How to Start Supplements?
#182106 - 05/31/05 05:46 AM
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I have done lots of reading in Heather's book, and on this site. I am curious to know do i start all the supplements all in ONE day? Or do i start one supplement wait and then start another... for example - i am thinking of going with benefiber, calcium, and acidiphilus(already taking 1 a day) But need to introduce the other two.... How would you go about starting them..
Thanks soooo much in advance!
April
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~April 
IBS-D
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Get your SFS supplement firmly established first, then add one supplement at a time, slowly, so that your body can determine whether or not it is a help or a hurt. That way, you don't hurt yourself and waste a lot of money on things you don't need. The fewer to get you stable the better! Hope this helps!
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God is Faithful!
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I want to second what Bamagirl said. I feel as though I've been stable since I started this diet (end of Dec '04), and I haven't had an attack in 12 weeks!
I started using Benefiber when I started the "breaking the cycle" diet. I started w/ 1/4 teaspoon in January and now have that amount twice a day along w/ food that's high in SF. As you can see, I'm increasing the SFS slowly and in small amounts, but I've really had success with this amount. Because I'm doing so well, I haven't tried the other supplements; I don't take probiotics, but I eat soy yogurt regularly. My D went away fairly quickly, but the pain took longer, at least a couple of months. Ultimately, I think following the diet 100% is what got me where I am, not necessarily the supplements. 
Anxiety and stress management have also helped to ease a lot of the pain and discomfort I was having. I'm not sure which came first: the anxiety and panic attacks really affected the severity of my IBS attacks, but the IBS attacks would feed into my anxiety and fears.
I'd like to add a calcium supplement because I don't think I get enough, but I'm waiting until I see my GP later this month.
As you've already read, we're all different, so you may or may not respond as I did. I do hope you get some relief quickly! HTH!
Best wishes!
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Maria?
#182168 - 05/31/05 09:09 AM
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Cyndy
Reged: 03/05/05
Posts: 1301
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Can I ask how you are managing the anxiety and stress? I think this is my biggest trigger!
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April1983
Thirty years ago I was just like you - stay at home mum and ibs starting which actually followed the very difficult birth of my son.
In October 2004 I found this site - wonderful, amazing, etc. and I started by adjusting my diet mainly stuck to high soluble fibers. In November I added in a soluble fiber (Acacia) and in January this year added in calcium which I took for 3 months but stopped it because I did not feel I was getting any real improvement. I was disappointed with this. Anyway, I started with Acidopholus in March (this has definitely helped me) and 2 weeks ago I started on Heather's Peppermint capsules.
The soluble fiber defintely removed most of my abdominal pain. My GP has just started me on Questran which is a drug used to lower cholesterol and it helps diarrhea. I cannot report on that yet - too early - but I do think that the peppermint capsules are helping too.
After 30 years of "pulling my hair out" and much depression and sadness, I am beginning to stabilise thanks to this site. (I also had my gallbladder removed in 1983 and that can contribute to diarrhea).
I have also been drinking peppermint tea regularly and hardly drink any regular tea now. I am happy to communicate with you via email if that would be helpful - except I am going to Tenerife with my husband and 8 year old grandson on 7th June for a week. I am hoping to be able to post a positive experience from my holiday when I get back.
Hope this is helpful. Judith.
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wanted to tell you what i've definately figured out. like you, i've sensed that anxiety (and in my case) also depression are my biggest triggers.
we've talked some about this recently, but i wanted to consolidate what's finally working SO MUCH better for me: 3 things. btw, i always thought depression was more implicated in those that were C; anxiety more in Ds. now, i am far from as sure....
1) i re-started my klonopin after a month off it. i now take .75 - 1 mg, alternating days, so as not to get 'locked in,' and (possibly) risk an increase in my depression and/or tolerance.
2) i raised my prozac from 10 mg to 15 mg. i've never been able to tolerate the standard 20 mg, but just this small 5 mg increase has helped more than i would have believed.
