[mb83]

I was diagnosed with IBS, gastritis and acid reflux back in January of this year. Doctors have me on two Prilosec, two Librax, probiotic and benefiber. At first I thought the Librax helped a lot, but for the past month I have been going through an unpleasant cycle. I'll go 1-2 days of constipation (with little to no discomfort), followed immediately by a morning of lots of BMs. They tend to start out large and solid, getting smaller and looser as I go. This usually goes on from when I get up to about 10-11am. This 3-day cycle happens about once a week, with a few glorious days of normal(ish) bathroom habits.

Saw my specialist today and asked him if he could recommend something other than the Librax. First of all, it's not covered by insurance and costs me about $90 each month. Secondly, the tiny amount of Librium in it doesn't seem to do anything for the anxiety I get along with the un-fun symptoms. Anxiety seems to be a main symptom/trigger for my IBS, so I also asked him if he could prescribe something specifically for that.

He wants me to start taking Bentyl in lieu of the Librax, and Ativan as needed. I still have about half a month's worth of Librax left, and considering how expensive it is I am thinking about finishing it off before starting the new med. My question is that since Librax contains a benzo and Ativan is a benzo, are they safe to take together? I should have asked the doc that question but of course I forgot. I've taken Valium before, so I know how that affects me. How similar is Ativan to Valium? I am hoping to start a new job soon, and anticipate needing the Ativan to help me get through the first few days. Just want to be sure I'm not all loopy and uncoordinated.

Any advice appreciated!

 

[Marie Msb]

Hi, I just got Librax today... How often do you take it? If you dont eat much after, what are the side affects? I've been having horrible pain for the past three days and I cant seem to eat anything. Thanks!

 

[Shauna Bere]

I take clonazepam .5mg daily and Librax/Lomotil as needed. The Librax is for the cramping. The Lomotil is for diarrhea. The clonazepam (a benzo drug like Ativan aka Lorazepam) is for anxiety among other things. Now, taking either the Librax or Lomotil or both will still my bowel function and I may end up with some constipation rather than diarrhea, but I figure it does the job I can cope with that. I have been on this combo since 2006. While I do not think I have my IBS "under control" I feel like I cope much better than before the drugs. I have recently started doing acupuncture and notice a calming of my bowel for several days after. Maybe after so many treatments I can get a bit of prolonged relief. The problem with IBS for me as it is sneaky and just hits me out of the blue sometimes, like today. I started having this upper back pain just shy of my right shoulder blade that works is way around to my side. It just dawned on me it could be related to bowel cramping and I looked in the forum and sure enough other people have that problem too. Its a crazy unpredictable disease. When I am having an episode usually I go BRATT on it too. It is a mnemonic for bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast, the staples of the diet. with the extra T is an extensions to the BRAT diet that includes tea. I generally use baby food, white bread instead of heavy grained bread and herbal tea like peppermint.