# I Dont Want To Be On Medication Forever



## 19951 (Dec 11, 2006)

Hi All Im new to this site - I only found it tonight and Ive been reading it for the last 2 hours!!!! I can remember exaclty when I think I had my first IBS attack, I had been signed off of work with depression for five weeks in 2003, and I was going to do back to work and face the people who made me ill, when I had what I was told was food poisoning by the GP which lasted over a week, I had never felt pains in my stomach like it, I was stretched out one minuted and bent double the next, but wasnt actually sick - which I thought was strange for food poisoning, anyway I went back to work when I was better but I was never the same, a short while after this food poisoning I went back to the GP saying I still wasnt right, he offered reluctantly to do a stool sample but I was unsure as he had tild me to give it a month and if I still wasnt right to come back and see him then, I didnt go back as I thought my GP thought my symptoms were "in my head" and to make things worse I spoke to a colleague at work who told me it could be IBS as she had it and the symptoms sounded the same but she scared me with all sorts of tests, and I put off going back for about a year.When I eventually got so ill I had no choice but to go back I was told I needed a blood test in view if my symptoms, and I was told I had Hypothyroidism (under active Thyroid) for which I now need to take daily medication for life, and that this was causing my stomach symptoms, so I went away with my medication thinking I was sorted out, but I was left unchecked for over a year on my new medication and started feeling really ill, all the time dealing with my constant immediate need for the toilet and feeling bloated and like I was allergic to everything I ate, so I changed GPs and was again given another blood test which showed I was on the incorrect does of Thyroxine, I mentioned my symptoms to my new GP who told me to wait a while and compile a food diary and come back in a month, I didnt need to, I knew exaclty what foods caused my troubles, tea, coffee, milk, bread, potaoes and pasta where the main culprets. In June this year I started feeling really ill and had the most acute and long lived attack I can remember having, I tried cutting out gluten and everything that was causing me trouble until all I was eating was Snack a Jacks because they were all I could eat without having to rush to the toilet with D, until I got to the point where I must have rushed to the toilet about 15 times or more in one day, and I felt as if I was totally empty and I was actually starting to get very painful and bleed, so I made myself go back to see the GP to ask for some food allergy tests as I was at the end of my tether and felt really weak and frustrated. I went in gave him a list of the foods that were doing it and how I was feeling and he said "its not the foods you are eating - its you", well I was gobsmacked when he told me it sounded like IBS, but my syptoms are complicated by the fact that I have been told that some of the pelvic cramps and pains I am experiencing can also be a symptom of my Hypothyroidism so I am really at a loss to know which symptoms are part of what.(sorry Ive babbled, and Ive only given a basic overview of it all) but my question is I went back to see the GP and I have been given another pack of 84 Mabeverine and have been told I need to take 3 daily, instead of as and when like I was told last time, but in view of me being on other long term medication I dont really want to be on anything else long term if I can get away with it, so does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can take instead of Mabeverine or how I can control my symptoms without medication - providing I can work out which ones are which.Thanks for reading - I hope you arent too confused. Tam


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## 22943 (Aug 27, 2005)

I don't think there is anyway to get off of the thyroid medication, but consulting a naturopathic doctor might not be a bad idea. I'm not taking anything for my IBS, but then again I have IBS-C primarily.


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## 22144 (Aug 6, 2005)

I don't want to take medicine either


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Try some herbal remedies that soothe spasms- health food shops have loads of them. Eg.chamomile teapeppermint capsulesfennellicorice rootaloe vera juicegingerturmericslippery elmI've found some relif from drinking lots of cups of strong herbal tea. I've also tried many medications, from Mebeverine to Buspirone, and none of them really helped.Personally I'd LOVE to take medication if I could find one that worked! I wouldn't mind taking pills everyday for the rest of my life if they relieved my IBS.


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## 19951 (Dec 11, 2006)

I dont think really I have a choice about coming off the Thyroxine as it is too much of a gamble to play with my Thyroid as I know how I felt when it wasnt working properly and what can happen to my body when it plays up (eg infertility) if left unchecked so its not worth meddling with that as Thyroid probs and IBS would be hell - been there done that. I also found out yesterday what the TS Hormone in my blood was when I was diagnosed and it was nearly off the scale, it was 52 two years ago and a safe level is between 0.5 and 5, so Im leaving that as it is for now and Im going to keep taking the tabs.I drink quite a lot of Tesco Finest Peppermint Tea and I find that can help quite a lot with the spasms but if I drink too much it gives me heatburn, but I tried enteric coated peppermint capsules and found them too strong and they made me feel sick and I cold taste them for about 8 hours after taking it.I guess Im going to have to do a bit of research on the internet and see what I come up with.Just as a quick question, does anyone else get effected just by laying on their stomachs at night so that they feel ill in the morning?


