# My IBS-D is GONE!



## MemberTilt15 (May 21, 2009)

I have been lurking these forums for quite some time and I always said I would post if my symptoms ever completely disappeared and here I am!!I have had IBS since I was a child, chronic diahrea with horrible pain. It got worse and worse as I got older. I am a 21 year old college student and day to day life is very difficult with having this disorder. I finally saw a psychaitrist and told him all my issues with anxiety, depression, and my number one cause for disturbance, IBS. He prescribed me symbyax, which is olanzepine and fluoxetine and told me that he expected it to improve my condition and eliminate my IBS. I did not believe him. I thought he was blowing smoke up my chamber.Within 2 weeks I felt phenominally better. I have been on it 2 months now and I have 0 diahrea. I have regular bowel movements everyday, I have no abdominal pain, and I can eat whatever I want. Pizza, Coffee, Ice Cream. I feel like I am finally normal, I have never felt this way ever.After I realized how much better I felt, I talked to him and asked him how he knew this would help me. He told me that anti-depressants help IBS and 90% of the bodies serotonin is in the gut. The other part of the equation is muscle contractions and olanzepine actually antagonizes 5ht3 receptors potently, which is what lotronex is. With the combination of both these medicines he said he has been using this medecine off-label for this use for the past 3 years with great success.If you have emotional issues such as anxiety, and depression, especially if it stems from having IBS Symbyax might help you as much as it helped me. I honestly hope it continues to work, but I am confident, I feel unbelieveable. My quality of life is so much better, and it is a relief to get some real answers rather than hearing some gastroenterologist tell me to take more fiber. *sigh*Anyway, if your IBS is still bothering you enough to post on a forum, and you would like help, talk to a psychiatrist, maybe it will help you as much as it has helped me.I FINALLY FEEL NORMAL!!GOOD LUCK!!


----------



## jambo (Jun 8, 2009)

Really happy for you. I hope you feel good forever.


----------



## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

Blinding mate. i hope you stay well. its always nice when someone posts with positive info about their illness.power to you brother.Ian


----------



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

MemberTilt15 said:


> I FINALLY FEEL NORMAL!!


What could be better than that.Mark


----------



## petra (Feb 2, 2009)

Rejoice-am so happy for you! Long may it last. Do you live in the UK or the USA. Olanzapine is fairly heavy duty so I don't think it will be easy for others to access. Great to hear though that there is an alternative to lotronex which we can't get in the UK.


----------



## Lookin'foraLife (Jan 2, 2009)

Any chance this could also be effective for IBS-C?


----------



## MemberTilt15 (May 21, 2009)

I do not think it would be effective for IBS-C, only because 5ht3 antagonists are for people with diahrea because of it's constipating effect. I never had constipation, i just had diahrea my whole life. This medication is unbelieveable though, it has literally given me my life back, you don't realize how bad off u are restricting your food and where u go in life until u feel better. And I will never ever look back.if anyone has any questions comments, or concerns feel free to ask I would love to help other people out, I think this medication could possibly help out people in the same predicament as me, I hope it does!!


----------



## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Membertilt 15Is the Olanzapine 5HT3 antagonist, called by any other name, and do you know if you can get it in the UK, if so is it called the same. I have constant Diarrhoea, and need help other than Immodium and Calcium, which dont seem to work.


----------



## MemberTilt15 (May 21, 2009)

It is Zyprexa, the brand name. If you have constant D with anxiety like me, see if u could at least get on an antidepressant. Like I said I take symbyax which is olanzepine 3mg and fluoxetine 25mg, if that helps any, which has worked wonders. So I do not know if it is both of them working together although, the doc said that both drugs help it, so maybe it is the perfect combo, just has not been put to that use yet. Like I said, he said HE has been using it off label for this exact purpose with great results!! I am still stunned that all my symptoms are gone. If u could get on it and it helped u as much as it has helped me that would be phenomonol. KK, Good Luck and keep me updated!!


----------



## DAD (Jun 12, 2009)

All IBS Sufferers -Here's another possible solution if anti-depressants don't work and you want to look into intestional bacteria overflow.When you go to your doctors and specialists for IBS and all your previous prescribed tests have come back negative, what do you do and what do you think?There is still another rather simple test to take that could hold your answer and it is called a Breath Test for intestional bacteria overflow that can cause all these problems that so many have no answer to. If you test positive for this test, you probably have your answer and then a prescription for anti-biotics could help solve the problem.If you haven't already read the book "A New IBS Solution" by Mark Pimentel, MD do so. This book explains this procedure and all the unexplained problems it causes and the test along with procedure to get over it.I hope this information will help so many of you as this IBS suffering and control of your life is terrible. I've been thru this with my wife for years and we are now discovering this solution, hoping it will last and not re-occur somewhere down the road. Since it could possibly be food poison related, be careful where you eat out and what you eat anytime.


