# Can IBS cause stomach ulcers and H.pylori??



## Pitzi (Mar 15, 2003)

I have been wondering about something lately, my full blown IBS started when I was diagnosed with H.pylori, gastric and duodenal ulcers and a high level of acid content in my stomach that was around 14-15 months ago. But if I think about the past 4 years at least, there were signs of IBS well before the gastric ulcers/H.pyloriNow my question is, we know that H.pylori needs a highly acidic environment to thrive, now if IBS causes problems such as acid reflux etc, does this mean that IBS can cause an abnormallly high stomach acid production ?? If the answer is yes, then we can also assume that IBS can cause H.pylori (by raising the acid contents of the stomach) and consequently gastric/duodenal ulcers.I have recently noticed that I am not alone in having had H.pylori/ulcers/IBS so there must be a link in this somewhere, my question is did the IBS cause the H/pylori/ulcers or did the H.pylori/ulcers cause the IBS?? In my case it seems that there were a few tell-tale symptoms of IBS long before the H.pylori/ulcers were apparent


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

Ulcers are not related to IBS.


> quote:we know that H.pylori needs a highly acidic environment to thrive,










It can survive in acid, but it lives in a neutral environment. The stomach is acidic only in the "center". The lining where H. pylori infects is actually neutral.


> quote:now if IBS causes problems such as acid reflux etc,


IBS does *not* cause reflux. That is a separate condition entirely: GERD.


> quote:does this mean that IBS can cause an abnormallly high stomach acid production ?


This is also a separate condition entirely unrelated to IBS.


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## Pitzi (Mar 15, 2003)

Flux, can I ask where do you get this info from?? Of what I have read regarding ulcers and H.pylori is that H.pylori thrives in a highly acidic environment!!Your statement that ulcers and IBS are not related I am sorry to say but does not hold water!! My proper IBS symptoms started when I had ulcers and H.pylori, I am sure that there are other members on this BB that have had the saem problem.Lastly, there must be some kind of connection between upper digestive tract disorders and IBS, I know a lot of people (inc myself) that have GERD and IBS, and it cannot be incidental that both problems appeared simultaneously!!


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## Twocups424 (Mar 26, 2002)

I too started out with stomach syptoms at the very beginning ( 20 years ago when I was on an antibiotic for my complexion) and then things just progressed and progressed from there. Now my main syptoms are Diarrhea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOrrible , watery, gut wrentching diarrhea ( at its worst) at best my IBS is just having several normal bowel movements a day. But if I really watch ( plain food) and take the calcium life is more livable than its been for ages.


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:
> 
> 
> > Of what I have read regarding ulcers and H.pylori is that H.pylori thrives in a highly acidic environment!!
> ...


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## Pitzi (Mar 15, 2003)

Flux, why is it that H2 blockers are used with antibiotics to eradicate H.pylori??


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:why is it that H2 blockers are used with antibiotics to eradicate H.pylori??


H. pylori causes inflammation which interferes the stomach's protecting itself against its own acid. The acid is responsible for actually causing the ulcer damage. If you stop the acid, the stomach will have the chance to heal itself.


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## Pitzi (Mar 15, 2003)

Ok


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## needtheocean (Jun 14, 2003)

Hello, it is possible that you had h. pylori much longer than it was detected. It messes up the whole system but maybe not all at once. Those of you with h. pylori have you tried mastic gum to eradicate it?


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## electric liz (Aug 2, 2003)

I was also diagnosed with IBS D and H-Pylori at the same time. My doctor didn't want to test me for H-Pylori because I had never had an ulcer. She was very shocked when I tested positive for it, and couldn't understand how I had gotten the infection. So...I would definetly agree that the two were connected, at least in my case!!


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## Stace (Sep 20, 2000)

> quote:My doctor didn't want to test me for H-Pylori because I had never had an ulcer. She was very shocked when I tested positive for it, and couldn't understand how I had gotten the infection.


Elizabeth,All I can say is: find a new doctor. It is ridiculous that patients who present with GI problems are not tested for H. Pylori. Just because you never had an ulcer should have nothing to do with whether you are tested for H. Pylori or not. Further, not everyone who is infected with H. Pylori develops ulcers. It also causes gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and other IBS-like symptoms. Untreated, H. Pylori is linked to stomach cancer. So, this bacteria should be one of the FIRST things that is tested for.And as far as her not "understanding" how you contracted it, the discovery of H. Pylori has been relatively recent and they still don't know exactly how it's transmitted. Somehow it gets in the food source. There are theories that houseflies might carry it. The incidence of this bacteria is actually common, so if I were you I'd find a dr. who has a clue. This one certainly is misinformed all the way around about H. Pylori.Also, many of us who have IBS have "post-infective" IBS, meaning it develops after we have been sick with a GI infection. Mine developed after I got sick with a virulent strain of H. Pylori.Stacey


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## electric liz (Aug 2, 2003)

Thanks for the info! I am actually without doctor right now....just moved and finding a GP is really hard. My old doctor did eventually send me to a GI specialist...he tested me for celiac which i didn't have, and sent me on my merry way. I was not a happy camper. This was over 4 years ago and I have been trying to work things out on my own. But i can definetly say that I hated having H Pylori. Especially the antibiotics for it!!!! Is there any way to contract it again???


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## Stace (Sep 20, 2000)

> quote:Is there any way to contract it again???


It can absolutely be contracted again. But more often than that, usually if there's still problems it means that the H. Pylori wasn't eradicated the first time around. It is a very difficult bacteria to eradicate. Plus, there are different strains of H. Pylori, and some are resistant to certain antibiotics, but not others.So what I would do if I were you is get retested (there is a breath test that is much more accurate than the blood test) to make certain that it has truly been eradicated. I was retested 6 weeks after I completed the treatment to verify that it was indeed eradicated (and it was). Yay!!Good luck!!Stacey


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## goodthings (Aug 12, 2013)

Right now I am trying to figure out if I have ulcer(S) or / and ibs. I live in UK where everything is diferent. Here they try to just give you anti biotics or pain killers to paper over the symptoms, you have to push and push for a test or a diagnosis which is precise. But I am reading up and finding out a lot while I wait to see a consultant.


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