[Bathroomqueen]

I have IBS that alternates between diarrhea and constipation. I get awful bouts of D, then take Immodium which plugs me up for the next several days. My doctor recommended taking a daily dose of Metamucil to help smooth things out. I took my first dose last night and have already had 3 bouts of D. I'll try it for a week, but have a feeling it's only going to make things worse. Has anyone else tried this?PS: I'm 9 weeks pregnant so I'm not really interested in any medications to control my IBS until after I deliver. For now, Immodium is safe so I'm sticking with that!Thanks for your help!!

 

[kac123]

Hey there -- I'm an alternator as well -- Metamucil was not good for me because it caused some D. Also, after taking half a dose of that stuff i looked...well i looked close to what you will look like in a few months!

The bloating was horrible! I switched to Citrucel (the capsules, not the powder) and they were much much easier on my stomach. No bloating and they get the job done. I personally stay away from immodium because it does give me horrible C. Instead i use pepto -- but i don't know if thats baby-safe. I know you don't want to try new meds, but its another over-the-counter med that seems to work on the D that alternators get

Good Luck and God Bless with the pregnancy -Kac

 

[Aubs]

Thanks for the advice on the citrucel. I have been taking Metamucil (sp) for the last week. I take the crackers that they have and can't even take a full dose because my stomach gets so bloated and makes me useless at night. I will try that. Otherwise, I have been regular every day with them and only once a day (so far). When I went to the emergency room the doctor told me to take Pepto instead of immodium. The Bismith (I think) he said makes a nice coating in your intestines.

 

[123456]

I have the same reaction to taking Immod ... I have found that if I take only half a tablet, it doesn't have the full C effect ... I only take the other half if need be.I have been taking Meta for many years now for D ... it does take some time for your bowels to adjust to it ... I believe a couple weeks at minimum.

 

[kac123]

Hey Bathroomqueen (Love the name by the way) - I was thinking about my response after i posted -- since you are pregnant, you may want to post over on the women's issue board soley because i've read a lot of posts there dealing with the effects of prenatal vitamins on ibs. Just a thought!Aubs - i was taking 1/2 of those metamucil crackers and that was all it took for me to inflate. Tried the citrucel and was much happier - hopefully it will work for you too!Hope everyone is feeling well today!-kac

 

[Aubs]

Kac123, bought the citrucel today and took 2 tablets. I don't know how long they take to digest, but so far so good. Usually after the metamucil I am bloated in 20 minutes. I took 2 almost 2 hours ago and nothing so far and I am feeling good today. I also got the Harry Potter book, so that is helping!

I also bought these heat pads today at Wal Mart on a suggestion of a friend. They are supposed to last 12 hours and fit into your underwear. She said they helped to make her feel really good. We'll see! If these work than I'm psyched because I may be able to better handle social events!

 

[mr.STINKY]

I too alternate, C then D. I use Metamucil 3X day. I've been using it for months and I no longer have the gas but do feel bloated immed. after taking the orange flavored in water. Exercise seems to get rid of the bloating, ride my bike to work in the morning and go for a walk after supper.

 

[megsy33]

Fibercon is supposed to be good for regulation of c and d. Go on their website, there is an entire description of how it can help IBS. It won't constipate you if you have d and it won't give your runny stool or make you go too much if you have C.

 

[megsy33]

Magnesium GLYCINATE is supposed to be good for people who alternate between D and C, too.

 

[bookworm_227]

Eric posted a link in a thread I had earlier to a fiber called Konsyl. It looks promising. I'm going to give it a try before I try any of the others. http://www.konsyl.com/ibshealth.htm Laurie

 

[kac123]

Every brandname that has been mentioned is really its own kind of fiber -- a lot of figuring out what will help with your symptoms is playing the "fiber game" and figuring out which will work best for you. I went thru all four of these before ending up with citrucel.For example, the fiber source in Citrucel is Methylcellulose, in Fibercon its calcium polycarbophil, in Metamucil and Perdium its Psyllium (which is why people bloat on Metamucil), in Fiber Choice its Fructan, and Konsyl i think is psyllium as well but i think theres more to it -- some sort of add on but i can't remember what exactly. Can you tell i've looked into this too much?

Anyway -- i hope everyone is doing welland i'll definitely look into the Magnesium GLYCINATE -- sounds interesting.-Kac