----------



## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

If it is related to food poisoning or a stomach bug of some sort, you may want to try adding a course of probiotics as well to get the gut repopulated before the bad guys get another foot hold.Ian


----------



## petra (Feb 2, 2009)

Hi Membertiltas I said before i am so pleased for you and interested in how you came to start this drug. I don't want to offend in any way but olanzapine is quite a heavy duty drug which is normally prescribed for schizophrenia/bipolar disorder and can have pretty unpleasant side-effects. Hope you don't mind me asking but did you have some fairly extreme mental disturbance or was it simply given for general anxiety associated with IBS-d-granted that is enough to unbalance anyone! Will they monitor you on the drug and can you stay on it long term? Thanks for offering your support.


----------



## DAD (Jun 12, 2009)

Ian -Been there - done that and no results, but maybe not the right probiotic and definitely not in huge staggering quantities . . . she just kept getting worse until brain fog and weakness took over. We knew if we didn't discover something soon then mal-nutrition happens and a door is wide open for a major disease to set in and then you've got a real problem.I see your other posts where you took staggering doses of a specific probiotic and maybe that would work for her, but right now she is so improved in just 5 days from the sibo procedure with anti-biotics, we'll finish this run first as her energy is now back and brain fog gone and most of the pain gone or greatly diminished. Guess you can say the symptoms have left so we'll see about the rest as time goes on.Will keep your doses of pro-biotics in mind for the future and to build-up after our present procedure.Appreciate your reply and congrats on your own discovery!DAD


----------



## MemberTilt15 (May 21, 2009)

petra said:


> Hi Membertiltas I said before i am so pleased for you and interested in how you came to start this drug. I don't want to offend in any way but olanzapine is quite a heavy duty drug which is normally prescribed for schizophrenia/bipolar disorder and can have pretty unpleasant side-effects. Hope you don't mind me asking but did you have some fairly extreme mental disturbance or was it simply given for general anxiety associated with IBS-d-granted that is enough to unbalance anyone! Will they monitor you on the drug and can you stay on it long term? Thanks for offering your support.


Oh it is of no offense at all. I simply told the doctor that all my emotional trouble's stem from my stomach, it has made me extremely depressed, horrible I mean horrible anxiety, panic attacks, and mood disturbances. Now, I do have a predisposition for these things, my family has a history of mental issues, and I do have OCD which is unrelated to the IBS. I told the doctor everything and how the number 1 thing that has bothered me is my IBS, and he thought that it was effecting my life enough to put me on this medecine. He was 100% right.Side effect wise, I have had weight gain, but i run every single day, so it has not been substantial, and It has also given me some decreased libido, but that has actually gone away as I have been on the drug regularly. And honestly, I will take those things to be symptom free. The medication has helped my IBS immensely along with treating my mental issues. For DAD talking about the bacteria issues. I have had every test known to man. I am not lactose intolerant, I have no bacterial issues, no celiac disease, my gallbladder is fine. I have the classic case of IBS. I have taken probiotics which did not do a thing. I understand everyone is different, but for some reason, the sensitivity of my gut is turned up way too high for whatever reason I believe at least, and for whatever reason this medecine is a lifesaver. I am simply postring so people in a similar predicament as me could maybe give it a try and I could just hope it helps them as much as it helps me.I would be thrilled to answer any other questions!!


----------



## petra (Feb 2, 2009)

Membertilt15thanks for your reply -it was a very sweet response. I think I can relate to where you were but am much better at the moment-thank goodness. We can't access lotronex in the UK -which is probably a bit of a last resort anyway but its nice to think there is something else for us to try if all else fails. Do you have to have any blood monitoring on olanzapine and it is something you can stay on long term?


----------



## MemberTilt15 (May 21, 2009)

Just my blood sugar every once in a while, which has been a OK so far!!I am also glad to hear you are better as well petra!! I just would not wish IBS on my worst enemy so I would love if people in a similar predicament as me could get some well deserved help!!


----------



## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Membertilt15My IBS is D, i also suffer with Anxiety and Depression, caused by the constant D of the IBS, i have urgency with it, which makes it nearly impossible to go anywhere. I take 30mg Mirtazapine for the Anxiety, and i was prescribed Nortriptyline 20mg for the IBS-D but my amxiety increased, i was shaky and panicky and thought i was going mad, i dont know if the two didnt mix or what it was, but my doctor told me to stop them, I see the ~Gastro Spec tomorrow and i dont think he will be very happy that i have come off them. Glad something is working for you.


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2009)

I personally , don't have any issue's with Depression or Anxiety , so I would be real hesitant to let a doctor put me on this type of medication.But this is just how "I" feel about this.I realise these medications are extremely helpfull in helping controll your IBS issue's and helps if you also have anxiety and depression.But , is this the correct medication to be put on if you "Don't" have any problems with those situations ?I would be real leary to go on something like this for fear of negative side effects.But it's fantastic that it helps many with IBS-D.


----------

