peppermint caps and fibercon
#28336 - 11/21/03 07:46 PM
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Shanna
Reged: 11/15/03
Posts: 471
Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA
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is it necesaary to the the caps if i am already drinking a mint tea?
also, is it necessary to take fibercon before a meal if the meal has soluble fiber in it?
thanks!
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"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." -- e e cummings
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Hi - the caps are much stronger than peppermint tea, because they're pure peppermint oil. I was actually a bit shocked when I started taking them, as I've been drinking peppermint tea for years and figured the caps would be pretty much the same. They're not - they're a lot more potent. I find them extremely helpful before any meal that has more fat than I'd like. I also find them helpful for menstrual cramps - and they have a double benefit there because that's when my IBS tends to flare (yoga has also helped this).
If your meal is low fat and high soluble fiber, you don't necessarily need the fibercon. But it won't hurt. The soluble fiber supplement isn't a requirement if you consistently get soluble fiber with your snacks and meals -it's just a handy shortcut, a way to keep yourself safe before meals with too much insoluble fiber and/or fat, and an easy way to make sure you get enough soluble fiber everyday.
If you're at all unstable, I'd definitely add in a supplement on top of the soluble fiber foods. For constipation like you're having trouble with now, make sure you're working your way up to 12-15 grams of a soluble fiber supplement every day (with lots of water). For fibercon, that's 24-30 pills - a lot, I know. It's easier to get enough of a supplement with a powder, because they have a lot more grams of fiber per dose.
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks Heather! I will DEFINITELY take your advice.  )
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"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." -- e e cummings
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The coating on the caps allows the oil to make it all the way to your lower intestine too -- which is where it really helps us -- whereas the tea is distributed all over the place ( I drink the tea too though). I have noticed a big difference in my symptoms since taking the caps just one to two times a day. I planned on taking them more - but with the other meds I need for my asthma... and not drinking near meals to help with digestion.... it's cut down on the number of capsules I can take. lol
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well, i will certainly try them, then. thanks!
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"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." -- e e cummings
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I started taking the caps for about a week, but stopped when my doctor put me on Bentyl because I wanted to see how the Bentyl worked alone. Plus they were giving me some acid reflux, but that's another story. I'd still like to start them again, because it sounds like they can really be beneficial. Before I do, I just want to check, it's okay to take the peppermint caps along with prescription meds, right?
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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I asked here and someone else told me that ginger can cause problems with some meds - so you should ask your doctor or pharm if it will cause problems with your meds.
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Thanks for the info, kshsmom. I actually did ask my doctor at the time she prescribed the Bentyl, but honestly, I trust the knowledge of a lot of the people around here more than I do my doctor! She had to look up the IBS meds in a little book!
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Kree....
#28412 - 11/22/03 02:44 PM
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Heather
Reged: 12/09/02
Posts: 7799
Loc: Seattle, WA
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I haven't found any known interactions between peppermint or fennel and prescription drugs. I don't know if I'd take the Peppermint Caps and antispasmodics (like Bentyl) at the same time (though this should be safe) simply because they're doing the exact same thing. What you might do is try the Bentyl for a week or two, and then switch to the peppermint caps for a week or two. Both of them are fast-acting, take-as-needed meds. You don't need to build up over weeks for the Bentyl to work (as with anti-depressants). If it's going to help you, you'll know the first day or two.
I've played with trying Donnatol (the anti-spasmodic I have - didn't do as well with Bentyl), then the peppermint caps, and ended up giving up the Donnatol altogether. I found the caps more effective, and they didn't have the side effects (dry eyes and mouth, and drowsiness) that drove me nuts with the Donnatol.
Let me know how things go!
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks for the advice, Heather! I think I'll take your suggestion and try the peppermint caps again now that I've given the Bentyl a try. The Bentyl has made me feel a little bit better, but didn't have as much of an effect as I had hoped it would. My only problem with the peppermint caps was that they gave me pretty bad acid reflux, which I had never had before in my life. But I never really got a chance to experiment with taking it at different times, so maybe it's about time I do that. I'll definitely let you know the outcome. Thanks again!
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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