# Align for IBS-D, and results of being on it for 3 weeks



## nrep

I've had IBS-D for roughly 10 years. After the numerous attempts at treating it (med.s, diet changes, meditation, therapy, etc..) I finally decided to try Align. I had actually tried another probiotic first, something I picked up at Whole Foods. I'll tell you the results of beingo n Align these last few weeks. I don't have the urge to go all day. I don't have cramping. I haven't had diarrhea on a regular basis.However, I tend not to have to go AT ALL. For the first few weeks, I had for the first time in a long, long while, normal consistency bms. It has significantly reduced my IBS attacks, indeed. But what happened to me last week was I that after having 3 days of normal bms, on day 4 of hte week, everything came out and it was an attack. This week: Today is Sunday and I haven't gone since Thursday....not very happy about this.Though I haven't had a bowel movement, I have had an enormous amount of gas that I pass (I say, that I pass, because I general have gas, but can't pass it).I'm wondering if anyone else with IBS-D has had this kind of reaction- not very much movement at all down there, and lots of gas.I'm also wondering if I should start eating more normal diet. Since having IBS-D for so long, I've drastically altered my diet so that I don't eat vegetables (or only rarely), since this would just give me a week of attacks. Perhaps now that I'm not going regularly I need to add these fiber rich foods back into my diet, as they have in the past made things happen (to a fault in the past).


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## RxPlease

Hi - I am on week 2 of taking the ALIGN probiotic for my IBS-D. I have to say I am very happy thus far. I was having 2-3 Episodes of D (cramping and non stop D) often every day. Since taking the ALIGN I had only 1 day of an episode. Further, I have found that if I take the ALIGN in the morning, together with a cup of hot tea containing 2 tablespoons of BENEFIBER, I am set for the entire day. Like I said, I am going on my 2nd week with ALIGN, and this weekend I particpated in a few outdoor activities, something I haven't been able to do in a long while. If I were you, since the ALIGN seems to work with your urgencies, but now is constipating you, I would continue to take the ALIGN; however, take BENEFIBER in the morning (it's clear and tasteless - and dissolves thoroughly with no consistency) - the Benefiber may regulate you so that you do not become constipated. Just a suggestion - hope it works for you ;tends to be working for me. - RxPlease


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## 20960

I have been taking Align for 5 days now I have noticed that at one hour a day i have to go to the restroom and its loose and thin and i have to go back and forth. It hasnt even been a week so im hoping this is just how my body is getting used to it.I have had alot of gas also but thats supposed to be normal. I have ibs D and C so i have noticed alittle constipation but it only bothered me once. If i were you i would stay on it cuz the first few weeks are supposed to be shakey i think. Ill update on how i am and i hope you do the same! Good luck!!!Ill pray it works for all of us on Align!!=]


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## natz9883

I've been taking ALIGN for only 3 days and having the same problem. I feel gasey and full all the time. I don't know if it's because its the first days or if I'll be like that all the time. I usually have BM's 3-4 daily, now I'm lucky if I go once a day since taking it (in the last 3 days.) I like that I don't have an urgency for D everyday, but I also feel like I have to go to the bathroom right now!... and then it's just gas. I'll reply again in a week or so and let you know if I still have these problems.


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## NHow

I've been taking Align for 2 weeks. I had been taking one imodium every other night and one packet of Questran on the alternate nights. It pretty much kept my D under control, although there were some bad days. Mornings after breakfast have always been the worst time, with cramping and several bm's, usually resolving after noon for the rest of the day.I stopped taking imodium and questran when I started Align. For the first two days I was constipated (but this may have been residual imodium in my system). On day 3 I had a perfectly formed and 'normal' bm (first in about 8 years). I thought I was 'cured' but then from day 4 onward I started having somewhat formed but loose bm's, usually 2 a day in the morning, accompanied by mild cramping and gas (not too bad most days). Last night I took questran for the first time in two weeks because I'd had an evening episode of D and my digestive tract felt raw. I thought it might be excess bile (I had my gall bladder removed about 5 years ago). This morning I had 2 loose bms, then in mid-morning, I suddenly had great urgency and barely made it to the loo (on the run). I had one episode of explosive D (cramping for about an hour beforehand). It was like the worst episodes from the past. Everything calmed down in the afternoon and evening but I took another dose of questran at dinnertime. I don't want to go back on imodium because then I won't know if Align is working or not. But I may need to as we are going on a 3 week trip in March and I don't dare be without it when my system is going through so much.I'll keep going with Align for at least 2 months because I'm hoping it will finally work...but it isn't feeling too wonderful right now....it's really expensive because I live in the UK and need to pay a lot for shipping. Is Florastor available in the UK?


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## diogenes

I also had some constipation with align. I have IBS D by frequency, but that includes some hard stools. Strangley I have found over the years that although I am D predominant, it is very easy to become constipated. If I were to take imodium for example, I might not go for a week. So when I tried align, at first I wouldn't go for a while, and then when I did go everything would come out at once.


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## NHow

diogenes said:


> I also had some constipation with align. I have IBS D by frequency, but that includes some hard stools. Strangley I have found over the years that although I am D predominant, it is very easy to become constipated. If I were to take imodium for example, I might not go for a week. So when I tried align, at first I wouldn't go for a while, and then when I did go everything would come out at once.


How long have you been or were you on Align? If you stayed on it, did things change? Have you become more regular?


