[Guest]

I have read alot on this BB about Questran/Colestid working for people who have had their gall bladders removed. I had mine removed 3 years ago. Always had a little IBS but the surgery made it worse. Had bad D right after eating almost everyday. Tried calcium, and it worked for a while, but I could't trust it. Still would have a D attack once in a while. Finally after some urging, got my Dr. to prescribe Colestid (the pill form). He really never heard of it and was a little disbelieving. I have been on it for 3 weeks now and have'nt even had a D pain or anything. I'm almost C, but still go everyday, without the nagging urgency. I think I may be cured. And the best thing about Colestid is it helps high colesterol patients. I just had a blood test and found out my colesterol is too high. Now it can do 2 jobs. HoorayThanx BB

 

[Maria Z]

Thanks for the info on Colestid. I tried the cholestyramine and my skin itched all over and I had little pimples on the tip of my tongue. Pharmacist said it sounded like an allergic reaction. If Lotronex doesn't return, then I'll probably try the Colestid. If someone is taking other medications, when do you take the Colestid? Before or after, and how many hours apart?Do you know if it's safe for long-term use? I mean, I'm talking probably a life time, as I think I'll always have this problem.Thanks.Maria

 

[Marier]

Where were you three years ago when I was literally glued to a toilet?

My problem was doctors who failed to see the correlation between gall bladder surgery and the onset of D. The good news is that the D subsided into a manageable problem; bad news is it took 2-1/2 years

Anyway, glad you are getting help!

 

[Guest]

Actually, there are several threads on the BB about Colestid. I have been using it since the first of December and am almost completely D free for the first time in 40 years! It's wonderful. I even went to a breakfast buffet with my family at our hotel when we were out of town Sunday. Have NEVER trusted myself to do this before.As for how to take it. You need to take it 4 hours before taking other meds or 1 hour after taking them. I take a whole handful of meds first thing in the morning and then take the Colestid about an hour and a half later (just to be sure) and a second one when I come in from work, just before I start cooking supper. I take a blood thinner (among other meds) every day and this routine has not interferred with that, so I figure it must be OK. And, since it is not absorbed through the liver, it can be taken for a lifetime, if needed, according to my doctor.

 

[Maria Z]

odeal,Are you sure Colestid is not absorbed through the liver? I though all cholesterol lowering medications affected the liver.Please find out and let me know. Thanks a lot.Maria

 

[Marier]

How long has Colestid/Questran been around? I'll be really p.o.'ed if these were available after my g/b surgery 3 years ago.

Of course, that's all water under the bridge now, but it's still the principle of the thing!

 

[Guest]

I don't know much about Colestid, except for what I found on the internet. I forgot where I read it but it seems to be the safest cholesterol lowering drug you can take. I guess there are some others out there that effect the liver. My doctor wants to check my liver enzymes every so often just to be sure. All I know is it works for me, so for now I am not asking about the what ifs, just enjoying days without D.

 

[morning]

Maybe this will help. Questran has been around for quite some time. That's why it is so cheap compared to a lot of the newer drugs. It stays in the digestive tract where it absorbs bile salts (which decreases D as well as lowers cholesterol). Your body never actually absorbs it, so it doesn't pass thru the liver. Great stuff, I must say! It works for me~ and I still have my gallbladder!morning

 

[Guest]

Maria: I think the above posts probably say all I can say about the liver thing. My doctor told me when I first started taking them that they were much safer because they didn't get absorbed by the liver. He does not check my liver at all. These meds have been around for a number of years, especially Questran that I know of, but I tried it and found I just could not tolerate it after a while. The consistency was terrible, it didn't lower my cholestrol (which it was originally given to me for) and it only partially worked to control the D--which my family doctor had told me, apparently long before most doctors had heard of such a thing, was possible. Then I heard about Colestid here on the board last year and, as I said, I started in December and it's been great. I do find that it is very short lived, meaning that if I forget a dose I can expect problems. Especially if I forget the morning dose and eat something I shouldn't at lunch. But, even then I seem to have more control over the urgency of the problem.[This message has been edited by odeal (edited 04-03-2001).]

 

[Maria Z]

Thanks odeal and everyone for the info. Odeal, you said about taking other meds, to take them one hour before you take the Colestid? Thanks.Maria

 

[Guest]

Maria: Yes, you want other meds to get into the blood stream before you take the Colestid. If not, the Colestid is likely to partially absorb them in the intestinal tract (as I understand it). And if you have already taken the Colestid, you need it to get out of the intestinal tract before you take other meds, so that's why they say to wait 4 hours after you take it to take other meds.