Acacia Effects??
#305999 - 04/27/07 04:42 AM
|
|
|
|
wendyc
Reged: 03/20/06
Posts: 78
Loc: Florida
|
|
|
I started my Acacia on Monday. 1/4 tsp 2xp/day (bc I'm very prone to gas!). I figured add 1/4 tsp until I get up to the right dose. Only thing is I'm feeling very gassy and full. I've not done anything different with my eating so it can't be that. I feel as though I've never really "gone" enough and I'm having BM's throughout the day (when I'm stable I go once in the am). GROSS but my BM's are also very hard and pebble like and I have to strain to make it happen. None of these were an issue before - as I said, I'd go once in the am like a "normal" person and it was not a struggle. Could my body be having a negative reaction to the Acacia?
--------------------
IBS-D, Acid Reflux, ???
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
--------------------
IBS-D, Acid Reflux, ???
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I don't use the acacia SFS myself, but I use another SFS. Usually though I am happy when the bowels are slow and the stool is pebble like (as long as I don't have to strain myself too much to get it out) but this is because I have a nerve damaged sphincter so I need to have really slow bowels to feel "safe" enough.
For a person with normal sphincter normal stool is of course preferable. Do you drink enough with your SFS and throughout the day? Because the problem you are having does seem to be what can happen if you have your SFS with too little fluid.
Hope someone else here can help you more.
Good luck.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
You're not increasing by 1/4 tsp every day are you?? When I first started the acacia, I took 1/4 tsp twice daily (like you) for 1 week. Then I spent one week increasing by 1/4 tsp. Then I stayed at that new dose for a week. Then another week increasing by 1/4 tsp, etc. I went VERY slowly.
Are you adding IF to your diet? Drinking LOTS of water?
--------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
How many days were you at the 1/4 tsp. 2x day dose before increasing?
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I haven't increased yet at all. I wanted to wait a FULL week which would start my increasing by 1/4 tsp on Monday. I've only been taking the 1/4 tsp 2 x/p day. As far as increasing my IF, I'm torn between what I should and shouldn't eat. I have Heather's list, I'm just still nervous (I'm sure you can all relate). I've been trying to drink more water (I teach so I have to be careful during the day). An increase in water would help? It's not so much the consistency that's the problem, it's the straining involved with every BM. I've had an anal fissure closed so I have to be really careful in that area. Any other suggestions? I'm thinking of not taking it. Is that unwise? Thanks all! 
--------------------
IBS-D, Acid Reflux, ???
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I don't know if it's much help--but before I started Heather's diet and SFS, I had the hard, dry pebble stools, had the straining, and the feeling of incomplete evacuation. But the IBS diet seemed to correct it.
By the way, before I got acacia, I switched from a psyllium fiber to "Triple Fiber" (by Renew Life Co.--available in HFS). I was using a 1/2 dose (2 gm) twice a day (1/2 scoop = 1.5 gm insoluable to .5 soluable fiber). The fibers are flaxseed, oat bran, acacia. I still take that same amount, plus 1 tsp. 2 x per day of Healther's acacia. I do 2 bm's in the morning usually, and they're not hard anymore, thank goodness.
The only things that I did different were: eating smaller amounts more often, eating brown rice cream cereal in the morning, eating short-grain brown rice (not white rice) plus cooked soups. Just drinking more water didn't have much effect.
Maybe you need to add a bit more insoluable fiber--I don't know.
Being constipated --slowly moving system--means all the water gets drawn out of the stools by the time they get "to the end of the line."
I also added more exercise--going to the gym 2-3 times a week (45 min), even though I'm pretty lazy--that seems to help, too--but change takes time.
C
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Not sure if this is going to help you or confuse you, but I was at a point where my bms were like yours and I was feeling gassy/bloated so I DECREASED my acacia instead of increasing it like everyone suggested. The thing is...for me my situation was a bit different...originally a d (very d), then turned A with 3 1/2 tsp/day (REALLY helped with the d), then started taking an antidepressant which made me turn c. I kind of feel now like I don't really need the acacia (I just take 1/2 tsp daily in the AM) as long as I am stable (pretty much except for gas and bloating I'm still trying to totally conquer), I eat enough IF, drink water, and try to do moderate exercise.
On the other hand, lots of C'ers swear that they need MORE acacia to allow them to eat more IF (Heather says the same thing). I was eating so much IF though that I think I was getting gasier from it. I don't know. I guess we are all different. I don't want to go against the recommendations to increase the Acacia, I just want to say that it didn't work for me once I was c. If I ever go off the meds, I KNOW I'll need to go back to taking much more acacia to control my d.
You could always try increasing by 1/4 tsp for a week and see how that goes, and if not, decrease and see what happens. Also, K2 swears by sit-ups to "get things moving." Feel better. 
--------------------
Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
You start at 1/4 tsp twice a day...but do you add 1/4 tsp to each dose or just to one of them, per week?
--------------------
IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
i added 1/4 teaspoon TOTAL each week.
--------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
