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what do you take for ibs?

hurtingallthetimet

Senior Member
Messages
612
ive been diagnosed with ibs and reflux, i take antiacid for reflux but nothing prescrption or overcounter for ibs...i hate it but i live with it...i do take phenergan for constant nausea and vomiting..so maybe thats for the ibs and ive forgotten?
tired of the constipation part of it all when i go into that..it gets painful but i take laxatives but afraid ill become dependent on it...
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Hi. I have IBS of mostly the predominant constipation kind but which at times swings the other way due with certain hormonal trigger. Doctors advised nothing at all as far as the IBS goes so I had no help for it till I saw a gastro specialist.

He advised me to take fibre supplements and they have worked very well with regulating things and helping me to go and now when I do take them regularly, I get no issues with the IBS (without them, I can only go to the loo every 5 days). My other specialist advised probotics for it but Im unsure if the probotics did help at all.

You may want to pay consideration to which fibre supplement you try as most have things in them which "may" affect us.. eg watch out for artifical sweeteners. The one I take is Bonvit Psyllium Husk ... natural orange flavour (gluten free). Drink plenty of water when taking it.

*warning. They can stop absorption of other things so dont take your other supplements within 2 hrs of taking fibre supplements

Yes laxatives can cause issues and hence why it is much better to try taking fibre supplements instead.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I forgot to say that I was on prescription pills for reflux (GERD) which did work quite well for that but I ended up finding out that the reflux in my case was being caused by hyperinsulinemia (bloating and GERD are common symptoms of high insulin issues).

I no longer get any reflux at all since treating the hyperinsulinemia by being put on a strict diet for the high insulin levels I had (stricter carb restriction then a diabetic diet).

So anyway... I just wanted to say you may want to look further into the possibilities of why you are getting the reflux as that influences how it may be treated.. (high stomach acid, low stomach acid or another medical condition causing it).
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Look into linseed/flaxseed for constipation. You want the actual seeds as opposed to the oil. Some people like them whole, some people like them ground. If you use them ground, they say you should grind them fresh every day, which is a hassle, although I'm not clear on how far freezing will help with this. Anyway, try two tablespoons of linseed taken with two glasses of water. The water is crucial, because they will swell up in your intestines, and need the water to do this. They act as a bulking agent, and they also develop a mucilaginous coating which helps smooth things along. This is something which it's safe to take long-term.
 

mellster

Marco
Messages
805
Location
San Francisco
It really depends what the underlying issue is. The only IBS drug that mildly worked for me was Pentasa but I think my cramping was more from elevated cytokine levels and less typical IBS. Later I improved a lot on LDN and cytokine-reducing shakes like Gut Feeling Max or Inflammacore. Also Andrographis (super-bitter) tea helped while traditional teas had almost no effect. Oh and acid-reducers didn't work and made it worse, be careful with acid reflux diagnosis, could be as well opposite (low stomach acid) with similar symptoms.
 

Glynis Steele

Senior Member
Messages
404
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne UK
Hi Hurting,

Here are some links regarding IBS. This first one mentions CFS and a probiotic called Align. You need to scroll down to the writing in bold for the relevant bit.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/show...-Antibiotic-Associated-Diarrhea-CFS-mentioned

This news article is written by someone who was told he had IBS but had a Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and talks about reducing carbs to combat this.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/show...Mail-quite-interesting-CF-mentioned-(not-CFS)

Hope your symptoms improve.
 

Waverunner

Senior Member
Messages
1,079
ive been diagnosed with ibs and reflux, i take antiacid for reflux but nothing prescrption or overcounter for ibs...i hate it but i live with it...i do take phenergan for constant nausea and vomiting..so maybe thats for the ibs and ive forgotten?
tired of the constipation part of it all when i go into that..it gets painful but i take laxatives but afraid ill become dependent on it...

Reflux can be related to intolerance reactions to foods. Trying to change your diet could influence your acid reflux. I don't know if antiacids are the right treatment. I read that they only work temporarily. Your body will try to adjust and will produce even more acid. H2 blockers or proton-pump inhibitors are a better treatment. Asthma can be related to acid reflux, too.
 

Ocean

Senior Member
Messages
1,178
Location
U.S.
Certain medications worsen reflux for me. Foods like tomatoes and onions also worsen my reflux. Proton pump inhibitors work well for me but there can be downsides to using them longterm.
 

lookinglass

Senior Member
Messages
115
Location
Tenerife
I had horrendous problems with constipation. Until a doc advised taking Metamucil - one sachet - every day (orange flavour). It has worked. No matter if you have occasional bouts of diarrhea. Although Metamucil is marketed as a laxative, technically it isnt, it actually treats ad prevents diarrhea as well as constipation and is perfectly safe to take on a long term basis.

A brilliant book called "Eating for IBS" by Heather Van Vorous (available on Amazon.com) is a diet for IBS. It even has a section on "What to eat When you Cant Eat Anything"! It got me through the worse of nausea bouts too and she also thoroughly recommends taking Metamucil on a daily basis. Great recipes. Loads of info about IBS and soluble/insoluble foods at the begining.

www.helpforibs.com
 

hurtingallthetimet

Senior Member
Messages
612
thanks everyone for the advice and info....i will look more into the things suggested...i cant afford to go back to gi and it was a very expensive tiring experrinece with the gi doctor anyway...maybe whne im more up to it finacally and physcially i will go back or find another one...
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
I had bad IBS for a few years. All it took for me was Peppermint oil. Years of pain and the old docs. I had didn't know to try it. I have not had it in years.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
thanks everyone for the advice and info....i will look more into the things suggested...i cant afford to go back to gi and it was a very expensive tiring experrinece with the gi doctor anyway...maybe whne im more up to it finacally and physcially i will go back or find another one...

A gi doctor if you do just have IBS can only suggest the things people listed here, fortunately they are things which prescriptions arent needed for.

Do make sure that you arent on anything drugs/supplements which are causing or making your constipations worse. Also make sure you are doing things like drinking lots of water.