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## 22599 (Nov 27, 2006)

I do not want to be on medication either. I seem to get worse every time I take a new medication. The cycle continues over and over again. Right now I am looking into a possibility of treating anxiety and depression through herbal/natural medications and trying to go all natural..my body needs to correct itself on this. The IBS is an ongoing treatment process that is very frustrating. I am in this alone since my parents never believe how much pain I am in. Even though I do not live at home, I still feel like I should have some support either way. Meds are expensive for sure! But I also want my body to go about dealing with the problems that I have naturally.


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## 22144 (Aug 6, 2005)

Where are you located, conqueribs? The USA? What state?


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## 22599 (Nov 27, 2006)

I live in Michigan. Good ole Grand Rapids - have been here my whole life except for 2 1/2 years living on Colorado so my dad could go to college again.


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## 21716 (Dec 7, 2006)

my doc explained ibs (or at least the sort we think i have) to me as the muscles in peristalsis (the squeezy ones that force food along the digestive tracts) were out of synch where normaly the muscle in front of an object would relax and the one behind would contract they were doing weird things causing pain bloackages © or food to move too fast (D) he siad there were some meds that i could take to help retrain the muscles but they would make me drowsey affect my memory and kill my mental agility, things i cant afford with the academic work i do - inc a lotta math - makes my head hurt without the meds. so i dont take anything i hope the explanation helped its not very good before there were diagrams n i could remember it in quite good detail from my biology last year


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## 19951 (Dec 11, 2006)

DavidI was explained it as, a normal person without IBS has about 3 painless spasms in the bowel pushing the matter through evenly and giving it enough time to form, but a person with IBS D has many many more (up to 30 a day) stronger and more painful spasms pushing the matter through too quickly not giving the matter time to form or the bowel to absorb the nutrients properly, and a person with IBS C doesnt have enough, and which causes the matter to stay in the bowl too long giving the bowel too long to form the matter and too much of the moisture to be absorbed causing D.I am not a medical person, but this is how I understood it. Tammy


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## 16229 (Jan 28, 2006)

In terms of schoolwork I thought the same way about it screwing me up. But I actually did better in school after I took some of the meds that make me drowsy and kill my mental agility.My condition was bothering me so much it was affecting my work. With the meds I was actually able to relax and focus on my work, which led to better results.I'm not saying to start off by downing 8 librax a day or anything, but sometimes there is a balance that you can find between the two.


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## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

I don't want to take medicine forever, either. I have this condition and polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is four pills a day on its own. Along with other meidicines for various things. While I think soon it'll go down, right now I'm on a zillion pills a day and I actually use one of those week-long pill boxes. Except that instead of it being for a week, mine just holds all the pills I take in one day. It's up to about 20. It is completely ridiculous.When I started taking medicine for my PCOS, it was the only meds I had to take. And I fought it violently because I didn't want to take medicine for the rest of my life. But after a while, I just got over it. If this is what I need to do in order to stay healthy, then this is what I need to do. I'd rather be annoyed taking pills all day than feel like ####, be in the bathroom, and be unhealthy all day. The trade-off is worth it for me.


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## 19861 (Feb 21, 2007)

I have never been put on medication. I've had IBS for 2 years now. I've been wanting to be placed on medication but I myself also have the fear of not wanting to be on medication forver. I'm trying to hold up to as long as I can with out medication...we'll see where that leads me.


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## 13561 (Feb 28, 2007)

hi there. ive been taking lomotil, an antidiarrhea medication for 3 years. i first started out with taking 2 pills a day, and then eventually, over time, my dosage increased to about 10 a day. Im not sure what you take, but the way i see it is, if you can avoid medication, then please try to do so. Medicine is just temporary, and majority of the time, it will wear off and you will have to increase your dose. Right now, im off lomotil and im trying other alternatives, besides medicine. you are more than welcome to email me for more info. bye


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