# Fiber, Probiotics/Prebiotics, Xanax, Imodium, Anti-depressants, Vitamins, Essential Oils, so many different things! What is the purpose of each!



## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

I am a 19 year old IBS-D sufferer and have so far had no real help from Dr.s. I do my best to stay healthy but while trying elimination diets seems to be almost no real significant help I have taken an interest into things like medication and OTC treatment. Currently I take Imodium when I have severe urgent D attacks, Simethicone for when I have bad gas and bloating, I drink peppermint tea everyday just to sort of soothe my gut (thought I don't know if it's actually helping... just seems like there's no harm in drinking it) and I take Citrucel daily (not sure if this is the best thing to be taking but it's the only fiber that says it won't cause gas). For me, when I have a bad day it consists of horrible cramping that comes and goes, urgent D attacks that have me locked inside my apartment, sometimes nausea, bloating and gas and just general horrid discomfort. Due to my elimination of many foods (I eat an extremely bland diet, I probably actually don't eat enough and I have a severe vitamin B-12 deficiency that I am going to be getting shots for) I have managed to make bad days and severe attacks less frequent, though they do still happen even when I think ive eating everything right and done everything right which is very disconcerting. Though, for me there really are no "good" days, just less miserable days. I NEVER have a solid BM and I NEVER have a full evacuation. A "good" day for me would consist of waking up, having a small cup of plain black tea (I actually need this to get things going, or else i'll be waiting around for my bowels to get... evacuating) Within the course of the next few hours i'll usually have 2 or 3 BM's, all loose and small. Sometimes I will just have one BM in the morning and when that happens I know there's more to come throughout the day which gives me anxiety and tension because I know I have to leave my apartment to get on with life. Even on these "good" days when the BM's aren't coupled with horrid pain there is still a sense of urgency, there's only so long you can hold in a loose stool until you have to run to a bathroom which is a big problem when I'm not at home. As for the Citrucel ive been taking... well it's band-aid at best.. maybe a soggy band-aid... lol. It absolutely does nothing to prevent D attacks, when they come they come and they're just as loose and terrible as ever. When I'm not having an attack the Citrucel will SOMETIMES make the BM's a little firmer, but that's it, the amount I pass is the same, never a full evacuation. And I noticed that my BM's are ALWAYS orange... I mean... the Cirtucel IS orange so I guess it could be from that? If not I have no idea what would be causing that. And The slight firmness that the Cirtrucel offers is very gel-like. Sorry to be gross or TMI but even when I wipe it just seems slippery. And what make appear to have some shape just breaks up as soon as the motion from flushing gets moving. It seems like all the Citrucel does it make the D take some shape... but that doesn't change the fact that it's D. Has anyone else has this issue? Now.... my big curiosity is with all these other remedies and medication that I am very scared to try out of fear of them making it worse. Probiotics and Prebiotics.. first what on earth is the difference? Which are better for D? What on earth are they? I know they have something to do with the bacteria in the gut but how could taking something like that help? Which brands tend to help? Could a bacterial imbalance really be the 100% cause for IBS D? Anyone have success with these? Xanax and other Benzos, as a person who suffers with and has a looong history of anxiety problems I know how they can help with panic and anxiety but what about the gut? Do they really slow things down or is it just that less anxiety = less worry about attacks = a more relaxed body so less attacks? Anti-depressents, now I am a person who DOES NOT like taking things like anti-depressents. I tend to prefer natural things oppose to mind altering. HOW do anti-depressents help with IBS-D? Which ones help? I was on Lexapro when I was 16 for depression and anxiety but I can't remember the effect it had on my gut, all I remember is I took myself off of it because it made me feel robotic. Vitamins, like I mentioned I am very deficient in B-12 so I will be getting weekly shots for it... but are there any vitamins that are good for IBS-D? Are there any to avoid that can trigger it? How do they help? And Essential oils such as peppermint... I do drink peppermint tea daily and to be honest I have no idea if it helps... it's just kind of like a safety why-the-hell-not sort of thing. But I hate the taste of it, what about peppermint oil capsules? Are those good? Ive also heard some things about Omegas and Olive oil... can these help? And how? I tend to get bad attacks when I eat high fat greasy food so could certain oils really heal instead of harm? Of and like a mentioned Fiber before... are there any types of fiber that tend to be HIGHLY beneficial without causing disgusting gas? Because citrucel really isn't anything special.


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## dariussohei (May 29, 2012)

oh, this will be fun.ibs and ibd, and all the types, can be caused by or be symptoms of many different issues.the best and most basic way to start the healing process is with an elimination diet, eliminating all of the most common food irritants:alcoholvegetable oils (except for good olive oil and coconut oil)dairywheatgrainsglutenbeansnuts & seedscorncaffeinechocolateeggscruciferous vegetablesrefined/junk foods (cheetos, fried chips, etc)synthetic colors and dyespreservatives and additives such as guar gum, gum acacia, and any "gum"hi-fructose corn syrupfactory-farmed, non-organic animal productsyou eat a real, whole foods diet a la "paleo", "weston price" etc, and substitute any ingredients that are harmful for you. from this point, after 30days of real elimination, you can re-introduce foods and see what happens, one at a time. some foods like gluten, take a while before they clear the system, and ppl can see benefits. some foods are dangerous and take a longer time to cause problems in the system, like polyunsaturated vegetable oils.then, it's a matter of seeing what foods cause you distress, such as foods containing fodmaps.fiber, starches, and complex carbs can cause problems for many ppl with ibs. if raw greens/vegetables cause problems, you can boil them for a while, like collard greens boiled for an hour in butter & water, then strained etc.bamboo shoots in the can, and raw carrots can be good for ibs sufferers due to the antiseptic nature of the plant fibers.as for supplementation, there doesnt seem to be any magic bullets and trying to use supplements to fix a bad diet is a waste of money.get your food choices REALLY dialed in, then look at supplements in a few months.


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## lorainestrat (Oct 17, 2012)

Well when I do seem to feel the start of a flare up I take a xanax and it helps a lot. I find anxiety dairy and spicy anything a trigger. Its weird for me though when I wake up and right before I go to bed is the worst. I've done a lot of diff meds etc at the same time. Just be careful on interactions


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