# Could beer help IBS D?



## mb83 (Feb 18, 2014)

34 yr old female. Diagnosed with IBS D about three years ago. Currently not taking any prescriptions for it, just managing it with diet and Imodium for bad days. Typically I've noticed my IBS is worst during the work week. I wake up at 7am and by 8am I've usually had to go at least twice. Very urgent, usually lose. Sometimes diarrhea. On the D days I take an Imodium which usually calms everything down for the rest of the day. My diet during the week is very healthy. Slimfast shake for breakfast at work, banana or apple as a snack, salad for lunch and healthy dinner of fish or venison or chicken with veggies. Weekends I tend to be less careful especially if I don't have to leave the house. Also lately on weekends I've been drinking a few light beers in the evening. I used to drink beer all the time before my symptoms began three years ago, but gave it up completely for a while after my diagnosis. Now I only drink on weekends and special occasions. I've started to notice that my IBS symptoms seem to be less troublesome during weekends when I have beer. This past weekend I went Friday thru Sunday without any issues, despite eating risky foods (buffalo wild wings wrap, hamburger, cake, etc.) Not only was there no D or urgency, but when I did go they were solid and I didn't have to repeat the process several times. Thinking about experimenting this week by drinking a beer or two each night after dinner. Will report back the results.

Has anyone else found that beer has actually improved your IBS?


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## bushja1 (Apr 23, 2003)

I've noticed that a few drinks help. I imagine the alcohol has a calming effect on our guts. Trouble is, I certainly can't drink all day, everyday to manage my symptoms. Trading IBS for Alcoholism doesn't sound like a very good idea. LOL


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## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

Sure you can give it a try and see what it does.

I would not exclude the possibility that you may be less stressed during the weekend however.

I mean stress as an aggravating factor, not root cause.

You seem to eat healthy, but do you drink soda's ?

Sugar/Fat/Carbs can cause bacterial overgrowth / yeast in the intestines and so does beer.

And that can actually be a root cause of IBS.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

Yes, of course it can help

Beer is made with germs...And germs are still present in the beer we drink.


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## ibshasruinedmylife (Feb 26, 2017)

This doesn't help, I can't drink and drive to work.


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## Akn1965 (Jan 13, 2017)

Beer is acidic in nature. It may help ibs-d with person having low stomach acid only for a short period of time.on the other hand it will worsen all symptoms of ibs-d. It can't help ibs-d at all.

Thanks.


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## Eddy010 (Mar 17, 2017)

I drunk to almost every day 1 or 2 bottles beer, after I get sick with antibiotics I stopped drinking so I tested it and drink two of my favourite beer it felt good I was in a good mood with one bottle, the next day nothing happened like pain or cramp on my bowel, the day after I didn't drink, the 3rd day I drunk 1 bottle and the next day I was sick and no lust for eating and I was 1.5 kilos lighter in gain I lost a lot weight, so I didn't do it anymore,.

People say that red wine but I didn't test it because I am afraid


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## cheddacat (Apr 18, 2017)

I feel like IBS has stolen a great deal of my confidence. Since I used a ton of confidence in my job(s), that feels weird and I end up with anxiety. I used to even be an amateur community stage performer and I also traveled a lot for work. I'm really scared to do much of either anymore. Because I feel so unpredictable and when I read others accounts, I don't even think my symptoms are as bad as some warriors out there. Sometimes I reason that one or two drinks eases anxiety when I don't want to take anxiety pills. Decreased anxiety can lead to better bowel function overall despite the irritation that I've read alcohol causes on the intestinal tract. For work, I use Xanax on really bad days (maybe 1-2 times per month) but my doctor gave me Hydroxyzine for light anxiety on work days. If you knew me just a few years ago, you'd be shocked that I would take much of anything for anything and I'm just 42 now. But things change with IBS and they changed for me just after 40. On work days, I do use some anti-anxiety drugs to take the edge off here and there.

I feel like I've had similar days where I drink one beer or even 1-2 glasses of wine and the following BM is actually better than previous alcohol-free days. I have wondered if it isn't that alcohol relaxes us or most of us who drink responsibly. I can't even tell any more if my anxiety causes IBS or if they just share the cycle chicken/egg style...but my doctor did warn me that anxiety makes IBS worse.

But some days I just have the drink and deal with whatever because I like to have a drink before I like pills. I have noticed that when I go completely off alcohol due to IBS issues, I'm always scared to try it again. But when I do go back and add one drink responsibly, the next day is usually good. That said, if I drink every day one or two drinks, then I am back to square one - confused and frustrated with symptoms - so I'm almost ready to go off alcohol and try it once or twice a month. I wish I had more real answers but I'm learning that is not the norm with IBS. Hope some of that helps.


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## Athan (Oct 8, 2015)

Beer is bad for me.

Weiss bier or white beer, I can drink without any problem. It contains a lot of live yeast which, I suppose, has a positive effect.

Excessive alcohol -no matter what- always give me an IBS flare-up.


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## ♧Pandora☆ (Jun 23, 2017)

No not at all & ya all should be careful your ibs don't lead to auto brewery syndrome etc. If ya all think the most worst case of ibs is bad, you certainty dont want abs.

Any specialist that tells you its ok to use alcohol to mask symptoms is not dealing in root causes so you wont ever be able to make you symptom free


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## Liz26 (May 31, 2017)

I thought I was weird, but it seems that im not alone! I also found it weird that if I had a drink one night, the next day my bowels would feel pretty normal and I would go just once to the bathroom. I dont usually drink, I just do it on special ocasions. But yes, it is very strange.


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