[19549]

I've read so much about avoiding caffiene when trying to treat IBS but I have found this to be very inaffective for me. I am IBS-C and without two cups of coffee in the morning I NEVER go to the bathroom. I've been so worried about drinking too much caffiene that I would drink water the rest of the day....I started drinking tea in the afternoon (along with lots of water throughout teh day) and found it helpfull with getting my bowels moving. Without caffiene I just can't go no matter what I eat....so if this works for me should i keep up the caffiene?

 

[Kathleen M.]

The problem with "bad for IBS" is that what is often bad for people with diarrhea helps those that are constipated. Add to that how much individual variation there is there can be no hard fast rule of what is good or bad for people with IBS in general.Caffiene makes some people go. It can cause diarrhea in people with normal GI tracts and some IBSers are very sensitive to it.If it is working for you and not a problem for any other health reason I don't see the problem with staying on it. You may get 'addicted' and have really bad headaches if you stop cold turkey for any reason (like fasting before a medical proceedure). If your blood pressure or heart rate goes up you may be getting too much of it for your system. Or if you start getting breast pain as it can bother some women with fibrocystic changes in the breast.K.