# Citrucel - Miracle IBS Cure



## KailuaBeach (Feb 14, 2012)

I tried everything to get rid of IBS-D, and I really mean everything. It was not until I started on Citrucel that my IBS was over.A couple tips to make sure it works for you. I also got off my trigger foods, such as gluten. Now that I use Citricel I can again enjoy pizza, Gluten Free Dominos, and I enjoy cheddar cheese too. I have also added nuts, fruits, beans, and a lot of vegetables back into my diet without any issues.DON’T TAKE METAMUCIL. For a long time I tried Metamucil and once I got on Citrucel I realized Metamucil was part of the problem, not the solution. For my situation Metamucil made me feel bloated and sped up transit times, not what one wants for IBS-D.I take Citrucel 3 times a day. Before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take 2 heaping table spoons in one full glass of water. Yes, I know that is more than the dosage on the label but it works great for me and does not take me over my recommended daily fiber intake. I take the one with sugar in it, not the sugar free which I have heard could be an issue for some people.If I am in between meals and very hungry, I eat something that is soluble fiber. I also try not to get too hungry by eating some soluble fiber snacks between meals.Now I am regular in the morning, and feel good all day and night.Please ask me any questions you have. I am hoping this review will help others.


----------



## HelenPayne (Aug 20, 2012)

There are also many free clinical studys that you can join, if you are unsure about payment for these wondercures! I've recently signed up with SPRIM in San Francisco! they offer free medical attention as well as payment and reimbusement for your time. I'm really excited about starting the study and if anyone else is interested and lives in the area i'd be happy to share their contact info!!


----------



## Owen Kellogg (Aug 13, 2012)

I'll try it out. Been taking Metamucil for several months now, and it seems to work - although it causes some bloating.


----------



## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

I've been researching different types of fiber lately to try and determine what would be best for what seems like diarrhea-predominant IBSmost of the time but I can also have occasional constipation and often it starts out as slight constipation but quickly becomes more like diarrhea. There are many fibers to choose from- guar gum, inulin, cellulose, psyllium, and methylcellulose which only seems to be available as Citrucel. I tried Citrucel once many years ago and remember having a very bad increase in diarrhea. I had wondered if it could be due to the sweetening- regular or artificial. Apparently, Citrucel did have a plain 'Clear Mix' version for awhile but it is no longer available. I thought that maybe cellulose would be a good substitute but I see that that is actually a totally insoluble fiber. I have also come across some combination formulas that incorporate both soluble and insoluble fiber and read where one patient tried combining different ones to find the right balance.I'm still interested in trying some type of fiber again, especially since going gluten and mostly grain-free. A doctor I saw recently thought that my diarrhea was really constipation and my body was merely reacting to that by trying to push things out. I'm not sure that that is the case but I guess I could consider it. But there is no way I will take laxatives like Milk of Magnesia or Miralax as she suggested as I'd definitely be tied to the house in that case! I also can't take anything with FOS and know that inulin would not be a good choice for me.Interesting about the Citrucel endorsement. A poster by the name of Brynn gave the exact same endorsement word-for-word on another IBS site! Which is OK but just seemed odd in that it was like a duplicate post.


----------



## KailuaBeach (Feb 14, 2012)

AIRPLANE said:


> I've been researching different types of fiber lately to try and determine what would be best for what seems like diarrhea-predominant IBSmost of the time but I can also have occasional constipation and often it starts out as slight constipation but quickly becomes more like diarrhea. There are many fibers to choose from- guar gum, inulin, cellulose, psyllium, and methylcellulose which only seems to be available as Citrucel. I tried Citrucel once many years ago and remember having a very bad increase in diarrhea. I had wondered if it could be due to the sweetening- regular or artificial. Apparently, Citrucel did have a plain 'Clear Mix' version for awhile but it is no longer available. I thought that maybe cellulose would be a good substitute but I see that that is actually a totally insoluble fiber. I have also come across some combination formulas that incorporate both soluble and insoluble fiber and read where one patient tried combining different ones to find the right balance.I'm still interested in trying some type of fiber again, especially since going gluten and mostly grain-free. A doctor I saw recently thought that my diarrhea was really constipation and my body was merely reacting to that by trying to push things out. I'm not sure that that is the case but I guess I could consider it. But there is no way I will take laxatives like Milk of Magnesia or Miralax as she suggested as I'd definitely be tied to the house in that case! I also can't take anything with FOS and know that inulin would not be a good choice for me.Interesting about the Citrucel endorsement. A poster by the name of Brynn gave the exact same endorsement word-for-word on another IBS site! Which is OK but just seemed odd in that it was like a duplicate post.


