I have come across a product developed by a GI doctor called "Get Relief Rx." Is a "compounded" formula which combines famotidine with cetirizine (H2 and H1 histamine blockers). It purports to help with IBS-D symptoms, due to inflammation, which in turn is caused by histamine. Has anyone tried this product?
Thank you.
Hi. I haven’t heard about that particular product, but am aware that both types of medication have been used in IBS. Another Antihistamine, Ebastine, has been shown to be effective in some studies, to reduce abdominal pain and diarrhoea among sufferers. I think it’s worth a try if you have pain and diarrhoea. You might also try Enterosgel which was developed as an adsorbent agent to help people reduce their post-invective diarrhoea symptoms, but has shown to help IBS- D sufferers.
For my part, who suffers with post-viral IBS-C, I came across a product very recently called Gelsectan which has been shown to be very successful at reducing pain and diarrhoea symptoms in IBS-D sufferers through its purported ability as a prebiotic, as well as having the ability to repair the visceral lining of the gut. It’s accompanied by some seriously impressive , proper clinical studies which have corroborated the claims of its manufacturers. My problem is one of sigmoid colon hypersensitivity, confirmed at colonoscopy nine years ago, so something like Gelsectan might prove effective. The only downside is its cost. £100 for a month’s treatment at the full treatment dose of 2 caps twice daily, but the treatment is suggested for one month only. I await my order.
Finally, you might try Ferrocalm, a very novel probiotic, but you should be careful because it can be problematic if you’re histamine sensitive, as streptococcus thermophilus is one which does release histamine. It goes without saying, though, that Alflorex, another probiotic,is a must if you haven’t tried a probiotic yet.
Good luck!
Michael
If you look at my post of a few days ago here, I posted a link with regard to the clinical studies supporting Gelsectan.
I neglected to mention a product called Juvia, available in the UK, which is a mixture of digestive enzymes develop by a Cambridge scientist, Professor Hunter. You might just Google the product. It’s designed to help IBS sufferers with malfermentation, and he has a book which will identify your particular IBS type. Again, shown in clinical trials to be potentially effective.
I think that, in the final analysis, you have to try everything that has been shown with clinical studies to be potentially effective, since IBS is a condition of multifactorial cause, and really no specific aetiology has been established. This approach should be combined with dietary manipulations, such as a low FODMAP diet, and gluten and dairy products exclusion, and the use of a proven probiotic, like Alflorex. Some patients find that allopathic treatments can help- I didn’t, apart from Peppermint oil capsules. Motility controlling agents, usually prescribed by a specialist, may be helpful. It’s also important to exclude coeliac disease, and any other possible cause if one’s symptoms present over the age of 40 years.
Thank you, Aegis52, for taking the time to reply with such detail. I just recently read about Gelsectan myself. I have been working to find some significant relief for over 20 years now, and like many others, have tried all kinds of products, medications, hypnosis, psychotherapy, etc., but for me, the mystery continues. I don't react well to prebiotics, probiotics, or digestive enzymes. I used to have some success with a first generation H-1 blocker, Tavist (clemastine furmate), but it is off the market here in the US. I may try Benadryl, which is similar, and some folks testify to its efficacy for them. I also am awaiting the removal of a small bowel non-cancerous polyp which was discovered by CT scan this past fall. It is possible that this polyp may be a cause of my symptoms.
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IBS, SIBO, Histamine 
