what are people taking??
#291691 - 11/28/06 05:49 PM
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daneam
Reged: 11/21/06
Posts: 3
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Hi Everyone.
I just wanted to know what people are taking for their IBS problems. I have IBS-D with loads of trapped gas and gerd, so I guess I'm just trying to see what works for other people cause I'm not really sure if what I'm taking is working right for me. ( I understand that not everything works the same for people, but it's nice to get some recommendations)
I also wanted to know if anyone else was taking any of the same stuff I am and what they think.
**I'm taking Jarro-Dophilus EPS as a probiotic (used to take Jarro w/ FOS but it just made my gas worse)
**I take Acid Soothe by Enzymedica as a digestive enzyme because it doesn't have protease in it which can aggrivate gastritis.
**I'm also on Protonix for gerd
**Hyoscyamine which is a antispasmodic
**Heather's fiber
Does anyone take other types of fiber? I want to buy a more portable kind for when I'm away from home, but I'm nervous about the types that can cause more gas.
Thanks for all your help and suggestions!!
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Hi, have you tried drinking any fennel tea? It's great for gas and bloating.
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I have to admit that I stopped taking a fiber supplement... not because it didn't work (it did!), but because I'm desperately poor and I just couldn't afford to buy it anymore. That said, it did make a difference, and it's the only thing I ever took with any regularity.
The fiber supplement I used was FiberChoice. I chose it specifically because it was portable (chewable tablets) and easy to take, but it is one of the "gassier" supplements. (I never had any gas problems with it.)
Sooo... anyway...
* FiberChoice (not anymore)
* Peppermint tea as an antispasmodic (works perfectly!)
* Imodium (OTC antidiarrheal), 1 tablet as needed for emergencies
I second the vote for trying fennel for the gas - from what I've heard, it really works very well, and it's a cheap OTC natural remedy, all plusses in my book. 
I don't have GERD, but I did always have a lot of heartburn... the interesting thing is that it eventually cleared up completely while following Heather's diet. I don't expect it to work that way for everyone, but just to say that the diet changes may have some pleasantly unexpected effects on the rest of your GI tract, too.
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Daily:
- Primal Defense probiotic (1 with dinner)
- Acacia fiber (~4 teaspoons spread over about 16 hours)
- Eater's Digest tea (1 cup after dinner)
- Peppermint and/or fennel tea (at least one cup)
The fennel tea is great for gas.
As Needed:
- Digest Gold digestive enzymes (often before eating out)
- Heather's peppermint capsules
- Easy Now tea (for stress)
- Immodium (very rarely and in tiny doses)
- Flax Seed Oil capsules (also rarely, but for C)
- Nux Vomica (homeopathic remedy)
The peppermint capsules and the nux vomica are what I reach for most often when I am not feeling well. I tend to treat D with more supplements/teas/remedies, while I tend to address C mainly through adjustments to my diet.
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-Carol
IBS-A
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I take (in order of importance):
Acacia - 6 tsp spread throughout day
Beano - to prevent gas from most IF and soy foods
Imodium - when needed
BIO-K+ - probiotic 1/2 bottle in the morning (just started recently)
Peppermint caps - usually with dinner, always when going to a restauarant
Also some vitamins:
B12 vitamin - daily
Calcium - daily
I have tried many other things but these are the ones I settled on. I tried fennel seeds (chew and swallow them instead of making tea), and gas-x when I was having gas problems, but my 'cure' for gas was the Beano.
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Kat
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Including meds and supplements, it totals to about 10 or eleven things. Um, maybe 12! 
And no, I'm not stable....just broke! Can't figure out which ones are helping...if any.
I'm really surprised more people aren't taking digestive enzymes.
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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I take a lot, too, so you're not alone on this one!
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Tierney
IBS-C
www.StandardProcess.com[/url] = the home of REAL supplements
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I just 2 others...fish oil caps and peppermint caps...so that would bring me to 14. Wow, never stopped and actually counted them. 
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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- Acacia - about 1 tsp 3 times a day
- magnesium citrate (only rarely)
- pepermint caps (only very rarely, when I suspect I ate too much or something bad, just as a preventive)
- beano on the rare days that I eat beans
I am stable, IBS-C
I used to take dairy-zyme a dietary supplement with lactase and some enzymes, but my doctor told me just the lactase might be useful for me (since all my protein levels were good according to the tests) and I am not lactose intollerant so I stopped taking that.
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I don't take anything except prenatal vitamins because I can't stomach regular multi-vitamins. I have considered taking a probiotic, but they were so expensive that I didn't buy them. I am a little paranoid about medicines and possible side effects, so I just chose to go about this by altering my diet. I have been fortunate to be able to stabilize without the need for any other supplements or medications so far. I think some people just need a little extra support from supplements or medications to stabilize and some don't. The fiber supplements, I think, are great if you need them. I wouldn't rush into the meds or other less natural products, though, until you've honestly tried the diet.
I realize this isn't the subject of this thread... it's just a little peave of mine that I felt like mentioning... I have kept pretty strictly to the EFI diet (except for my one occasional cheat food), and I stabilized in just a few months. But I am serious about being strict with it. The ONLY thing I ever eat that is not "safe" is a slice or two of pizza from the local place here because it doesn't make me sick. That's really it. Otherwise, I ALWAYS eat only safe foods. ALWAYS. I see a lot of people on here talking about frustration with not being stable, but then they are eating all kinds of junk. I don't get it. My dad does the same thing. He's had IBS for years, but he still eats all kinds of stuff he shouldn't, and he's sick all the time. He still functions and does his job and all, but he always has an upset stomach. I can't understand why he wouldn't want to feel better. Oh well... to each his own... 