That other post was me. I am pretty excited that I finally found something that works and I posted it on 3 different sites so more people can read it. I tried a couple other fibers too over the years with no good outcomes, so I believe Citrucel is a better fiber for IBD-D.


----------



## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

KailuaBeach said:


> I tried a couple other fibers too over the years with no good outcomes, so I believe Citrucel is a better fiber for IBD-D.


Did you have to go through a 'break-in' period where your body had to adjust to the Citrucel before obtaining consistent results? Also, how long has this been working for you? Do you ever need to take Imodium? Also, do you drink the recommended amount of water when you take it? I've often wondered if those of us with D should drink as much water with fiber supplements as those with C probably should.I know that my sister used Citrucel (not sure if she still takes it) for her issues which might have been more about constipation and/or 'irregularity'-i.e., not going often enough. She said that it took about a year of using Citrucel and then whatever problem she was having just went away.I have used psyllium on occasion but not long or consistently enough to know if it would work as I know that fiber therapy (or any new diet/supplement approach in general) can take time to see long-term results. Plus the fact that I'm consuming fewer carbs in general might have an effect as far as fiber goes since I obviously will no longer be getting much of it from grains as my current plan includes not eating any wheat and way less starch and carbs in general. Otherwise, as a non-meat and poultry eater, things like whole grains and potatoes have been a big part of my diet for a long time.I just read a couple of pretty convincing books that explained why things like gluten and so-called 'healthy whole grains' may not be as good for us as was once thought- besides things like IBS, there is way too much diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol going on which by eating 'healthy whole grains' were supposedly going to become less common. I will eat fish, eggs and aged cheese but no regular dairy, using almond or rice milk instead. I did try the Dominoes gluten-free pizza recently and really enjoyed it.I am considering using Citrucel again as it was many years ago when I tried it and back then I had so much pain and spasms that nothing could touch it. I have since learned that I have a lot of adhesions which also indicates that I had a lot of inflammation going on- just not 'inside' the colon where it could be seen with a scope. I currently take a pain med that helps with the pain but I still get a lot of very loose, 'D-type' movements so the pain med I'm on isn't the type that slows things down a lot. I do take some Imodium liquid as needed- usually only when I'm at work- but want to avoid that as much as possible as it can work too well and as much as I dislike having IBS-D the thought of slowing things down too much doesn't sound good or healthy either.I just wish that Citrucel (methylcellulose) was available in a plain, unsweetened version as I don't really like the idea of taking either regular or artificial sweetener at the same time as taking the fiber because both can be an irritant and I figure that the fiber will only distrubute the sugar everywhere it goes. I also don't know if having the orange flavor means that it has any similarities to orange or other citrus juice which I absolutely have to avoid. My guess is that the 'Clear Mix' version that they used to have didn't sell well enough so they discontinued it. And there is apparently no other brand of methylcellulose available. I did just come across some caplets that were Walgreens brand-simply called fiber therapy which contained methylcellulose- that sounded like they didn't have any added flavors or sweeteners although when I checked various online stores they said the product was no longer available so it might be on its way out. Plus, I prefer the powder where I can control the dosage more. I'm glad it is helping you and hope that it will continue to give you great results!


----------



## KailuaBeach (Feb 14, 2012)

AIRPLANE said:


> Did you have to go through a 'break-in' period where your body had to adjust to the Citrucel before obtaining consistent results? Also, how long has this been working for you? Do you ever need to take Imodium? Also, do you drink the recommended amount of water when you take it? I've often wondered if those of us with D should drink as much water with fiber supplements as those with C probably should.I know that my sister used Citrucel (not sure if she still takes it) for her issues which might have been more about constipation and/or 'irregularity'-i.e., not going often enough. She said that it took about a year of using Citrucel and then whatever problem she was having just went away.I have used psyllium on occasion but not long or consistently enough to know if it would work as I know that fiber therapy (or any new diet/supplement approach in general) can take time to see long-term results. Plus the fact that I'm consuming fewer carbs in general might have an effect as far as fiber goes since I obviously will no longer be getting much of it from grains as my current plan includes not eating any wheat and way less starch and carbs in general. Otherwise, as a non-meat and poultry eater, things like whole grains and potatoes have been a big part of my diet for a long time.I just read a couple of pretty convincing books that explained why things like gluten and so-called 'healthy whole grains' may not be as good for us as was once thought- besides things like IBS, there is way too much diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol going on which by eating 'healthy whole grains' were supposedly going to become less common. I will eat fish, eggs and aged cheese but no regular dairy, using almond or rice milk instead. I did try the Dominoes gluten-free pizza recently and really enjoyed it.I am considering using Citrucel again as it was many years ago when I tried it and back then I had so much pain and spasms that nothing could touch it. I have since learned that I have a lot of adhesions which also indicates that I had a lot of inflammation going on- just not 'inside' the colon where it could be seen with a scope. I currently take a pain med that helps with the pain but I still get a lot of very loose, 'D-type' movements so the pain med I'm on isn't the type that slows things down a lot. I do take some Imodium liquid as needed- usually only when I'm at work- but want to avoid that as much as possible as it can work too well and as much as I dislike having IBS-D the thought of slowing things down too much doesn't sound good or healthy either.I just wish that Citrucel (methylcellulose) was available in a plain, unsweetened version as I don't really like the idea of taking either regular or artificial sweetener at the same time as taking the fiber because both can be an irritant and I figure that the fiber will only distrubute the sugar everywhere it goes. I also don't know if having the orange flavor means that it has any similarities to orange or other citrus juice which I absolutely have to avoid. My guess is that the 'Clear Mix' version that they used to have didn't sell well enough so they discontinued it. And there is apparently no other brand of methylcellulose available. I did just come across some caplets that were Walgreens brand-simply called fiber therapy which contained methylcellulose- that sounded like they didn't have any added flavors or sweeteners although when I checked various online stores they said the product was no longer available so it might be on its way out. Plus, I prefer the powder where I can control the dosage more. I'm glad it is helping you and hope that it will continue to give you great results!


