Silicol gel

[JulieB5200]

Hi just wondering if anyone has gave this a try and how did you get along with it? I am so fed up of having tummy and bowel pain I ended up scanning the shelves in Boots today to see what’s on offer! I have to say I have just tried one of these liquid sachets and they are absolutely horrible to taste 🤑But hoping they settle my troubled gut. I am unsure why but this past week on top of ibs usual issues I have been getting a burning across my stomach.Any advice appreciated 😊

[Luisa22]

Yes, I have tried Silicol gel. I am really not sure personally what to make of it. I have IBS-D predominantly but sometimes I can swing a bit too far the other way and get slightly constipated for a day or two.

When I got it I decided to use it only for flare ups. So a flare up came, and I took the recommended 15ml. I made the mistake of taking it neat and hated the gloopy wallpaper paste texture! I had no idea you could add a little water (which makes it less unpleasant to take imo.)

Anyway I took 2 doses of it on that day, not three, and the next morning the flare up had died down so when I went to the toilet I was still loose-ish, but couldn't pass much.

I don't know if the silicol gel caused that or not (?) Or maybe the flare had emptied me out.

Another time I took it twice and was constipated the next day, yet passed one tiny soft-ish bm. Similar to what happened the first time I tried it. So felt stopped up all day. But the silicol gel didn't cause a normal bm as I kind of expected it might.

It seemed to have some sort of inhibiting effect perhaps on my bowel movements, but not a particularly firming effect. I haven't completely given up on it but get better results from balancing my diet carefully and from Tormentil herbal tincture when needed.

[Yorkshireterror in reply to Luisa22]

Hi i have been taking silicol gel for a few years for ibs and nausea and could not manage without it. I now only take it once a day about 30 mins before my main meal which i eat at lunch time. It really does not taste too bad, i drink water afterwards, after 25 years of all the typical ibs symptoms it has helped me more than anything else. My problems are caused by having my gall bladder removed which causes BAM and silicol gel really helps with this. Sometimes if i feel nauseas i take an additional dose. For bad pain i take codeine i am careful what i eat, no fat or fruit and not too much veg. Doctors have not been very helpful over the years so i have learnt through my own research and trial and error. I am nervous of travelling especially on any public transport and now retired i do not go out so often as i still worry about urgently needing the toilet. Silicol gel is expensive but best price is online from holland & barrett when it is buy one get one half price and and then can usually get an extra 15 percent off and free delivery. I hope this may be useful as ibs can rule your life, mentally and physically and people without it think it is a minor problem but we know the reality.

[Kitten-whiskers]

Hello Julie,

I do use this regularly, I find it works much better for me if it's diluted with a little water. It doesn't seem to help with my IBS, but more if my stomach feels really sore amd inflamed. I did us it every day to start with for a few weeks but became a little unwell, my theory was that as as it lineds your stomach maybe that affects the nutrition absorbed. So now I only use it as and when my stomach is sore and for that it really does help me

[Devagirl in reply to Kitten-whiskers]

Like you, I use it when my actual stomach feels sore and inflamed. I also use it for nausea. I take it neat and find it really helps.

[Kitten-whiskers in reply to Devagirl]

Does it help with Nausea, I wasn't aware of that. I will give that a try. Thank you

[JulieB5200 in reply to Kitten-whiskers]

oh ok thanks for your response.It definitely calmed my stomach and shifted the burning sensation. I will probably just use it occasionally as you do 👍

[Pollyboo]

Hi Julie, I think I tried this a while ago. I don't think it did much for me.I have tried meny products over the past 20yrs and have just discovered Alflorex, which was recommended on this site. It is the one thing that has seemed to have calmed things down for me. I took it for 5 months stopped for a week and within a couple of days things were not as settled as before. I purchased some more and low and behold after a few days things settled again. It seems that I will take it long term.We are all different with all different symptoms and it just seems to sometimes be trial and error.

Take care Pollyboo

[JulieB5200 in reply to Pollyboo]

That’s interesting,thanks for sharing. I picked up the Alflorex tablets but as they were £30 I opted for the cheaper option 😜.However maybe they’re worth a try. I have tried other probiotics off a website and they didn’t have any effect.

[Pollyboo in reply to JulieB5200]

Hi Julie, Just a thought I have just brought Alflorex on offer from the company who makes them Precision Biotics. The offer is 3 months for the price of 2. I know they are expensive but like yourself have tried other probiotics without any joy. It is a shame that we can't get these on precription.Take care and hope you feel better soon

Pollyboo.

[JulieB5200 in reply to Pollyboo]

Thank you for your thoughtfulness 😊 I might have to just try one bottle to start with and see how I get on 👍

[Sparrow58]

Hi JulieB52hac00. I think quite a lot of us have scanned the shelves of Boots etc when we are hoping to find help for our IBS. I did try Silicol Gel it was ok with the diarrhoea but then made me constipated. I have spent £s on meds for IBS and most end up in the medicine cabinet partly used. But you still keep looking in case you find ''the one''. Let's hope that one day they will discover " the one" and we can all feel better.🤞

[JulieB5200 in reply to Sparrow58]

Yeah we live in hope 😊.I only took one sachet but it definitely had a calming effect on my upper gi but I already have daily constipation so I need to tread carefully with it. I spent a bomb on probiotic tablets which did absolutely nothing so there taking up cupboard space now!