# Donnatal vs Levsin?



## Guest (May 26, 2000)

I'm an 8 year sufferer of IBS-C and have tried Levbin (aka Levsin extendtabs) before with little or no luck. I had a pretty good year with infrequent bouts, and then suddently it came back with a vengeance. I saw a new Dr and asked for Levsin sublingual because of a recommendation; but he thought it better I try Donnatal since the Levbin was not very affective. Anyone have input on Donnatal? I've heard some scary things, such as depression and addiction. I just started taking this today...Better yet, can anyone confirm my hopeful theory that sublingual might work better than extentabs for the Levsin?[This message has been edited by ABR (edited 05-26-2000).]


----------



## Guest (May 26, 2000)

I took Levsin SL a few years back for my D type IBS. It does work faster if you find some results from it. Not being a C type I am not aware of your individual painds and struggles? I wonder why the same med could be perscribed for both C and D types?? Is it the cramping you are looking to subside??------------------Here's to pain free days!SandiIBS/D For 20+ years


----------



## ajaketzal (Apr 29, 2000)

i have been on levsin sublingual for about a year now and am also a c type. it worked in the beginging but now, i am prescribed up to 6 a day for it to be affective.Donnatol is a life saver for me, it is the only thing that works to ease my stomach pain. I hope this helps.


----------



## Guest (May 26, 2000)

I have tried Levbid and the levsin sublingual. I am a D type and had absolutely no luck with them. Donnatal helps me very much but you have to be careful when in the heat with it. Your body does not realize how hot you are and you don't sweat as much. I learned that lesson the hard way while doing yard work one day. Just make sure that you drink lots of water and be aware of your actual time in the sun. I did not become addicted nor depressed on the Donnatal. I do find however that if I stick to any one med for any length of time it does not work so I have to kind of rotate them to get relief. A few months on one then the other. Along with the Donnatol, Librax is even more helpful than the Levsin for me. If you are looking for something fast acting such as the sublingual there is a very old therapy that does work but not many doctors prescribe it and it is kind of hard to find. You usually have to go the the mom and pop drug stores to have it made. It is Bella Donna....BUT in a very very low dose and you drop it under your tongue during an attack. If your doctor is not sure how to prescribe it then I would not let hime. My doctor at the time was from Europe and they still used it over there that is why she had the dosage and mixture. If the name Bella Donna scares you then just think about Donnatol...it is a derivative of it also. The drops taste like vanilla extract. Honestly though the pills worked better for me overall they just are not fast acting. Any way I hope this helps. I have tried just about everything and also used to be in pharmaceutical sales so if you want to contact me please feel free to email me anytime.Tracy


----------



## kbaum (Dec 11, 1999)

For me, Levsin never worked for me under the tongue...it prolonged my attacks. I had good luck with both Levsin (taken normally) & Levbid for a few years.Karen


----------



## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

I used Donnatel for a while, and it helped, but after a while stopped working. I'm using Bentyl, which is ok, but not the greatest. I tried to convince my doc to give me Levsin, but she wouldn't. Not that she had anything against it, she just wouldn't.







JeanG


----------



## sheila-061968 (Feb 14, 2000)

My husband was on Donnatal for the first 4 years of his IBS diagnosis, but his body just became used to the donnatal so his Doc prescribed Levsin afterwards..That wasnt effective like the donnatal was..But as you know different prescriptions work differently on others.. I am just informing you on how those meds worked based on my hubby IBS Sheila------------------Before you can make your dreams come true, you must have a dream - unknown


----------



## Clancy Garner (Apr 5, 2000)

It's been a long time, but I think donnatal has some phenobarbital in it.. tried it for a while and it wasn't too effective for me.The we went to Bentyl, which helped a lot, but I had an allegic reaction and broke out in hives.Then Levbid and levsin SL, I use the levsin SL under the tongue when the cramps get bad. But recently we added the lotronex in and the results are much better.


----------



## Guest (May 26, 2000)

To SandiK: As a C person, I suffer mostly from cramping (got any miracle cures for me?), and tend to be irregular although I can also be quite regular when the cramping hits. My Dr described Levbid as an anti-cholergenic (sp?), which relaxes the muscles in your intestine and keeps them from tightening up. From this, I could see how it would be affective for C and D.


----------



## Guest (May 26, 2000)

Thanks for the info everyone...in case you were wondering Day 1 of the Donnatal did nothing for me. I was home by 6:30pm with cramping and slept through the night--which I think may be attributable to the sedative affect. I'm taking the Donnatal ever 8 hrs; is this too much? This was the prescription amount, but I'm wondering if any of you take it more or less frequently?-Alicia


----------