I did not have to go through a break in period. In about 1 to 2 days I noticed the difference. I started on 6/22/12. So today being 9/3/12 it has been working for over 2 months. I wanted to wait to post about it because I wanted to make sure it would continue to work. I have not taken or needed to take any Imodium since starting this, but did prior to this. The last time I was sick was 6/22, when I was out purchasing Citrucel. I was testing increased fiber, and at that time I was testing Metamucil, and I found out the hard way that increasing the dosage of Metamucil can actually have the opposite effect and speed everything up, not to mention the bloated feeling.I think IBS experts and doctors really need to specify which type of Fiber to take. If you just increase your fiber and are using the wrong fiber, it makes things worse, not better.The Domino's Pizza is awesome. Prior to Citrucel I could not have it as I was very sensitive to the cheese. Now I have cheddar cheese and some other cheeses daily without an issue. I looked up cheeses and read that the older the cheese the less likely it will give lactose sensitive people a problem, and this is true for me now. I also stay away from other milk products though.I looked high and low for a natural Citrucel without added sugar, but could not find one that is safe to consume. I believe the sugar is better than the sugar free. My understanding is the sugar free things go right through you, they can't be digested, thereby they add no calories. Sugar on the other hand can be digested quickly I believe. Wikipedia says "Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose". Plus I take it 3 times per day so I am glad it tastes really good.I tried Citrucel before too and it did not work. The reason was I only took it one small dose in the morning, and I was still eating wheat and other trigger foods.I think it is critical to take a good sized dose 3 times per day before each meal, along with staying off the trigger foods, and eating soluble fiber foods in between meals for snacks as needed so your stomach does not get too empty.That combination has worked for me!


----------



## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

KailuaBeach said:


> I take Citrucel 3 times a day. Before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take 2 heaping table spoons in one full glass of water. Yes, I know that is more than the dosage on the label but it works great for me and does not take me over my recommended daily fiber intake.


Did you start Citrucel at this dose or work up to it? It is interesting about the different dosage. As you mentioned, what type of fiber should be taken as well as HOW to take it could possibly have an impact on how well it works for someone, depending on what their symptoms are. Pretty much every brand tells you to consume a lot of water- like drinking a second glass immediately after taking the dose but really that should depend on the particular symptoms that a patient has. Obviously there could be a lot of variation with the amount of fiber taken along with the amount of water consumption. I also have always felt uncertain as to 'when' the best time to take it is- like right before meals, or after (which maybe wouldn't matter though I suppose it would be more difficult to take on a full stomach!) or totally away from meals.I know that everything is pretty much trial and error and probably when it comes to fiber one may have to disregard the instructions that come with it. And doctors definitely don't seem to know much about fiber either. The one who told me to take Milk of Magnesia or Miralax said not to take psyllium supplements because they could bind me up (which is actually what I'd like it to do, to a degree!) After several D-ish bouts yesterday I did take some psyllium and it definitely hasn't bound me up today even though I know you can't always tell in one day how it will work. I do plan on buying some Citrucel tomorrow. The fact that it isn't supposed to add to gas is very appealing of course. And it may be true about the sugar as I recall reading about how fast it can be absorbed when I read the book on SIBO so maybe I won't worry about it- the sugar or most of it might not even make it to the colon. It's worth a try.


----------



## minimalizer (Jun 8, 2014)

deleted


----------

