[tdhcsc]

I've been on Linzess 290 on and off for the past year but have never stayed on the medication because of the limitations it caused. A month ago I started taking the 290 daily. Being retired I take the Linzess about 2PM after not eating since breakfast to allow my stomach to empty. It takes about 3 hours for any results to start and the explosive diahrea I had when I started the medication has changed to a slurry for the next 2 or 3 hours and about 5 trips to the toilet.

My question is,,,,, has anyone worked their way off Linzess to a normal BM? My BM's aren't normal, just consistant. If it's possible to work my way to normalcy I'm all for it but don't know if it's even possible.

If I was to try something on my own I'd continue as I am for about 3 months, then slowly taper down to less Linzess while at the same time drink lots of water and add Metamuscle 2 or 3 times a day and see what results I get but don't know if it's even worth it to try or how long I should be on Linzess before attempting to cut down and hopefully get back to normal

Any personal info on how, or if it's even possible to work your way back to having a normal BM is greatly appreciated. Since I've started the Linzess on a regular basis I haven't had a regular BM, just the slurry and a bit of constant stomach pain. I feel as if I'm taking laxitives every day and don't like it one bit!

 

[sjw596]

I'd guess no, if we're talking about CIC. Linzess and the others like it are designed to "work" once and be used indefinitely. That assumes that you don't come across another treatment that is safe, effective, and doesn't cause worse symptoms. These drugs don't remain in the system for any appreciable length of time. I think it's more likely that, over time, Linzess's effectiveness will diminish if not become worthless.

 

[tdhcsc]

SJW;

Never been tested to see if my problem was because of CIC. As I get older (73 at present) I still want to believe that with the right protocol I can fix myself. As you get older your body breaks down, no way around it. Think I'll ask my gastro about a 'colon transit study' next time I see him.

I guess I should be grateful that all this didn't start in my 20's.

 

[annie7]

agree with sjw. linzess doesn't work that way--where you can use it to work your way to a normal bm. i don't know of any meds out there that can help you be able to do this. would be nice if there were, though.

i agree--as we get older, (i'm 66) our bodies sure do break down. it really would be nice if we could "fix" ourselves.

good luck with the colon transit study, if you decide to take one. i've had two. they were not fun (you can't take laxatives or C meds or anything to help you go during the test) but the test did dx me with colonic inertia. so it was a useful test to have.