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## NHow

Well, it's 2 1/2 weeks on Align...had the big D for the past 3 days. So bad today I caved and took an imodium. Stopped it in its tracks. I just can't live my life having bad D every day. So, I guess I'll continue on the Align but have to go back on the green tablets as well. Not sure how I'll be able to figure out what, if any, effect the probiotic is having. Has anybody else had this experience? Bad D while in the first few weeks on Align? If yes, did things ever get better? Is there a problem taking imodium and Align? How to tell if Align works if you take them both?Feeling discouraged....


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## diogenes

NHow said:


> How long have you been or were you on Align? If you stayed on it, did things change? Have you become more regular?


I took it for a month, and as I recall I slowly went back to baseline over that month, so I stopped taking it. It did make my stools more formed in the beginning, and my stools definitely got much darker too (usually they are light colored). So basically they looked more "normal" to me. It seems like most probiotics work the same way for me; they create darker more formed stools when I first start taking them then that slowly goes away over a few months. This currently is happening to me with Digestive Advantage. I have found though that if you take a long break from the probiotic you can use it again and it works again, so I think I might try just cycling a few different ones. I have found Digestive Advantage to be just as good as the other probiotics and its a lot cheaper than Align.


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## NHow

Diogenes,Thanks for the detail. That's very helpful. Possibly I'm having a similar experience. It started out well...better formed bm's and perhaps a bit darker. But that didn't last more than a few days, then it started going back to D...about 2 1/2 weeks it got so bad, cramping and Big D, that I started taking imodium again. I was still taking Align too. Yesterday (3 weeks on Align) I had the worst D I've ever had. It was like taking an enema!! Projectile D where it felt like the contents of my entire digestive tract was violently expelled after a large 'plug' came out (probably formed by the imodium I'd taken 2 days earlier). At that point I decided I would stop the Align, at least for now. We're going on a trip for a few weeks and it just wouldn't be possible with this situation... We live in the UK (where they don't sell Align). I had bought a package of 28 from eBay and had it shipped here. I also bought about a year's supply to be shipped to me at my family's house in the US (where we will be visiting). Now I'm feeling like it was a big waste of money. I'll bring it home with me and probably try it again but I must say I'm skeptical. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience in first few weeks of taking Align but then had success after taking it for a longer time. I gather there's a medication called Ramosetron that's similar to Lotronex (only safer) that's only sold in Japan and works well for those of us with this kind of IBS-D. Because of the problems some people had with Lotronex, both the EU (including the UK) and USA turned it down. Sad if this is the only good solution for all of us.Again, thanks very much for taking the time to share you experience with Align.


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## NHow

Back from 2 1/2 weeks in the US. I stopped taking Align when on holiday. However, although I took Imodium nearly every day I had bad D for quite a few days, particularly in New Orleans where I indulged in some very rich food. I also had some generic Questran which was hard to swallow and didn't work. Now back home and able to control my diet. I had bad runs the first day home (after 12 hours on a plane). Since then everything's quietened down and I'm a bit constipated. I've started taking Align again (one every other day). Too soon to say what result. I used to take Questran at bedtime and realise that time worked better than taking it before dinner (I had changed the time because I also take thyroid meds and they interact badly). So, starting today I'm switching the times (thyroxin before dinner and Questran at bedtime). One other thing I'm trying is a hypnotic CD to calm tummy and intestines, a program specific for IBS. Too soon to see if any of these changes will affect my IBS D. Fingers and toes crossed! To be continued....


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## Snow

I have been on align for 6 months now. Before the Align I had Soft / loose BM in the morning and everytime I ate something. At least 2-3 times a day of soft / loose stool.After starting the align I now only go to the bathroom once in the morning, as soon as I wake up. After I move my bowels in the morning, I don't have any more BM for the rest of the day.


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## xray66

I took it for a few weeks. Also tried that other one that comes in the green box. Things changed a little but it certainly didn't make me normal. Just different. So I stopped. Honestly, I question a lot of the reviews for stuff like that on shopping sites. If you look on A, there's tons of people that said it cured them. Seems unusually positive to me, but I don't know. When you have true digestive problems, I would seriously be surprised if one over the counter pill cures all your problems. It would have been nice if it happened, but I wasn't holding my breath.


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## NHow

xray66 said:


> I took it for a few weeks. Also tried that other one that comes in the green box. Things changed a little but it certainly didn't make me normal. Just different. So I stopped. Honestly, I question a lot of the reviews for stuff like that on shopping sites. If you look on A, there's tons of people that said it cured them. Seems unusually positive to me, but I don't know. When you have true digestive problems, I would seriously be surprised if one over the counter pill cures all your problems. It would have been nice if it happened, but I wasn't holding my breath.


 I quite agree (sadly). I've searched for a cure for 11 years. For a while Questran helped. But ultimately only Imodium controls it (and not always 100%). I've tried everything that others have recommended (except for Lotronex...looked a bit risky). I have no idea what caused it but hope somebody really does come up with, if not a cure, then a really effective control.


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## xray66

I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I'm thinking it might be some weird mind-body thing. Just something going goofy with how your mind controls your system. I was eating last night... Same stuff I've eaten with no problem many times before. I had it cross my mind a couple times while I was eating, like... 'Hmm... I think I might have an issue after this tonight'. Sure enough, two hours later, right back out again. It's just some weird trigger. I literally had very little warning. One minute I'm fine, then blam. Totally bizarre.I'm wondering if anybody has noticed any difference with more mind altering stuff, like marijuana? I don't partake really, so just curious. I was on aspirin quite a bit the other week, and I had the first normal few days I've had in a very long time. I have to think there's a connection.


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## pete2674

I agree with you xray66 it gotta be a mind thing. I had IBS for about 5 years C/D and it all started when I started having anxiety problems and stress.


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