# plecanatide



## Mary5 (Apr 17, 2006)

Has anyone heard of this new product?And how is this going to be any different than for example Amitiza?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes i've read several articles about it and no, i don't think it sounds much different from amitiza. what i need is a prokinetic --something more like zelnorm (although that particular med never really worked well for me) or prucalopride. not something like amitiza which never worked at all for me--just increased the nausea.


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

annie7 said:


> yes i've read several articles about it and no, i don't think it sounds much different from amitiza. what i need is a prokinetic --something more like zelnorm (although that particular med never really worked well for me) or prucalopride. not something like amitiza which never worked at all for me--just increased the nausea.


I had an interview and a physical exam yesterday that will hopefully qualify me for the plecancatide study. Amitiza did not work for me, so I am skeptical that plecancatide will be any better. I am willing to do an 18 week study to see if it helps. Anyone else participating in a study?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck on the study, sean! please keep us posted if you have the chance--thanks!


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## gastropatient (Jan 4, 2012)

annie7 said:


> what i need is a prokinetic --something more like zelnorm (although that particular med never really worked well for me) or prucalopride. not something like amitiza which never worked at all for me--just increased the nausea.


Have you tried any of these? What were your experiences?MirtazipineDomperidoneAmitriptiline


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## Dreyfuss (Dec 19, 2011)

gastropatient said:


> Have you tried any of these? What were your experiences?MirtazipineDomperidoneAmitriptiline


I was on Mirtazipine (remeron) for quite some time. It is a strange med. It is effective for depression and can be helpful for IBS. Be prepared to gain weight. I have been on many meds that are supposed weight gainers that have not caused me to gain weight. Remeron is a weight exploder. Also causes drowsiness. Prescribed for insomnia. Good luck with it.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

of those three, only tried elavil (amitriptiline). didn't do much of anything for me except make my sleep weird (which i don't need--i have insomnia) and since c is a side effect (i'm c) i'm surprised the doc prescribed it at all. i've also read that c is a side effect for Mirtazipine as well so i def don't plan to try that. i really do want to stay away from antidepressants because of all the side effects and also because of the problems in stopping them--serotonin discontinuation syndrome--although i do know tapering off is supposed to help with that. i guess it's just because i personally know a lot of people who have taken/are taking them and i've heard far too many negative things about them.i was planning to ask my gastro about domperidone at my next appointment.i've always wondered --why is it that so many antidepressants cause weight gain?? sometimes quite large amounts of weight gain. do they alter metabolism in some way??


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## gastropatient (Jan 4, 2012)

annie7 said:


> i've always wondered --why is it that so many antidepressants cause weight gain?? sometimes quite large amounts of weight gain. do they alter metabolism in some way??


I would guess that this has something to do with the fact that serotonin is manufactured in the gut. So more food = more happy. I'm no doctor but the logic seems to follow.


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## Dreyfuss (Dec 19, 2011)

gastropatient said:


> I am C as well (and additionally I suffer from post-viral gastroparesis). I tried Mirtazapine and it did solve my issues. I felt completely normal. However it did give me a new issue, the weight gain and insane food cravings. I was hording chocolate in my nightstand!! I think the biggest problem for me was the dosage. These drugs come in such a high dose! I can't get a tablet smaller than 15mg? Really? Geez ...The drug was very potent for me. I did finally stop taking it and I did experience serotonin discontinuation syndrome. It only lasted a couple days but it was pretty bad despite barely taking it (7.5mg down to 4mg for only a few weeks). I experienced debilitating nausea, all day headaches, tunnel vision, anxiety, and hallucinations (some auditory, some visual). I also take domperidone which is a lovely prokinetic that does not cross the blood brain barrier, hence no central nervous system interaction/side effects. It has helped me a lot. I don't know why the US FDA won't approve it when it is the first line prescription in most other countries for my gastroparesis problem. I might try amitriptiline but before I do that I'm going to talk to my doctor about getting a compounding pharmacy to make me mirtazapine in a lower dose and also discuss Linaclotide a little to see if that might be right for me (I'm in Boston so I might be able to get it).It is good to hear good things about amitriptiline. I read the drug information and it sounded a little scary in the potential side-effects. Not as bad as Reglan, but still a little scary. My first doctor tried to give me Reglan and I said, "oh hell no!!" or something close to that, haha. Sometimes these guys don't really think about what they are getting their patients into.


Mirtazapine is a weird drug. You may want to talk to your doctor about it. The side effects supposedly decrease as the dosage increases. Go figure


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

xextremex said:


> Remeron is a nightmare. It severely changed my lifestyle and I don't see how it could possibly help with IBS. It is known to lead to weight gain, which does make stomach issues worse.Sean, I am also interested in whether you try that study and your results from it. Apparently they are looking at a type of antibiotic to help IBS-D sufferers. We really need something for IBS-C!


I will post if I get accepted for the study.


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