't had the time. Because doctors are only do over the phone conversations it's hard To speak to anyone.
Sertraline did the same to me ,GP changed them for gabapentin they do nothing for me .Good luck Andy R
Hi, which type of ibs do you have? Because that depends on which type of antidepressant would be better for you. SSRI are usual given to people with ibs c and tricyclics for ibs d
Haven't been given diagnosis yet have an appointment with consultant in few weeks but seems to be a bit of both
Hi I take amitriptyline for my Ibs -d / mild depression I have been on them years I am supposed to take 20mg but I only take 10 as find 20 makes to groggy the next day. I do take breaks and have stopped them at the moment my gp is not bothered about if I take them or not says up to me to work out what's best. Check the side effects of what you are taking and they can take up to 6 wks to have any effect. If your still not happy like others have said try gp again xx
Thanks think I will try something else I don't like the stomach related side effects on top of my IBS symptoms
How did you find stopping? I’ve been on them for 10 years and every time I come off I end up feeling awful 😞
Ok i just reduced it slowly one every other night and then stopped. I am not to bad with out them I do need then to sleep settled but my mom is not well and need to be able to hear her.
I was given a mild dose of SSRI for a little more than a year plus benzos (librax) for four or five months. Extremely helpful, that combination really kicked from month one. I had tried several gastroenterologists, done all the endoscopic tests, but it was my neurologist that managed to deal with my condition in the end. After all those years, it finally sank in that the gut-brain connection is REAL. So is the struggle.
It's not that I don't have flares anymore, I do. It's my attitude towards them that has changed.
Thanks I definitely agree brain-gut connection, having problems with my stomach is effecting my mental health which is not helping my stomach catch 22 Hoping I can change my attitude eventually
Hi,I was on amitriptyline for a while and it really helped with my fatigue, wooziness, headaches & brain fog. I would recommend it.
However, I was later given sertraline and *hated* it. After one month of being on it I had the worst flare-up of my life (was hospitalised) and have gone from mild symptoms to feeling chronically ill. NOTE: I am not suggested this means sertraline caused my worsening symptoms, but it sure as shit did nothing to help. Also the side effects coming off it was *horrendeous* - took 2 months to gradually reduce it.
Read the very common side effects of sertraline on the leaflet, circle them, and show that to your doctor. Keep a symptom/food diary too and explain you think they triggered diarrhoea.
I got a second opinion from another doctor & they were surprised saying sertraline isn't one of the recommended antidepressants for IBS. So don't be shy about challenging this with your GP.
If you're not already, keep a symptom/food diary for when you meet with the consultant.
Best wishes xx
I was given setraline and had a very bad bout of diaorrhea ended up in hospital, I had tremors so bad I couldn’t concentrate ,the doctor couldn’t understand why I was given them as that is a known side effect, they actually took them away and told my doc he shouldn’t have prescribed them.
Thanks for the advice sorry to hear about your bad experience on them. I'm going to stop taking them had diarrhoea and a lot of pain during night will wait to see consultant and decide if I want to try something else xx
Setraline g put me on another planet my purples were dilated which I was told is a bad sighn. I only lasted 3 days.
The trouble is some dr's mine include don't take ibs very seriously my gp just tells me take as many immodium as needed to control it take my painkillers I have for my arthritis for the pain I have buscopan & meberine on prescription but not immodium as you can buy them over the counter. Have been put on the waiting list to see a gastro dr as lost 3 stone during my last flare up in 6 wks . Semi settled again now but not interested xx
I've found Imodium to be a tremendous help managing symptoms, but be careful about taking too much.
Yes that is a concern how much do I take nobody has ever advised how many most I have taken in a day is 14
I was given Zoloft (sertraline) for clinical depression 27 years ago. The doc told me I would be on it for life, like taking insulin for diabetes. Ten years later another doctor suggested I tried doing without it, and it worked. I've been off it since. Initially, along with the depression, I had difficulty digesting dairy and wheat with the attending diarrhea problem. No one suggested any brain/gut connection years ago. I think the medical people are still in the early stages of understanding IBS. GPs don't give it much attention or help. It's up to us to figure everything out.
A word about sertraline from my own experience, I hated having to take it, although it stopped the anxiety and panic attacks. It gave me sleepless nights and a dry mouth.
I'm still managing IBS.
Good luck finding solutions you can live with!
Hi, I also take steraline for anxiety and I found after a week weeks my IBS settled down. I still get bloating and wind pains, but I am alot calmer and do feel better. Maybe give it a bit of time and see if it settles down abit. I hope you feel better soon
Hi, I didn't have any side effects luckily. My anxiety was so bad I couldn't function so my IBS took a back seat for once! I still get anxious and my IBS is still around, but compared to where I was I am much better. I still can't go far on my own as I get panicked about having a flare up.
Having anxiety is awful pleased you are doing better x
You could look into saffron (Life Extension, 2 small capsules daily) ... said to be as effective as fluoxetine, if not more ... try googling "saffron" and "webmd" and you will see compelling reviews from users. I use it myself. Can be used as an adjunct to SSRIs, but always check with pharmacist on contraindications, interactions. Best wishes
HI CAT 68I started on 25mg daily and Ibs is now much improved still have D but now found that is improved by reducing fat intake as I have no gall bladder. good luck and hang in there kind regards.