IBS constant Diarrhea

AnxietyKelller said...
Hi!
It is the first time I write in this group. I was diagnosed with IBS like 12 years ago. I do no get constipated, but I do get diarrhea almost every single day. I also get cramps when I need to go to the bathroom. This condition makes it hard to have a normal life because i always have to worry about bathrooms being available. I do work from home but if I need to go out for a few hours I need to take pepto bismol and imodium so I can be okay. I also take probiotics at night (accuflora but I think it has been discontinued ). How do you manage the constant diarrhea? Do you take meds? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

Hi AnxietyKelller

Im not a medical doctor nor do i have IBS, but have a good very friend Len , who has IBS ( stomach cramping in the mornings , watery stools and running to the bathroom after eating meals , especially greasy foods -). He uses Florastor and mentions he has a lot of luck with it . He says its the only probotic hes found that works for him. I think the Florastor only contains one strain called "Saccharomyces boulardii " which is actually a good beneficial yeast . Have you had any luck with this product ?
Cheers and Good luck ,

I take two citrucel in morning. Helps diarrhea but not cramps

I have had diarrhea daily for a couple years or more. I have crohns and do not take any medications for it. a couple months ago I heard a commercial on the radio about something called EPI. it stands for Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency and the commercial specifically mentioned diarrhea. I talked to my gastro doc about it and she did a pancreatic enzyme test on me and I was borderline, pretty much meaning my pancreas does not create enough enzymes to break down fats and other foods. They have a prescription for this called Zenpep. there is another i think called creon. they are basically super potent pancreatic enzymes. I just got back from my docs office with a handful of samples. If I find they make a difference I will report back.

I started off on Donnatal, and was on it about four years, before the AMA, FDA (or some other TLA) chased off the generic makers, allowing the brand name to up the price from 30 tabs for $30, to 30 tabs for $300. I switched to generic Lomotil; not nearly as effective as the former, but without the laundry list of side effects, bad reactions, and contraindications of all the other options. I supplement it with a teaspoon of Maria Treben's Authenic Swedish Bitters twice a day, folowed by a teaspoon of Blackstrap molasses (only thing that kills the awful taste), and a couple swallows of Canada Dry GingerAle to wash it down.

I drink two gulps of Lifeway Kefir twice a day, and eat a banana each time. Once a week I take a capsule of 'Soil-based Organisms' (Swanson) with a couple Medjool dates. I eat lots of onion, garlic, leeks, barley, Daikon, and asparagus in the majority of meals. I drink hot chocolate at least twice a week. This regimen only keeps the IBS-D tolerable, and does not cure it.