anti-diarrheal medications (OTC), and also, how long to eat.
#105818 - 09/14/04 12:42 PM
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i'm wondering if anti-diarrheal medications can make your ibs-d more "unpredictable". not being able to predict my ibs attacks is a stressor. though attacks are usually after i've woken up, they sometimes occur in the afternoon or evening. unpredictability is a big stressor.
but anyway, re: anti-diarrheal meds. here is a metaphor. can anti-diarrheal meds act like a "dam", just holding back the "D-issue" until the medication wears off, or does the medication actually transform a potential D into something more "real" or "normal"? i don't really know what these anti-diarrheals are actually physically doing to my body (i usually take Pepto-Bismol or Immodium).
i also have an aside question. i hear it said to eat slower and i've had problems with eating too quick. but i'm not sure, what is a good duration for a meal. how long should it take me to eat, if i'm eating slowly? i have almost no idea how to judge if i'm slowing down my eating speed enough.
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Are you keeping a food diary? Writing down everything you eat can help you figure out your triggers, and if you write down how you are feeling (emotionally and physically) at the time then you might start to see patterns ... I know some people have said that they can have attacks a couple of days after they eat something they aren't supposed to have. Maybe this will help? It can at least give you some semblance of control, because IBS can definately be very unpredictable 
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~*Amber*~
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Immodium works by slowing down your bowel motility. If you'#re having real trouble with d attacks, then I would really recommend talking to your doc about taking Immodium everyday as a preventative. Taking one tablet a day really helped me regain my life and stabilise. You don't usually need much and if one tablet a day makes you C, then you can get the drug (Loperamide) in liquid form so you can take tiny amounts.
It's hard to judge how long a meal should take cod it depends on what it is, etc, but make sure you chew EVERY mouthful properly. Say 10 times? That'll slow you down!  Then eventually you'll just get into the habit of eating slower.
Good luck!
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hey there
you should be eating slowly and chewing thoroughly enough for the food in your mouth to be a paste before you swallow it. Between mouthfuls, put down your cutlery (or sandwich!) so your concentration switches to whats in your mouth instead of shovelling more in!!! it takes practise but you will pick it up!
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Feel the fear and do it anyway!
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Immodium not only slows motility but it helps your intestine regulate water better. For IBS-D it can really help slow you down and dry things up and without side effects for most. My doctors have told me not to be shy about taking even multiple tablets per day. But I don't. I still prefer dealing with my D thru Heather's diet plan and reserving the Immodium for when I fall off the wagon on that.
So if you find yourself taking it on a regular basis it will normalize things quickly. But it doesnt cure anything, it just treats the symptom very well. If you stop taking it you will eventually get D again unless you are successfully controlling and following Heather's diet.
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