Anyone taken Zelnorm?
#208614 - 08/25/05 06:24 PM
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Not sure if this is the right place for this type of thing but I was wondering if anyone has taken Zelnorm, I am a 32 year old male who was diagnosed with IBS (spastic colon) 4 years ago (It took me 2 years prior to that for my doctor to get me a gastro appointment), symptoms are constipation,abdominal pain, flatulence etc... . I was prescribed antispasmatics (bentylol), that worked ok I guess but I felt like a walking zombie all the time, I was on those for about 6 months I think.
I ran into Heathers website a year after I was diagnosed and started on the diet and that worked well for almost 2 years and then I started to have problems again. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong but I had trouble stabalizing, (it's possible I wasn't following the diet as carefully as I should, I have a problem accepting my IBS as a fact of life). I went back to my Gastro and he asked me if I wanted to try Zelnorm, I tried it and it worked wonderfully to the point that I was eating in a manner that I could only describe as reckless (for an IBS sufferer). 5 months later I went off the Zelnorm (I know you're not supposed to take it longer than 3 months but my Gastro had a skiing accident and my appointment kept getting put off) things were still good for about 3 more months and then I think my recklessness caught up to me and I had THE worst attack of my life about 2 months ago. I'm still recovering now, and I've gone back to heathers diet and its working ok but I'm still having trouble. I have an appointment with my gastro in 2 weeks and I'm going to look at doing another 3 months of Zelnorm to get me solidly back on my feet (if I'm still a mess in 3 weeks) and this time I intend on sticking closer to Heathers Diet while I'm on it and when I go off. I'm not crazy about taking drugs (especially one that hasn't been clinically tested on men) but I want to get back to the pain and cramp free world where my feces aren't flat or pencil thin.
Anyway I just wanted to know if anyone has had PERSONAL experience with this drug especially if you're male. I've read all the horror stories and I've visted the Zelnorm site to get the sunny side of it too, so please don't tell me it's going to melt my colon unless it melted yours or someone you know!
BTW constipation and spasms are my symptoms, I have never had diarrhea symptoms even when taking Zelnorm.
Thanks any help would be greatly appreciated!
greg
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Hi there! I'm not male but I am just about done my three months of zelnorm. I read something on here the other day it only works for women because it affects our hormones. I haven't read the pharmacological info on it, but I do know it's only recommended for women. Your doctor should have known that, I would question him the next time you see him as to why he would prescribe that to you. When you think about it, it's comparable to a doctor giving a man birth control pills to prevent pregnancy!
As for how well it works, I question it. I started following Heather's diet around the same time I started the zelnorm, so it was hard to tell if it was working. As long as I'm eating well I feel decent, and occasionally I seem to be able to handle some forbidden foods, but as soon as I ingest something bad more than once a day for a few days in a row, I'm right back to square one. I was eating out a lot last week and did I ever pay the price for that. Just started to feel about 70% better today (still exhausted and bloated) and then I blew it on donuts and fries (but they were so good).
Good luck!
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Safari?
#208714 - 08/26/05 07:01 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Are you still taking Slim Styles PGX as your SFS source?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Greg...
#208717 - 08/26/05 07:07 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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...search on Zelnorm on this forum and you'll get loads of info. It was talked about in relation to men only recently.
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Re: Safari?
#208757 - 08/26/05 09:18 AM
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Safari567
Reged: 06/05/05
Posts: 51
Loc: Saskatchewan, Canada
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No, I haven't been, it was too expensive to take all the time (up to $40 a week). I have a little stashed that I've been wanting to experiment with when things get bad, but haven't had a chance because I'm afraid to take it before I go to work! It kicked in within an hour the first time I took it, so I'm afraid it'll affect me the same way now since I haven't had it in awhile. If I think of it I'll take it one night next week to see if it helps the C and bloating I get in the morning. In my opinion it would be a better way to empty everything out compared to taking laxatives, especially since MOM did nothing for me!
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to help your Constipation? I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks again!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Ha ha, your guess is as good as mine! I'm taking 6 tsp of acacia a day right now, plus bread/rice/pasta, etc, at almost every meal. Sometimes if I eat canned peaches about half an hour after breakfast it'll get things moving.
When I need to go but can't and don't have the time or patience, I'll use glycerine suppositories. Those work in about five minutes! For me that's the quickest way to get immediate relief, but it's not something that should be used regularly. I also know that when I was on the treadmill three days a week I wasn't as constipated.
For awhile there I was trying to eat beans once a day (1/2 cup to 1 cup), and that does help. They don't have much taste so dump a good sauce on them, such as peanut sauce or condensed tomato soup. I think you mentioned you were trying to gain weight, so the beans might hinder that since I found I ate way less calories in a day when eating beans.
One thing I've been eating a lot of lately is canned peas. I'm not sure if they are IF or SF, but they don't bother me and are high in fiber (1/2 can is ~5g).
Hope this helps, let me know if you find any good tricks! 
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Hi Safari, Peas are principally IF since they are mostly skin.
I too have found them not to bother me, but then again I didn't realize that apple skins probably have been bothering
me. Say, do you know if that Slim Styles PGX is available in
the US too? -Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Don't they give you big time gas?
Do you have a recipe for the peanut sauce that is safe? I would love to try that on rice noodles.
When you say you eat bread/pasta/rice at every meal to help your C, are you eating whole wheat breads and brown rice? I tend to get more C when I eat a lot of white rice and white foods in general I think .
Did you run or walk on the treadmill? I walk 30 min. everyday, but think I need something more intense.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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That's funny! I can polish off 4-6 cups of well cooked string beans without any gas whatsoever! Seriously! I love the things! But then again, I can eat a Cost Co. bag of spinach (cooked/pureed) in a meal, and that's a kilo (2.2. lbs.). I can also eat
6 cups of zucchini without a hassle in the least. Ditto for mushrooms. I don't have a problem with asparagus and can easily enjoy a bunch of a pound or so. Weird, huh? It only goes to show you how we're all individuals. A yam or a potatoe, on the other hand gives me the WORST pain/cramps/stomach ache. Ditto for cereal out of a box or a piece of bread. Most bizzare.
Kate, IBS-D, nearly A.
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..which I do okay with. I thought the poster was referring to bean beans! Like black beans, lentil beans, red beans, etc.
I'm afraid of asparagus, but love it. I think it's suppose to be a gassy food! Lucky you Wind! Enjoy!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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