[Loraine]

I am 38 years old and female, I have had IBS for 9 years now. My doctor has put me on some different medications, most recently Lotronex about 3 weeks ago. I have cronic "D" about 6 movements aday with the pain and bloating that comes with it. Ever since I started the Lotronex it seems to have helped greatly. I had to cut my dosage due to constipation. I take a half a pill aday. I still get a little pain in my stomach but not so bad and not all the time. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried this? I know there is alot of different feelings about this medication, but you need to stay in tune with your body, if you have constipation as you main IBS symptom then you DON'T want to try Lotronex...thanks

 

[JuliaNYC]

Hi Loraine,There are several Lotronex threads on the BB, so you might want to check them out, especially the one Kimmie started not long ago where she polled us users about whether we planned to stop Lotronex because of the latest wave of bad publicity. I am a successful Lotronex user for the past 8 months. You are so right about the necessity of staying attuned to your own body. Also, as I have posted so many times in the past, stay in close contact with your doctor and report any unusual symptoms immediately!

 

[Guest]

Hi,I am a man with 50+ years of IBS and a recent5-7 year bad streak of IBS-D. I started Lotronex in gradually increasing dose up to 1 mg in AM and 1/2 mg in PM. I have gone from 2-4 attacks of D per week to a total of3 attacks of moderate severity in the 9 months I have been on the drug. I have some C which I don't mind at all.If it works for you, you'll know it and probably, like me, be willing to accept some risk (if there is some) to have a life again.

 

[Loraine]

JoeJoe, I would like to thank you for the insight. I still haven't found the right dosage for me,I am experiencing some stomach pain still and bouts with D. Somedays are better than others. If I take my perscribed dosage of 2 aday, I get C, So maybe I'll try the whole pill in the am and than the half in the evening..thanks again...

 

[Guest]

Loraine,It took me about 4 to 6 weeks to get settled into the Lotronex. Initially I actually had cramps from it, and I thought I was getting headaches too. I got discouraged and was about to quit, when I picked up a thread on this BB from someone who had the same problems as I was having. He had toughed it out, hung in, and was settled into a dose with only occasional headaches and cramps. That has been my experience since, and I cut the evening dose because I wondered if I was getting some insomnia from the Lotronex. That dose has been like a miracle for me. Most of the time I'm not aware of my gut, which used to rumble and grumble even if I wasn't having a D attack. Now I rarely think about my stomach or bowels except when under extreme stress or if I do something too dumb with my diet (chili, beer or other heavy stuff.) In stress situations, I sometimes need Imodium or Lomotil, but I have cut the use of them to once or twice a month from my previous level of three or four times a week.Good luck. Give it a good try.Joe