# PLEASE HELP WITH COLESTID



## lookingood (Sep 12, 2002)

I have been on colestid for a couple of weeks now. I only take 1 pill because 2 tends to cause a lot of cramping and pain. If I take 2 I couldnt release gas If I had to. Now heres my questions - Isnt colestid suppose to help stop gas? I have gas all day long! Which scares me because when i release the gas im hoping it will be gas and not the big D. I also have pains in my stomach all day long, after a while will the colestid stop this or should I take my levbid also? Dont get me wrong i have the pains before i started the colestid and just want them to stop. This morning when i used the bathroom it was water again. What is going on!!!!! I have been having only to use it once a day and its been formed but all day long i keep feeling like i have to so i run to the bathroom quite a lot. Can some one please help and give me some input here!!!!! Thanks a lot


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## Lorraine (Jan 21, 2002)

I would suggest you check the side effects of the drug. I was recently put on Questran to see if it would reduce the frequency of BMs--the "cousin," if you will, to Questran is Colestid. Anyway, I suffered many of the same symptoms you are describing ... increased gas, abdominal pain, intestinal rumblings, and, of all things, diarrhea! When I looked up the drug's side effects, I discovered all were side effects of the drug. The primary side effect, for which most IBS'ers are given this drug, is its constipating side effect. However, further on down the list of side effects is diarrhea. I couldn't deal with it all as I was miserable, so I stopped. You may want to call your doctor to discuss. Perhaps the side effects will pass in time.


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## Moana (Aug 19, 2002)

I've been taking the powdered form of cholestyramine for about a month now. I only experienced D a few times since I began taking it. I had forgotten to take the medication a couple of times and when I told of my experience on this board (see: If you've had Your Gall Bladder Removed - Read This) I was told I might have been taking the medication too close to meals. SO for the last week I've been taking one dose a day as soon as I get up in the morning and it's worked great. I do experience some gas and rumblings, but not any more than before I started taking it. I have experienced some mild C but worth it since I haven't had any D at all. There has been a bit oof cramping but more related to C than D. I'm no longer as concerned about passing gas and having it be D. Maybe it's when you are taking your medication that's causing it not to work. Or maybe it's the form you are taking it in (maybe the powdered form would work better than the pill) From what I've read here from others, they've experienced no D since starting the medications. Though in the info that came with my prescription it does say it can take from a few days to a month for the medication to become effective.


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## lookingood (Sep 12, 2002)

Moana,Do you think taking the pill about 30 minutes is long enough or should i wait longer before i eat? Also did you have the feeling that you had to go to the bathroom and was you got there the feeling was gone? If so does the colestid help to stop this/ Thanks so much for your reply !!!


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## Moana (Aug 19, 2002)

I was taking the medication anywhere from 30 minutes to immediately before I ate. If I took it 30 minutes prior it seemed to work. However I know take it as soon as I get up in the morning. Othere than a coffee I generally don't eat til noon and I have no episodes of D.No, I didn't feel like I had to go then not be able to when I got on the toilet. My attacks of D generally came with 15 minutes of eating. Sharp cramps and explosive D. As I said, I have not experienced this since I started taking the cholestyramine except when I missed a dose or took it too soon before eating.


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## BigD (Aug 30, 2002)

I have been on Questran for a few weeks now - things are much better than they used to be, but I still get one episode every morning - the best thing is that most of the pain is gone. I have been taking 2 doses per day, one with breakfast and one with dinner - I will now try to take them 30 min. before eating to see if that helps. Has anyone tried both Questran and Colestid? Did you notice any difference? I have thought about asking for Colestid....


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## lookingood (Sep 12, 2002)

I was taking Questran for a while but never could get the dosage right for me. So the Dr. switched me to colestid, which I like alot better.I couldnt stand drinking that terrible powder!!!Plus its a lot easier to take if your on vacation.


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## HereIam (Mar 1, 2001)

Lookingood, Sorry to hear of your difficulties.I've taken both Colestid and Questran, and am currently living a normal life using Questran twice a day. Colestid worked wonders for me, but I have swallowing problems so the size of the pill was too much. You should try increasing your dose of Colestid, I really don't think one could be causing this pain and cramping you complaing about, and it sounds like these symptoms may have been present before you started Colestid anyway. Also, I don't believe one Colestid per day is enough to correct your bowel problems. You need to take this medication a long time before you eat, 30 minutes is not enough. It essentially goes into your lower gi system, releases itself and absorbs the bile excreted there from your gall bladder. It cannot get there in thirty minutes. Try taking two in the morning and two at night. You have nothing to lose by this, as the drug does not enter your blood stream. You will have an adjustment period where you may be gassy, but this will not last forever. I believe that when your stool gets firmed up by using this, you will find your spasms and pain will decrease significantly. Alot of times, the spasms are caused by loose stool sitting in the bowel, allowing the bowel walls to collapse on themselves. With a firm stool in there, the walls cannot collapse in this fashion. Hope this helps and you find some relief.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I can think of no reason why Colestid would alter gas in any way.It does stop diarreha, but that is a separate thing from gas. It binds bile acids. Binding bile shouldn't alter either how much gas gets into your GI tract from swallowing, or how the bacteria in your gut digest the carbohydrates you do not.It is not normally prescribed for gas, but for diarrhea. Some people may find that as their diarrhea normalizes the response of their GI tract to the gas they have is different. The primary thing it is effecting is the diarrhea. It should be taken for gas and gas problems alone.It is constipating for something like 30% of the people who take it to reduce cholesterol (bile is made from cholesterol so if you bind it and can't recycle it out of the GI tract then you have to make more by pulling cholesterol out of your blood). IBS tends to wax and wane. A dose of something that works most of the time may not work all of the time. One thing to note is that if you are getting constiped from it that could be uncomfortable. Some people find gas more bothersome when constipated. Your GI tract will sometimes try to flush out the stuck stool which can cause "paradoxical diarrhea". Basically the underlying problem is constipation, but the result in the toilet is mostly diarrhea.K.


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## PippylongStockings (Jun 6, 2002)

My pamphlet from the pharmacy says it can cause gas and nausea. Also try increasing your water intake and see if that helps with the constipation.


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