# Alcohol and IBS-D



## dufusmatt (Jun 18, 2013)

Hi peeps,

So it seems there is a well known link between alcohol and diarrhea, specifically in that alcohol can cause diarrhea. However I've noticed that whenever I have a couple of drinks (specifically, gin & tonic) the next day I am completely diarrhea free! I have mentioned this to my GI consultant but he does not have a clue. Sadly, I don't think I can live on gin as it seems to mess up my stomach, and not having diarrhea gives me pretty bad fatigue.

The only explanation I can come up with is that maybe the alcohol has an antispasmodic effect, or perhaps it dehydrates me.

I was wondering if anyone else has this response from alcohol?


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## Nina Pichler (Jun 11, 2013)

I feel it does this to me to. It defiantly makes me feel better but that could be because it makes it so I don't feel the pain...


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## BeeRitt (Jan 21, 2011)

wow, you are lucky. Alcohol does the complete opposite for me. Makes me go more. Good luck on your journey.


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## JuliannaCol (Jan 1, 2013)

Matt Carr said:


> Hi peeps,
> 
> So it seems there is a well known link between alcohol and diarrhea, specifically in that alcohol can cause diarrhea. However I've noticed that whenever I have a couple of drinks (specifically, gin & tonic) the next day I am completely diarrhea free! I have mentioned this to my GI consultant but he does not have a clue. Sadly, I don't think I can live on gin as it seems to mess up my stomach, and not having diarrhea gives me pretty bad fatigue.
> 
> ...


Interesting post!

To be honest, I truly envy you! I've been craving some drinks later but it sure would be a trip to the ER. At this point, I don't even think of alcohol as an option.. Is it mostly gin and tonic, or is it in general the alcohol consumption? If it is in fact alcohol it would be really really odd.. Well,everyone has a very different reaction to food and beverages in general, right? I just read about the famous FODMAP diet everyone mentions in the forums, and I found that not everything listed as acceptable would be "acceptable" for me; so could the gin (made from juniper berries) have some good effects on your ibs? I read that it has been used as medicine for a while now, and I remember a doctor telling me that everytime I felt bloated, i should buy some tonic water and that would release the gases guilty of the bloating problem. Not sure I would give such treatment a shot, I'm too afraid of drinking alcohol these days...


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## dufusmatt (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks for the responses! Yes it is very weird. Although it's not a perfect fix, sometimes if I have too much gin it has the opposite effect, so I've found one or two drinks now and again helps. I really don't know why though. I doubt there is much goodness in the tonic water as it's mostly sugar. I haven't tested it with other alcohols so I will do some experiments and report back!

I think I've have tried everything and anything, with little success. I did the FODMAP diet for 3 months, with no benefits whatsoever. Probiotics (VSL#3) don't really do much, although if I take antibiotics immediately followed by VSL, I am able to get a couple of weeks with no diarrhoea. But sadly that makes me worse as a lack of diarrhoea gives me terrible fatigue, some days I can barely get up the stairs or walk my dog. Good luck everyone!


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## rockingirl (Jan 10, 2008)

It helps me. I'm not as anxious, which can give me D, and when my stomach is killing me it masks the pain.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

Red wine is good for my D, this is clear. 'Pure' alcohol itself I don't know (because of GERD).


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## IvyWinter (Jun 1, 2013)

Beer is the thing that causes a flare up. Even before my IBS days, too much beer caused D...and it does for my friends too. It's all about the yeast and all that. I'm pretty solid in white wine and so far, clear liquors. I actually do just great when drunk, possibly because im feeling good and not thinking about it!


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## quarky (Jun 15, 2011)

My mother swears by gin and tonic to calm an upset stomach. She says the alcohol "kills off" any tummy bugs, although I'm not sure how true that is and it's not really relevant to IBS which isn't generally due to an infection. Apparently quinine in tonic water is an anti-cramping agent, although diarrhea is listed as a side effect if you take it in large doses. I think maybe she just likes having an excuse to drink it 

Personally, I've found that more than a small glass of any alcohol makes my stomach feel pretty awful the next day. Apart from the odd sip here and there, I'm entirely teetotal. I suppose the psychological effects of being tipsy could help IBS, but I'm scared to try adding alcohol back in.


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## Bet Sobon (Jul 2, 2013)

Like food, different types of alcohol have different ingredients that can different effects. Gin is made from juniper berries, so perhaps there is some quality in juniper berries that is good for you. I could never drink gin, it always bothered me, even one sip. Vodka is my drink of choice for hard alcohol, but I don't drink it that often. Red wine, if I do one glass, I'm ok. anything more and it causes a problem.


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## Emma1989 (Apr 12, 2013)

Alcohol has never been a trigger for me. I often drink cider, beer and odd occasion wine, never had issues.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

When I drank Alcohol,I drink very little at the moment,I used to enjoy improved symptoms also and mentioned this on these boards in the past. I have no idea why but maybe it acts a little bit like an opoid and numbs the pain and associated symptoms?

I use codeine with reasonable effect since stopping alcohol so maybe there are some similarities?


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