[Deadalus]

Hello all...I am new to posting so I need to describe the history before I spill the punch line, so please hang in there..Although I have had IBS for about 8 years, I did nothing for a while, having been quite embarressed by the whole affair. When I finally went to my GP, he said to exercise more. This was very frustrating advice, since I had to stop exercising precisely because of my IBS - unless of course I just wanted to run around in my bathroom.I then went to a counsler who was somewhat helpful in outlining possible connections between stress and IBS. Not wanting to dig any deeper, I "grinned and bared it" for another couple of years.

Finally, I went back to a different GP with renewed purpose. She was sympathetic, but after the Citrocil didn't work she suggested drugs. I resisted. Out of frustration I went to a psychiatrist, which was actually quite rewarding on all sorts of levels. But, unfortunately I still made mad dashes to the restroom. My analyst, being very concerned with this physical manifestation, sent me to a collegue who diagnosed me with General Anxiety Disorder.

Now, seeing as how this is the complex du jour, I was skeptical. Furthermore, to my knowlege, there is no empirical or clinically tested link between GAD and IBS, although stress is clearly a common denominator. Never the less, she finally convinced me to take what is popularly known as Busbar or buspirone, which is a non-addictive SSRI. In other words it modifies my saratonin absorption, which is a neurotransmitter found both in the brain and the intestines - modifying such things as moods, relaxation and appetite. Ultimately, both my anxiety and IBS symptoms are reduced due to this drug. And, yes, when I try to go off it I get cranky and my intestines turn.

Now I have just enough control to do yoga, run, swim, hang with friends/family, etc. without excessive worry, which helps even more.

Everyone is different, but hopefully you can put a piece of my story in your quiver of options to explore...Good luck and take it easy.

 

[eric]

Deadalus , thanks for posting your info on CBT in the sucess thread.

On stress and IBS you might want to read this. http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/stress.html On the serotonin and IBS this. http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/serotonin.html and on IBS this http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/clinicalIssues.html welcome to the forum if you have any questions let us know.

Good to see your doing some of the things your doing.

On the IBS info I posted and because you mentioned generalize anxiety disorder this is important."What would be an example of new understanding? Well one example is that we're starting to understand how the brain is responding to the pain in IBS. There have been some studies done where they've artificially created a kind of an irritable bowel by placing a balloon to stretch the bowel, and that produces pain. Then they've compared people with IBS to non-IBS, or "normal" individuals. And what they've found is that when you stretch the bowel-and use PET scans to monitor the response-in normal individuals, certain areas of the brain that register pain respond and release chemicals called neurotransmitters that suppress and lower the pain. But it seems that doesn't happen as well in people with IBS. In fact, in people with IBS another area of the brain responds that is associated with anxiety. So what we find is that people with IBS, aside from having a bowel problem, may have some difficulty in terms of the way their brain is regulating the pain."So anxiety can be turned up from signals coming from the gut.Hope that helps