# IBS or Habba Syndrome?



## hr2help (Jul 20, 2007)

If you haven't heard about Habba Syndrome yet look it up!! You may actually have Habba Syndrome! It's a gall bladder/bile acid problem that causes diarrhea and it is treated by taking cholestymine before eating. I'm very excited to try it!


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## kitkat17 Lady of the Loo (Jul 21, 2005)

some of the members on here have tried taking Questran for IBS-D. SOme was getting good results. I am going to talk to my Dr about it next time I am in there. I do not have high cholesrtol BUT I will try just about anyhting to get rid of thie D all the time.


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

This is basically what I have had since having my gall bladder removed in 1976. I have been able to control this kind of diarrhea by taking a calcium carbonate supplement with my meals and it helps give a more solid BM and slows down the urge to run to the bathroom as soon as you eat something. Questran can help with this but it sometimes is difficult to take and causes bloating and gas and cramps in some people. You also need to have you liver checked from time to time when you are on this medication. Taking Calcium is something we need more of usually and if taken right can relieve the same problem of the bile acid diarrhea.It can also help even if you have not had your gall bladder removed with diarrhea.Linda


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## sunspot19 (Aug 31, 2007)

I am a 39 year old male and I have been suffering from IBS-D for the past year without any relief in site. Most generally diarrhea comes right after a meal and rarely though during the evening meal unless i have really eaten a massive amount of food (which I try to stay away from).I have no pain in my abdominal region - just the immediate need to go to the restroom. I also have my gall bladder.They tried amitriptyline on me for a short time but this didn't have any helpful results other than making me super groggy. Instead for the moment I am trying to limit my diet and have lots of soluble fiber, but this doesn't quite seem to help either.Linda, have also tried the calcium approach and though for a day I thought it was working, quickly I realized it doesn't seem to really stop the symptoms. I am still religiously taking the calcium (the one you recommended) but also more because I am no longer eating any milk related products and concerned about getting a healthy diet of calcium. I have been on the calcium regimen for about 1 month.I have now read a bunch of things about Habba Syndrome and am certain the symptoms they describe match me almost exactly. Just wonder if, Linda, you are right that calcium is an easy substitute, whether it just doesn't even make sense for me to try Questran with my doctor...Has anybody actually used Questran, found it solved their issues, but otherwise found calcium did not work?Thanks


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## Vamplady (May 10, 2003)

Long time Questran user and YES its saved my life!If I don't take this stuff I live on the thrown and I am miserable.YES I have tried the calcium but due to getting two kidney stones and having to have surgery to remove one I was strongly urged not to take the supplements anymore as mine tested positive for calcium oxilates. I know people will argue that my bones will go bad and I should be taking it and that it doesn't cause kidney stones but I am following my docs advise and its been 3+ years without stones. I still eat dairy products so I get my vitamins through food.The Questran I started taking was three years after gallbladder removal. I was stuck at home and had to have colonoscopy that found nothing wrong. They then determined it was nerves and gallbladder removal and started me on this medicine. This medicine is for cholesterol control and binds to the bile. This is why it helps. Binds to it and is removed through BM's. Doesn't get in your blood stream.I take one scoop daily before bed and it keeps me from having diarrhea. I get up and go pretty normal in the morning 2-3 times and I am done for the day. If I am having a bad time then I up my dose to maybe two a day for a while but I get constipated if I take too much.It does cause some heartburn and gas but I take it at night so I am not bothered during the day.I would definitely talk with your physician and ask if this medication is right for you. If you get the big can of the generic it only costs about $20 a month. Not too expensive to have a life. I don't worry about bathrooms anymore.Good Luck!Vamplady


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## 19506 (Oct 7, 2006)

I took it for awhile after gall bladder removal. It did solidify the stool. However it also caused terrible cramps and bleeding hemis that got so bad that I stopped taking it. Check out this info:www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR601905


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## Trinilady (Mar 17, 2009)

I am freaking out because for the first time in 35 years, I am functional. Really functional; not just “for the moment functional” . No bathroom mapping needed. No worrying about every flippin’ morsel I put in my mouth, or every drop I drink.I have been working to curb anxiety and have been trying all sorts of dietary modifications and IBS medicines for 34 years. I have been fighting and struggling with what I thought was IBS and panic syndrome since I was 15. I don’t have to list all the doctors, tests and medications, because if you are at this site, you have been there, too.Now, at age 48, I finally have the correct diagnosis and it isn’t IBS! It is a recently identified gallbladder problem called “Habba Syndrome”. From my very first dose of cholestyramine, (Questran), I felt a new sensation after eating. I felt… settled. I felt normal. I felt no need to do preemptive trips to the bathroom. I have been on the med for a month now, and have done so many things I couldn't do before, like drive for 2 hours to pick my daughter up at the airport with NO pit-stops and little anxiety, watched movies from start to finish, taken a 4 day spring break car trip, eaten steak at a restaurant, shopped, walked after eating, soaked at a hots prings, and have begun taking off for the store on a moments notice. Life is changing.If you think you might have Habba Syndrome, and talk to your doctor. Relief could be in the cards for you, too. I feel sad thinking of all the years I spent worrying, and suffering and feeling like this was a character flaw. Go find out and feel better again. I feel like this diagnosis is a miracle.


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Hi.I had my Gallbladder out 29 years ago, and I was diagnosed with IBS only 9 years ago. I am IBS-D. I take questran, 1 sachet before dinner and 1 sachet before tea. This is the second time of taking it, as it had no effect the first time and i dont think its doing much good now. I dont think mine is habba though


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