so-called 'SFS'
#177009 - 05/05/05 09:33 PM
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hey guys i have a question: as an additional SFS to acacia, i also take fibercons and a stool softener. neither one is a stimulant-laxative *BUT* i recently noticed that the fibercons are considered a 'bulk-forming laxative' and the stool softeners are considered a 'stool-softening laxative'. i used to have a problem with laxatives and learned that using them too much reverses their effect. i find no relief from either one of these "SFS" as i am still constantly C and usually bloated--BUT find that when i miss taking them, for even a day or two, my body gets thrown completely out of whack!! i get really bad gas and can actually feel the pain of the constipation. i take 2-2.5 TBSPs of acacia with tea spread out over the day and 3 is the max.amount. i fear that if i try to eliminate my other SFSs, i will reach max.amount w/acacia and STILL find no relief  so i guess my ? is: if these arent helping me, why do i find i still need to take them??
ALSO, [and this is a little of-the-topic of IBS] BUT out of nowhere i got the worst migraine 2 days ago and still have it! ive slept it off but only for a while as it keeps coming back just as strong. i try to avoid taking any meds as i do not want it to tamper w/my IBS or interupt my vegan diet [who knows whats in those pills!] but is there something else i could do to get rid of this? it takes on a whole body fatigue which makes my IBS pain hurt more b/c i have no energy to move. ive been drinking tea, laying down and rubbing peppermint oil on my temples and sleeping~but nothing seems to do it! thanks for reading my really long post! when i feel better ill check more frequently! bye guys!!!
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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Hi Ashley,
How many grams (check the box) of SFS do you get from your fibercon per day? I am a C'er, too, and I find that acacia just makes me more C. This sounds silly, but is there any way you can cut back on the acacia? 2.5 TBSP sounds like a WHOLE lot to me. I currently only take 8-9g of SFS a day: mostly citrucel with one dosage of acacia. And 2.5 TBSP of acacia is 18.75g of SFS... more than twice as much as I take a day. When I first got the acacia, I messed up and upped my dosage WAY too quickly and it made me super C. So... that's a thought.
As for the stool softeners, I don't know much about dependency on them. I currently take either miralax or magnesium, which acts as a stool softener.
I would reevaluate taking that much acacia, especially since it hasn't seemed to help you so far. Good luck!
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Hi Ashley!
I'm soooo sorry about your migraine. I get them too 
Try feverfew. It is an herb. You can get many hers at a HFS that are vegan and are standardized.
Feel better soon.... *big hugs*
P.S. about a SFS...it's psychological. If yo think taking it is supposed to help--even if it's not you might be taking it cause it's "supposed to" and if you take then you are doing everything in your power to heal. Or maybe you're hanging on to a shred of hope that it will help one day if you keep taking it. Just a thought 
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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ashley, i have a post about combining acacia fiber & psyllium; you might wanna try it. the psyllium husks REALLY work for the C, and the acacia kinda keeps you from getting such bad D... i think i need to up my dosage, cause i'm only taking about 1 1/2 TBS. of fiber a day... anyway, i've never taken the stuff you're talking about, but i do know that often if i take a phazyme (which works way better than Gas-X, imo) or when i used to take an immodium, the next day my stomach would feel all messed up. i think our kinda bodies just go through worse withdrawals from ANY chemicals. but i'm not a doctor so what do i know?! good luck though, i know i'd rather have D than C any day... i HATE my C days!! i don't really get them anymore though, and i'm pretty sure it's thanks to the psyllium & acacia.
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As Elizabeth said, you have to work your way up on acacia slowly! I am A, mostly D, so I don't know how important it is for a Cer to move slowly, but it still makes sense, you need to let your body adjust!
I noticed that Fibercon makes me go alot more than acacia, but since I get D easy I do not take it. I do not know if Fibercon has the same effects on Cers.
Just a note- everyone reacts differently to different fiber supps, you will find the one that you like the most, but may need to experiment alittle.
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-Sheri
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yah ive been taking acacia for about 3 months now and just worked up to that dose with half-tsp increments. but ive pretty much been taking the fibercons and stool softeners since 2003--every day--i was thinking that maybe its lost its effect for me?? i cant remember a day i actually went nicely with that stuff!
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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hey hun--
*hug back* thanks sorry it took so long to reply but my eyes hurt too much before to read my messages. anywhoo!---i totally understand what youre saying about the SFS being psychological. that is my exact theory on other modern meds!! which is why i dont take them--with the exception of these. i keep thinking to myself..."if i take my acacia with my tea, eat my safe food and take my fibercons @ night, ill heal!" but that goal is too set for me to follow. i love the acacia b/c it works in tea but these pills need food in my tummy which means i have to eat. if i eat, then i overeat b/c its such a cozy feeling in my empty stomach. but it sucks b/c i always mess up my cycle that i think im supposed to be following. thanks ruchie for the advice! ill talk to my doc next week and hopefully i can be rid of them once and for all!!
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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hey elizabeth--
actually i found that when i first started off with the acacia, it gave me terrible bloating and gas. i guessed it was b/c i finally had some fiber to push some stool thru my bowels but not enough to get it out! [sorry if thats TMI] i waited a week for each time i increased my amount [half-tsp increasings] sometimes 2 weeks just to see if it wasnt what i ate. the acacia has provided me a world of relief in the way of the pain/bloating from the C but im still C which is partially due to my diet.
about the fibercons--2 pills=1 gram. i take 4 @ night w/3 stool softeners so thats 2 grams there--and im confused about my acacia amount: on the bag it says 1 TBSP=5 grams of SF but i read a post heather [THE heather] posted saying 1 TBSP equaled 7 grams obviously she would know but why does the package say different? hmm..
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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NO! your advice is far better then a doctors  what is this psyllium youre talking about? is it a pill? or a powder? im a vegan and eat only organic food too---does this fall in those categories?? id like to ask more about this or find out more about it but you say it works well with the acacia? i like the acacia b/c it doesnt make my lower tummy hurt--which is always good. hope to talk to you soon! thanks for your reply
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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on the boards seem to have said that Acacia actually made them more constipated, so it may not be the fiber for you.
Also, it seems like fibercon is better for D people, from what I have read on the boards. Something about it containing calium, which actually has a constipating effect.
I am C and the fibercon did make me even more constipated. I'm assuming it was because it contained calcium with really stops me up.
I've read that many C people have had success with psyllium which seem to actually "push" the stool out. If you take it at night, it reduces to bloat factor of psyllium because you sleep through that part, supposedly. I have never tried this myself, just going by what I have read on the boards.
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