# Cytotec (misoprostol) and IBS-C



## SickOCS (Sep 20, 2015)

I'm curious as to how many IBS-C sufferers have been exposed to Cytotec (misoprostol). I used to only suffer from food allergies and chronic constipation until I was given Cytotec. Now I have IBS-C. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm wondering if Cytotec caused my IBS-C.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

based on my reading and experience, i doubt it.

cytotec (misoprostol) is an older med that is sometimes used off-label to treat chronic constipation. a few years ago i did quite a bit of reading about it and had some recommendations from friends to try it to help with my chronic constipation so i did. and it really did help me go, since diarrhea is a possible side effect of cytotec. unfortunately for me, it stopped working but for a while there i was really going well on cytotec.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.1997.00237.x/abstract

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.1997.00237.x/epdf

just as a note to others reading this who may want to give it a try-- this med is also used to induce abortion so it is NOT a med you'd want to be taking if pregnant or trying to become pregnant.


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## SickOCS (Sep 20, 2015)

Thanks for your reply, Annie7, and for sharing this study with me. I read the whole study article--very interesting, even though the study has an extremely small participant pool (n=18). The only long-term (4-weeks+) results reported, though, were on the 8 participants who continued Cytotec treatment long-term (4 weeks+). There is no mention of any long-term effects that may have been experienced by participants who discontinued Cytotec use.

I started experiencing IBS-C symptoms within one month of a single day's treatment with Cytotec. So I'd be interested in knowing more about the long-term effects on the participants, especially the 10 study participants who withdrew from the study. Did any of the study participants end up developing IBS-C after participating in this study? The study doesn't address this possibility.


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## SickOCS (Sep 20, 2015)

Annie7, I noticed that you state that you used Cytotec for treatment of chronic constipation, not IBS-C. By any chance, did you start experiencing IBS-C symptoms after the efficacy of the drug wore off?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

no, i did not have any ibs-c symptoms after i stopped cytotec.

none of my friends who were taking it for chronic constipation mentioned any ibs-c problems with it. i have since lost touch with them so can't give you any more up-to-date feedback on them.


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