# Tums as an IBS aid?



## Ray Kinsella (Jul 15, 2010)

So last week, I was having stomach issues. Bad eating + lots of exciting/stressful events on the near horizon. I had some bad days and started feeling really anxious because of my stomach.

I realized my IBS was flaring up so i tried to curb my eating to stomach-friendly foods and was somewhat succesful but then I had some chocolate cake and my stomach started to flip and turn (flutter?) like I was on a never-ending roller coaster. I tried once again to recover but I kept getting that feeling in my stomach as if my stomach was ultra-sensitive and stuffed with adrenaline.Historically, when my IBS got bad, my anxiety matched and it became a vicious circle that had me ending up in my doctor's office begging for anything to help which ultimately turned into Effexor. I'm off meds now.

Finally, after trying a lot of different things, I took a tums and the feeling in my stomach calmed. Since then, I have used Tums to calm my anxious stomach and though it doesn't always fix the problem, it often makes it feel better.

I have some events coming up with early morning wake-ups (4-5am) and my anxiety and stomach issues are through the roof when I wake up in themorning on a regular day, let alone a day with a big event of travel. So I am wondering if popping a Tums in the morning might help as a precautionary measure.

*My questions is whether or not anyone has found Tums helpful for their anxiety or nervous stomach issues?*


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Ray Kinsella,

As I recall, Tums has quite a bit of calcium in it. Calcium can be constipating. Unfortunately for me, it tends to have the opposite effect: I tried taking a calcium supplement back when my IBS-D got bad after my appendectomy, but it just made things worse, and Tums has always had unpredictable effects for me.

I can't remember if you've mentioned whether or not you've had an endoscopy. With the physical sensations that you're having, and with Tums having a beneficial impact, I'm wondering if you have something structural going on fairly high up the chain (duodenal/stomach ulcer, hiatal hernia, etc.). I don't know if those things would respond one way or another to Tums, just wondering if you've had an endoscopy that would detect something like that.

There's so much trial and error with IBS. My suggestion would be to try the Tums in the morning for several days before your early morning commitments; if it tends to help your usual morning symptoms (my symptoms were typically worse first thing in the morning as well, my understanding is that this is because the colon is the most active in the morning), then it's probably reasonable to use it on those days.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Rich

Lifetime wonky gut

3 months SCD

http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com


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## IvyWinter (Jun 1, 2013)

Tums does calm my stomach down. it won't help with D, but when my intestines are tired and sore from too many BMs, tums really make me feel a lot better. 2 usually does the trick.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Quite a few people here use calcium carbonate to control their IBS-D. Usually from supplements, but it is the same thing in tums even if one is labeled an antacid and one a dietary supplement.

There is a pinned topic in the IBS-D forum about calcium.


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## daniellefoto (Sep 3, 2013)

I found taking HCL Betaine helped me if I took it before every meal. This gives you more stomach acid and helps you digest food. I read that taking TUMS eliminated the stomach acid needed to digest food properly.


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## LOOSEGOOSE (Jul 19, 2013)

Hi

I take Tums as a calcium supplement but it has not had any impact on my IBS-D one way or another.


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