3) probably (?) because i have one parent who has a personality disorder, other folks of both sexes with pds are very drawn to me - and, truth be known (initially), i to them. quickly, however, these folks then turn on me & scapegoat me or worse....far worse. without getting into a rant on this, suffice to say these people use others, have no empathy, have a huge sense of entitlement, consider people as objects, and are so attention-seeking it's obnoxious, draining, and very negative for the 'receiver.' they love to dump there excess 'stress' (read drama, hysteria, self-manufactured crises...the list is endless) onto others. this, i can not use! (understatement).
*so, perhaps my biggest help has been cutting off all or severely limiting any contact with these types. i've become quite adept at spotting these negativity-generators pretty quickly now, despite the fact that their public personas are often near perfect ones. the difference this has made in my ibs and in my general sense of well-being/ mental health is nothing short of miraculous.
so, if anyone happens to have these types or other negative people in their lives, i can't stress how important it is to remove them by whatever means necessary. the peace you will then achieve is like a new lease on life.
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My best friend went through a load of mental health issues and for a while ALL her friends apart from me also had issues (well I'm not exactly sane or healthy either actually  ). She made a big effort to not spend time with these people and it really helped her heal.
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I anwered this, then felt the post was too long and rambling, so I deleted it. Anyway, I've been taking Buspar for the past three months; I also went to a counselor for a few meetings--cognitive behavior therapy. She recommended keeping an anxiety journal, at the same time every day I was to write for half an hour about what made me anxious, what did I feel. I followed that for about two months. I also have panic attacks which are a separate problem and, I think, much harder to deal with. In the meantime, with the anxiety and panic, somehow I still manage to get out of the house and do things, I still work (just part-time thought). I just work through the panic attacks. I force myself to go out, and it's not always pleasant or comfortable, but it is getting easier. I was against Buspar at first, but now I realized that I needed that extra help to get me started on the right track.
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Quote:
so, perhaps my biggest help has been cutting off all or severely limiting any contact with these types. i've become quite adept at spotting these negativity-generators pretty quickly now, despite the fact that their public personas are often near perfect ones. the difference this has made in my ibs and in my general sense of well-being/ mental health is nothing short of miraculous.
My best friend from high school who turned into my college roommate also had a personality disorder, and my experience with her has me extremely wary of people. I'm very careful now about who I let into my life; I still try to be open and fair, but whenever anyone displays certain behaviors that remind me of that girl, I end the acquaintanceship there. Part of my anxiety involves being around people who will become like my friend and another part is that some day she'll try to push her way back into my life. I have to keep reminding myself that this happened ten years ago--she's probably changed, gotten help (I hope) and moved on with her life.
I definitely agree that the people who are close to you can have an impact on your mental/emotional health! If they start being overly needy or critical or display behaviors typical of someone with a personality disorder, I say, "GOOD BYE FOREVER!"
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the things you still feel/ grapple with since this roommate are exactly the same ones for me. i'll take a guess that your roomie has either borderline or histrionic pd. a bpd woman married my dad yrs after my mom died, and she has since all but ruined our once quite close & warm relationship. it's been a long, brutal, violent saga, filled with wholly unnecessary chaos, crises, deceit & drama.
i wouldn't count on your former roomie having gotten better. few do, even tho they can appear to mellow with age, because they don't think anything is wrong with them...it's everyone else....they are the eternal victims.
and then i could go on about my last s.o., the sociopath. lol. i kicked him out of my life 9 yrs ago. have yrs ago forgiven him/ can even laugh about him. i've learned alot, but, i wouldn't have minded not feeling i had to in order to heal.
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Does Buspar have a constipating effect? I surely don't need that, but definitely have no problem taking anything that would help the generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and having my mind always thinking, thinking, thinking....
In other words, if I need a drug to help me, I have no problem with that!
Thanks for sharing, Maria 
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