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I also stabilized quickly and with only diet change. But, my diet consisted of white bread and rice (not healthy! LOL). I've added in a few things including Acacia and Beano to try and be able to eat more IF and more fat. Imodium has helped me travel and deal with stressful situations.
I agree with the trigger foods/cheating. Some people may not have immediate reactions to them, and so may think they are not the cause of their symptoms. All I can say is cutting out trigger foods completely was the only thing that made me stable. It may take some dicipline, it may be frustrating and you might wish to eat whatever you want, but being stable is so worth it.
I would not be stable if I was eating cheese, pork, or burgers "every now and then". It takes a while (not just a few days or week) of not eating any triggers to really notice the difference. Like I said, it's worth it! Anyone reading this and wanting to cheat.. don't!
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Kat
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K2 - Do you go through alot of Beano? Form what I understand you take it with any soy you eat and IF food - do you need to take it with any SF foods , certain vegtable? Thanks - Debbie IBS-A I am just thinking of trying it as trapped gas is a major IBS sympton for me.
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I take 1 with lunch and dinner. And also 1 with soy milk. I don't end up going through a lot. For small snacks or small amounts of IF I don't bother anymore.
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Kat
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Only ONE? I wish!! I'm still taking FOUR Beanos with any meal that contains IF!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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No. I eat plenty of SF foods... might not be the healthiest thing like Kat said (lots of French bread, white rice, pasta, etc.), but I enjoy those foods anyway and prefer not to take any extra things if I don't have to. If I were going to take anything, though, it would probably be a fiber supplement simply because I think it's the most natural option.
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i take quite a bit but am rather stable now.
i take;
i take probiotics and arginine in the early morning
multi vitamin, fish oil, enzymes, quercetin, b-control pill, lexapro and mag-pot aspartate with breakfast
i take glutamine later on
i take enzymes and iron/b-12 pill at snack
i take enzymes at lunch
i take probiotic and arginine before snack
i take enzymes with snack
i take enzymes, quercetin, mag-pot with dinner
i take probiotics and arginine with snack
and lastly glutamine before bed
i used to take acacia but no longer seemt to need it
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Like K2, I take Beano daily. I agree that it's awesome for avoiding food related GAS attacks/discomfort. I go through about a package every week (i.e. bottle of 60 Beano). If it's a high stress week, I'll use up to 1.5 bottles of Beano.
Kate, IBS-D.
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LOL, I have to say I'm not prone to bloating and gas (unless I have dairy) so it seems that 1 Beano is enough for about 1/2 cup of veggies. If it eat all safe SF foods and meat, then I don't get any gas at all. I'd assume if someone is more prone to gas or eats more veggies then more Beano would be needed.
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Kat
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Do you take a digestive enzyme is addition to the beano?
What supplements are you taking, Lisa Marie? How much Acacia are you up to?  You only increased the amount by 1/4 tsp a week, right?
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Where've you been, Jordy?? I've been wondering about you.
I'm up to 6 teaspoons (2 Tablespoons) of Acacia per day! I've been able to increase more quickly since I've been taking Bio-K for almost three months now. This will be my last week of that, though. I think it has really helped.
I have been taking 4 beano with each meal, but I switched this weekend to GasStop by RenewLife. I'm trying it out this week to see if it works better than Beano. So far so good!
I'm still taking Natural Calm, but I'm up to 3 teaspoons per day. I had to increase my Effexor dose recently, and that added to my C a bit. Oh well. Can't have everything all at once, right?
How are YOU doing?
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Hey!
Is that all you take in the way of supplements? Only Acacia and Natural Calm???
Have you ever tried Miralax or flaxmeal? Or even Zelnorm?
I'm trying not to be on the boards so much. My doctor thinks it is not good for me to be on the boards because they seem to cause me more fear of foods and obsessive thoughts on IBS. I just need to get so unfocused on IBS. It's hard, though!
I'm the same as ever. Not good. Still so bloated, gassy, constipated....I just want to give up.
How long did it take you to get up that much Acacia? You are doing better on the increased amount than before?
I tried Bio-K too for about 90 days. At first I thought it was helping, but then I started to think the soy was making me more bloated and gassy. But now that I've stopped it, I still seem to be extra bloated and gassy.  It's my most bothersome symptom. Plus, Bio-K was way too expensive to use everyday as a regular probiotic.
My doctor put me on wellbutrin in addition to my Prozac. Don't think I like all these meds! Who knows what they are doing to my GI system. Plus, they seem to be causing me more anxiety. That's not good!
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Yup, that's it: Beano/GasStop, Acacia, and NC. (And I'm taking Effexor for depression, but that's not a "supplement".) I've been increasing my acacia slowly since I started it last fall; 6 months maybe?
There is a tough balance there; figuring out when the boards are helping you, and when they're not. Not a bad idea to take a break for awhile! So you're taking some different meds for anxiety type stuff - but what about other options? Are you exercising daily? Drinking lots of water? Have you tried seeing a therapist or using the hypno program? I can't remember what all you've tried.
Have you been tested for food allergies? Have you tried taking Beano before meals?
I wish you were getting some relief!! I know how frustrating those symptoms are. I'm still recovering from a setback I had over the weekend....
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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