I have started to get them more frequently, and they are excruciatingly painful to the extent that I have no choice but to lie down for the rest of the day and hope it somewhat passes by the following day (just for it to come back a couple of days later). Even sitting up can be very uncomfortable!
I take buscopan, mebeverine and peppermint oil capsules but I cannot even be sure that they help me. I will sometimes use codeine if it is very bad.
Can I ask, are you IBS(Diarrhoea) or IBS(Constipation) or maybe (Mixed). It's just that you don't mention being stuck in the toilet for ages but say you need to lie down for the rest of the day. I am wondering if you are getting constipated without realising it and that you need to do something to keep your bowels regular!
Good point, I have IBS-C .
It might be worth thinking about it, not by taking laxatives but eating foods that would help with going to toilet, ie vegetables and fruit, for example. And make sure you drink enough!
I don't see it so much as an either/or but more as an and/both. A lot depends on what kind of laxative you take. There are definitely some real stinkers out there.
I would recommend something that is bulk-forming and osmotic (draws water into the colon). This is a much more natural way to make thing more regular.
One that works particularly well for me is methylcellulose (Citrucil). I take that every day (on gastro's orders). If things still aren't working, my next go-to is Miralax. Both are available over the counter.
Something warm on my lower abdomen can help me when I get cramps. Mine are usually caused by trapped wind though, and ease somewhat after I pass the wind out. Sometimes if I lie flat, I can even see the dratted wind moving along my colon, like a scene from Alien (especially in a bath in the morning.) 
I also do a colon massage. I lie flat with neck supported, do some 'belly breathing', try to relax, and then massage from lower right abdomen, up on the right, across just above the navel, up a bit on the left side, and then down to the sigmoid colon area. That can often help me ease cramps. Not always, but it does help.
Thank you for this, it is definitely something I will try! Do your cramps typically pass in a few hours, how long do they take to pass?
Yes, they usually pass in a short time. Maybe a couple of hours or so. Passing out some wind will help, and going #2. But if you have the C, that's not so easy for you. I understand. But sometimes I've had slight cramps even at bedtime. But when I lie flat I am usually so tired that I start to fall asleep anyway. And I can feel the cramps easing just before I go under. They aren't usually there in the morning but in the morning my lower back hurts a little while after getting up, and is usually relieved again by going #2.
Try Alflorex probiotic, which has been a game changer for my IBS pain. Failing that ask your doctor about Linaclotide which calms intestinal nerves for IBS-C sufferers.
I’ve been meaning to give Alflorex a go, although I’ve never been too optimistic about probiotics. Very happy to hear it is helping you. And I’ve never heard of linaclotide! I’ll take a look. Thanks for your reply!
I've tried many probiotics over the years, but Alflorex worked best for me. It contains a strong strain of good bacteria which is normally passed from the mother to the child during the birth process, which primes the immune system to fight off bugs. It is also only needed in small quantities (1 billion rather than 10-20 billion+ as for many of the latest probiotics) per capsule due to the effectiveness of the strain. I got on terribly with the high dose, multi strain probiotics which can be the case with IBS sufferers.
Just bought 30 capsules of alforex.. Whether it will help with the cramping itself is worth a try!
Good luck with it.
Go for a walk, if you can, or drink Ginger tea ( a ginger tea bag with extra fresh ginger grated in it.) Peppermint tea with extra fresh Peppermint leaves helps too. Also use a wheat bag that you heat up in the microwave, the heat is very soothing. Massaging the abdomen can help move things along.
Hi Dolphin4848,
A friend told me to do all you've suggested. It worked on me for less than a week and I ended up in A&E. It was stupid of me to listen as I'd had Ibs for 27 years at the time. My Ibs is a combination, but mostly diarrhoea with weeks of constipation. I've only stuck to going for a daily walk, massaging my stomach, but now taking Macrogol daily. 😩
Oh poor you, it's horrible. I hope you find some relief soon.
Your cramps are due to the food your eating. If you have IBS I would suggest you stsrt the low Fodmap diet. You may also have become dairy/lactose intolerant. To find out if you are you need to completely cut out all foods thst have milk/lactose and whey powder. Check all ingrddients. Lactosd is in a lot of foofs.Do it for 2 weeks if nothing changes try the Fodmap diet. Cramping can be caused by any fizzy drinks, garlic, onions, fibrous veg like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and porridge oats, seeds, pulses and wholemeal. Fruit can cause problems too. The medications like Mebeverine made my IBS worse because it slows the gut so any irritants in your gut stay there longer. Although many people recommend peppermint oil Research suggests peppermint is not good for IBS as it too can be an irritant. The top three food intolerances are dairy, wheat and yeast. I hope this info helps.
The Fodmap diet didn’t help me at all I tried it, believe me!
Are you dairy intolerant?
No I don’t think so
It does sound like an intolerance. The only suggstion i have is to keep a food diary. Some intolerances are hard to discover especially if you have more than one. I'm dairy, yeast, dextrose and sunflower oil intolerant. Took a long time to discover them.
It could be histamine intolerance…
I’ve never been diagnosed with IBS, however I am constantly trying to keep on top of a likelihood to get constipated. In my 20s I would get debilitating cramps sometimes ending up with vomiting which I think may have also been related to stress/anxiety.
I cannot really help, but just wanted to mention - the one thing looking back that I didn’t really understand, was just how much I need to drink to keep myself moving. And if you start eating extra fruit and fibre you need to drink more again to get it through you, otherwise it bungs you up. I heard the advice but I didn’t properly take it on board.
Every now and again I measure my fluid in take, and I think I function well on 3 litres a day, and that’s what I aim for if I think there is trouble brewing. 2 litres is an absolute minimum for me. I find warm drinks more soothing like green tea or peppermint tea.
I am so sorry you are suffering and hope you feel better soon.
Edit: just to add, I would also use a hot water bottle or wheat bag on the painful area.
I have the same. Hot bottle water helps a lot
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