# IBS Rx Options? Not sure if IBS-C or D. Please share your experiences



## ohmadison33 (Jun 6, 2012)

Hi everyone,I have had every test done under the sun in the last 16 months. Sick everyday. After 4 doctors, have been diagnosed with IBS, but every prescription and OTC remedy I have tried haven't helped. My newest gastro just sent me off with Gas X (really?!) and I'm looking to discuss potential options upon my next visit in a week and would love your help!!! I'm not completely IBC-C, I have a bowel movement once or twice a day, but I do strain and don't always feel "empty". Not D much at all, but have seen an increase since starting VSL#3 this week.My main symptoms are bloating and gas that I cannot expel, ESPECIALLY upon waking up in the morning. It lasts all day mostly, but will subside around noon. However, after a bowel movement later in the day, I usually feel worse. I get bloated and have pain in my gut after a bowel movement that will last all day. It sort of just feels like my intestines are swollen or something afterwards. Lately, I've been feeling worse - gas, bloating, gurgling stomach - after meals.Here are the prescriptions that I've tried so far with no relief:Hyo-Max SRReglanLevbidCiproElavil (did have some relief, especially with gas in the AM, but still felt terrible after a BM. Beware: Also gained 20lbs!! )CelexaXanaxPristiqBentylXifaxanWhat have you taken that works for you? Any suggestions? I am considering perhaps mentioning Seroquel, Amitiza, or Donnatal. Also heard Linzess is a new drug that may help IBS. I would love any insight from you guys. Thank you so much in advance. And I hope we can all help one another to get back to normal


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Has any doctor suggested testing your pelvic floor? Some people have gotten the signals down there crossed up and will tighten the sphincter instead of relaxing it when they need to release things.Although it usually is more for post-prandial bloating (after eating), there is a small clinical trial about prescription digestive enzymes that reduced bloating after meals that make any human bloat up. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10489912Sometimes bloating can also be more of a sensation than an actual need to release gas. Once you are finally able to fart do you feel better, or is it like the BM where you feel bad afterward as well?Have you considered the low FODMAP diet? It removes a lot of the foods that lead to gas and some IBSers here have had pretty good success with it. It is a pretty limited diet, but for some people the effort is really worth it.


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## ohmadison33 (Jun 6, 2012)

Kathleen M. said:


> Has any doctor suggested testing your pelvic floor? Some people have gotten the signals down there crossed up and will tighten the sphincter instead of relaxing it when they need to release things.Although it usually is more for post-prandial bloating (after eating), there is a small clinical trial about prescription digestive enzymes that reduced bloating after meals that make any human bloat up. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10489912Sometimes bloating can also be more of a sensation than an actual need to release gas. Once you are finally able to fart do you feel better, or is it like the BM where you feel bad afterward as well?Have you considered the low FODMAP diet? It removes a lot of the foods that lead to gas and some IBSers here have had pretty good success with it. It is a pretty limited diet, but for some people the effort is really worth it.


Hi Kathleen,I haven't been tested for pelvic floor, nor have I heard much of it, but I will read up on it to see if this could be a possibility. I had always breezed by topics mentioning pelvic floor since it has never been mentioned to me and I have always thought it was a condition for women. I have tried Digestive Advantage enzymes and it never seemed very effective. Maybe I felt a bit better a handful of times after eating a meal, but its effects seemed to have waned after just a few days.As far as the bloating, no, I never feel much relief even after expelling gas no matter what. OTC gas medications like Phazyme and Gas X don't do anything at all either.I haven't tried FODMAPS, despite being gluten free. I have avoided foods like broccoli, any type of bean or lentils, starchy foods, diary and some fruits but still haven't noticed any difference. I will read up a bit on FODMAPS, though I have tweaked my diet A LOT over the past year without really any solid conclusions. I really tried a lot of different remedies and herbal OTC stuff, trying cranial sacral therapy next week (as a request from my mother, who has lost so much sleep over my condition since this started last year in my senior year of college), but I am really hoping maybe a prescription will finally work. This has ruined my relationship and is now affecting my job..


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Pelvic floor issues can be more common in women as childbirth tends to put significant stress on that part of the body.But they don't seem to be limited only to women, or only to women with vaginal deliveries.Did the OTC enzymes have pancreatin in them. That is what the prescription ones have, and all the papaya enzymes and other veggie enzymes in the world don't have the same effect on the signalling system as animal enzymes do. After all, we are not plants, so the internal signals tend to be a lot different. There seem to be some IBS prescriptions in the drug pipeline, but those aren't going to be handed out by your doctor for awhile.


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## ohmadison33 (Jun 6, 2012)

Kathleen M. said:


> Pelvic floor issues can be more common in women as childbirth tends to put significant stress on that part of the body.But they don't seem to be limited only to women, or only to women with vaginal deliveries.Did the OTC enzymes have pancreatin in them. That is what the prescription ones have, and all the papaya enzymes and other veggie enzymes in the world don't have the same effect on the signalling system as animal enzymes do. After all, we are not plants, so the internal signals tend to be a lot different. There seem to be some IBS prescriptions in the drug pipeline, but those aren't going to be handed out by your doctor for awhile.


Very interesting. Thank you for that info about OTC enzymes.The enzymes I tried were Digest Gold by Enzymedica. As far as I can tell, they don't have pancreatin in them, at least I don't think... What are the prescription enzymes called? I am very interested in them and would like to ask my doctor for them. Are there any of which you know of?Being that I have so much bloat and gas in the morning/after bowel movements, I think they might help..


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Creon is one of the brand names of the prescription ones.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000279/ has the generic and the rest of the brand names.


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## ohmadison33 (Jun 6, 2012)

Also, upon doing a quick search at the local Vitamin Shoppe, it looks like they have their own brand of Pancreatin Enzymes with proteases, amylases, and lipases. The ingredients are as follows:ancreatin 4x(PORCINE)(EQUIVALENT TO 1400 MG PANCREATIN USP) PROVIDING: PROTEASE 100 USP UNITS/MG, AMYLASE 100 USP UNITS/MG, LIPASE 8 USP UNITS/MG350 MgDoes this seem like it would be sufficient?


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