Antidepressants....
#242597 - 01/29/06 05:48 PM
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My doctor often talks of starting me on one once I stop nursing my son. She says it should help w/ my general anxiety and usually finds that it helps ppl with their IBS symptoms. She said a man my age (21) started prozac and now has no more symptoms. It sounds too good to be true.
Has anyone else taken an AD and seen a dramatic improvement in their symptoms?
I really do have an irrational fear of passing out and dying (I know, I sound crazy) so I like to think that the AD would help me anyway. But I hate taking medications because I always think I'll get every side effect and then die. I mean, every time I have an IBS symptom I make myself sicker freaking out about it. I had D twice this morning and I have no idea why. Other than lack of sleep and stress, I'm not sure what cause could be. Anyway, I always worry and panic that the painful cramps could cause me to pass out and then have to go to the hospital and die. Why am I so crazy? I have no idea. I should know I'm not going to die, but it has turned into this crazy fear I have. Anyway, I just don't want the AD's to do more harm than good. I took Zoloft and Effexor in the past for VERY short periods of time after and eating disorder, but all they did was make me paranoid that I was going to gain weight and I eventually, just stopped taking them. I was pretty paranoid about side effects and always thought they made me dizzy. (See, I'm weird, I always worry that I'm dizzy because to me that seems like a logical thing to happen before passing out, which is my fear!)
Anyway, enough about my silliness.
If you are taking an AD, what is it? Does it help w/ IBS?
And PS my little bit of D this morning could be caused by stress, lack of sleep, or maybe diet? I've been eating dairy free choc. chips for the past few days. Maybe I had too many? I also had some homemade chicken marinade last night made w/ oil and pita chips at lunch. Do you think I had too much fat the past few days? I had a lot of green bile coloring to my D and mucus in it. Any advice?
I'm trying not to freak out about things, but I just get so worried and anxious about everything!
Any advice or anything would help me.
Thanks 
Amber
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Amber - stress and lack of sleep can be as much of a trigger as any food. What you ate sounds fine.
Speaking as someone who has an anxiety disorder, it really sounds like you do have anxiety issues - especially around illnesses, and medications. AD's are VERY VERY safe, and all those listed side effects are just the pharmaceuticals covering their butts. The chances of them happening to you are extremely limited. Plus, if you do have a side effect, you can of course go back to your Doc for another consultation, and perhaps try another med.
When I started Paxil, I had a little bit of jitteriness for a couple of days and that was it. Every other med I have been on (and trust me there's been a lot), I have had absolutely no side effects whatsoever.
I would suggest you do a board search as well. Hit the search button at the top of the page and type in anti depressants. There is TONS of information - it might help you feel better about it all.
And yes, the AD's were for anxiety, but I felt relief in my IBS on them as well.
HTH
Hugs, Alicia.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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I am on Effexor XR and have pretty much had 100% success (with the exception of my weird quitting carbonated drinks setback this week). This past summer, I had a sleep study and had to go off of Effexor for a month. I didn't even think about it, but next thing I know, I had D again just about every day! I realized how much Effexor was helping me. Once I got back on, the D stopped within a couple of days.
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The gut sotres the majority of the bodies serotonin. Serotonin is what the gut uses to signal the brain about sensations including pain. So low doses of antidepressants can help pain in IBS and in some people it can effect the bowel with either d or c as well.
I believe it is important to use stress reduction techniques or the Hypnotherapy, which actually is safe and can work better on IBS, before going this route.
However they can help and be effective for IBS.
The Use of Antidepressants
in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
and Other Functional GI Disorders
http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=antidepressants+and+ibs+and+unc&ei=UTF-8&u=www.med.unc.edu/wrkunits/2depts/medicine/fgidc/antidepressants.pdf&w=antidepressants+ibs+unc&d=Gh7lZm1aMJTO&icp=1&.intl=us
This is one reason why stress effects IBS.
For most IBSers it can really help to understand this as well as you can.
Posted on Thu, Jan. 19, 2006
Stress can wreak gastrointestinal havocStress doesn't cause irritable bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal problems -- but it can make the symptoms worse.
The gastrointestinal tract is governed by the autonomic nervous system, the nerve network that serves internal organs and works mostly without our thinking about it. The autonomic system has two parts: the sympathetic nervous system, which activates in stressful situations; and the parasympathetic nervous system, the counterpart that promotes quiet activities (such as digestion).
When stress occurs -- work problems, disagreements, money woes or true danger -- the sympathetic nervous system goes into high gear. Your body responds in fight-or-flight mode, prepared to face or run away from danger, even if the "danger" is a traffic ticket or a teenager driving you crazy.
When the sympathetic system is in charge, in essence, your gastrointestinal system turns off. The body is not worried about digestion when it's geared up to respond to an emergency.
That is the motor side of things; yet the gastrointestinal system also has a sensory side. The autonomic nervous system sends sensory signals to the brain. During times of stress, our brains are looking for clues from all over; our bodies are more vigilant about sensing what is going on. Under stress, the gut feels more and does less. For anyone, stomachaches and diarrhea are common symptoms of stress.
So it's no surprise that stress can intensify symptoms of gastrointestinal conditions.
With irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic condition with symptoms that include abdominal pain, cramping, gas, diarrhea and constipation, the severity of symptoms varies widely.
For many people, managing stress is the first line of treatment, along with changes in lifestyle and diet. Medication can be helpful for people with more severe symptoms.
SOURCE: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/dfw/news/news_to_use/13661149.htm?source=rss&channel=dfw_news_to_use
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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also I highly recommend reading this also.
The Other Brain Also Deals With Many Woes
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/other/articles/2005/08/23/the_other_brain_also_deals_with_many_woes/
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Dont fell bad your not the only one out there with these types of problems. Most of my attacks happen when I am alone. If I am left by myself I really start freaking out. Thinking Im going to die and no one will find me for hours, or that I will pass out and be alone. I took Antidepressants for about 2 years. I tried 4 or 5 diffenent kinds, but they all made me shake, feel sick, and more freaked out than I was before I started them. Alot of my family takes them, and they like them. I just live day by day, and hope things get better.
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I take Prozac, and believe me, it's no cure for IBS..I wish it would have worked like it did for that man.
BTW, why would she suggest Prozac for you, since you are a D? Prozac has a high occurence of D for most people!  It is usually only prescribed for C folks, in my experience. Prozac tends to cause diarrhea.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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