IBS and allergies.

[BabblingBrooks]

Anyone else suffering from both ?

I have eczema (well controlled) and rhinitis (not so well controlled) along with IBS.

Both started at a similar time, the latter along with IBS got worse since Covid.

Anyone else have similar experiences ?

[xjrs]

I have non specfic rhinitis, but this started many years prior to my IBS starting. My rhinitis commenced after working in an air-conditioned (closed window) office for the first time. Other people working in the same building complained of the same thing. Ever since then my rhinitis flares up with changes in atmospheric conditions e.g. going from dry indoor environments to wet outside or during changes in temperature. Central heating also doesn't help with it.

[edwangy]

These could be auto-immune reactions, including the IBS

[BabsyWabsy]

Yes, I have year round allergic rhinitis, asthma, both since my forties, and an occasional itchy rash on my back which has coincided with me developing a wheat allergy. I never thought to link them together. Of course my medical team has not joined the dots either, but treat everything as a seperate symptom.

[BabblingBrooks in reply to BabsyWabsy]

Unfortunately they never do join the dots. I’ve read quite a lot about a link with both but mention it to a GP and they look at me funny.

[BabsyWabsy in reply to BabblingBrooks]

I can't help feeling that there was a time when GPs et al looked at the whole person, not just the presenting symptom with a view to getting rid of you as fast as possible. I once had a diagnosis offered before I had even sat down. Rash around my mouth, and was then prescribed a product that was contraindicated for facial use, after 20 minutes consulting the prescribing guide.

[Sallybt]

I have IBS (35 years) and in more recent years SIBO and this year in particular dreadful rhinitis. I'm not sure there is a connection. At the moment I'm being treated for inflamed sinuses. I find saline nasal irrigation very beneficial and steaming, doctor suggested daily, a bit of a palaver but worth it.

[BabblingBrooks in reply to Sallybt]

I use Sterimar nasal spray twice a day, I suffer from bad congestion and post nasal drip all year round. One GP did actually comment about excess mucus and IBS , so I think some do recognise a possible link.

I was advised by a GP to try Fexofenadine for rhinitis, supposedly very good.

[Sallybt in reply to BabblingBrooks]

I too have post nasal drip and bad congestion continuously and I do think there is an excess mucus connection with IBS. I use to use sterimar but now find XClear more effective. I do try to avoid antihistamine as can be tricky when you get older, connections with dementia which I don't want!

[Jayjayvee in reply to Sallybt]

Hi. I personally wouldn't overdo the irrigation. It upsets the natural protective environment in your nose. Are you taking antihistamine? That usually does the trick. Also try not blowing your nose too much, so you don't overstimulate the mucous production. I'm not a doctor but it seems wrong to over clean and possibly over stimulate the mucous system.Best wishes

[BabblingBrooks]

When my daughter was little she ended up having medical tests because every few weeks she became ill with stomach ache and vomiting. All the tests came back negative and they couldn’t work out what was going on.

We moved from one part of Greater Manchester to another around the time and I mentioned it to a new GP.

He came up with a diagnosis that turned out to be absolutely correct.

It was abdominal migraine. She only complained of headache as she got older.

She grew out of them by the time she was a teenager.

Well done that GP.

[Superzob]

Eczema, rhinitis and IBS are all potentially inflammatory responses, so there certainly could be a connection. Probably the only way to find out for sure is to take an anti-histamine. Interestingly, when I went on a cruise earlier this year, I took motion sickness tablets (which are essentially anti-histamines), and I had no noticeable IBS, lung mucous or rhinitis problems during the 5 day trip; it never occurred to me that there might be a connection, so thanks very much for posting!