I Need Everyone's Help
#50087 - 03/12/04 01:34 PM
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Kimm
Reged: 03/10/04
Posts: 1171
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Hello everyone!! First I want to thank you all for your support and suggestions. I've only been coming to this board for a few days but I already have piece of mind just knowing that there are other people out there who are experiencing the same things as I am everyday!!
I wanted to ask for some help in figuring out the various medications though. I have an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday because I've found that Dicetel just isn't working for me. I'd like to try another medication but I don't think my doctor would be able to suggest anything off-hand.
My question is:
What are all the various medications that you guys know about and what are they for?
Anything you guys could tell me would me much appreciated. This way I could make a list and take it with me to my doctor. 
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My doctor put my on Zelmorn about 2 weeks ago. I am doing pretty good with it so far. I think some people have problems with it, but I haven't. Good luck
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Meds
#50097 - 03/12/04 02:38 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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I take:
1. Spasmonal Forte (Alverine Citrate), a smooth muscle relaxant - for cramps.
2. Immodium (loperamide) when needed - for diarrhoea.
3. Lansoprazole - for GERDS.
4. Citalopram, a SSRI - for depression and IBS.
I also take supplements: Acacia, a probiotic, a multivitamin, Vitamin C and Echinacea.
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I take Dicyclomine(an antispasmodic) for D. It works pretty well and doesn't make me sleepy like Librax does, since it doesn't contain any tranquilizer. I think it's also fairly safe, since supposedly you can take a whole lot of it! I usually only need 10-20mg to stop or prevent an attack. And these days, that's not very often thanks to Heather! Good luck with your doc!
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--Julie
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Meds for Kimm
#50108 - 03/12/04 02:59 PM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Well, I can't remember if you're a D or a C, so....
What symptom are you trying to take care of? Cramps? Diarrhea? Both?
I'm a D. This is what I take:
If I have diarrhea only, I take Lomotil.
If I have light cramps but no diarrhea, I take Hyoscyamine which I dissolve under my tongue. Nu-Lev is supposed to do the same for cramps (you dissolve it under your tongue) but it does nothing for me.
If I have diarrhea and my cramps are SEVERE, then I pull out the big guns -- Donnatal -- and it works every time. However, it takes awhile to kick in (about an hour to an hour and a half), so I also take Equalactin, which works immediately.
Those names will probably sound strange to you up there in Canada, but your doctor will have a Canadian version of each I'm sure.
Now, having said that, did you see Heather's post about her peppermint caps? She used to take Donnatal as well, but she said she found that her peppermint caps work BETTER than Donnatal as an anti-spasmodic! WOW! So, you might contact Heather and order some of her peppermint caps.
One last comment about Donnatal: my GI wouldn't give it to me, claiming it is addictive. It's not; my prescription that my California doctors gave me expired before I had even finished half the bottle! The bottle I have now which my regular doc prescribed for me is almost a year old and is still half full. Obviously it's not addictive to me. Nevertheless, that might be an issue.
Oh, here you go! I just looked it up in my Funk & Wagnal's: "Donnatal is actually a combination of Atropine, Hyoscyamine, Scopolamine, and -- are you ready -- Phenobarbital."
Quote:
"Warning: special mental and physical adverse effects. Older adults are especially sensitive to the harmful anticholinergic effects of a family of drugs called belladonna alkaloids. Atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine are all in this family. Drugs in this family should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Mental effects: confusion, delirium, short-term memory problems, disorientation, and impaired attention. Physical effects: dry mouth, constipation, difficulty urinating (especially for a man with an enlarged prostate), blurred vision, decreased sweating with increased body temperature, sexual dysfunction, and worsening of glaucoma."
Hey, this might explain why I'm so crazy!
Heather's peppermint caps sound pretty good right now, eh?
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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I'm IBS A -nt-
#50110 - 03/12/04 03:03 PM
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Kimm
Reged: 03/10/04
Posts: 1171
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Me too Kimm. When I'm C, well I'm never really sure what to do about it other than drink lots of fennel tea and a steady but small flow of insoluble fiber. Heck, sometimes when I'm C, I think to myself, well a little cup of coffee might do the trick--and then I remember how horrible and painful THAT would be  Somehow it's just easier to deal with the symptoms of D. But I've really upped my dose of solube fiber supplements and it's helping!!
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--Julie
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I take Librax, it is supposed to be a preventative, but it does seem to "prevent" the bad ones. I'm IBS D, with tons of pain, cramping and nausea. Since Heather's diet, I have decreased my Librax to 2 a day. I take Citrucel for my fiber supplement and Prevacid for my GERD and Prozac for depression/IBS, even though it hasn't had any studies for IBS. I'm actually hoping that eventually I can decreased the Librax to 1 daily, than none. I do drink a lot of peppermint tea, decaf and drink a lot of water. I make my own tea with altoids and have used Heather's idea of swallowing a whole altoid before a big meal. I tried all the antispasmodics for IBS-D and the only one that worked the best was Librax, but it is also supposed to be habit forming, since it does contain a small amount of Librium.
Hope this helps
Cheryl
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IBS-D, extreme pain and cramping - GERD - lactose/dairy intolerant, OCD, Fibromyalgia
DX: w/ Multiple Sclerosis 3/10
I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me. Phil 4:13
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thanks for the advice...
I find it's much easier for me to deal with the IBS C cuz when I'm D I'm constantly running to the washroom and I don't wanna be in the wrong place at the wrong time (if you know what I mean!!  )
Although I do find both equally uncomfortable I have yet to find any kind of medication or supplement to relieve my IBS A...I order Heather's Acacia which I'm looking forward to trying cuz metamucil just gives me bloating and cramps...
Anyway...thanks again my IBS A friend!! 
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No problem Kimm! And I totally know what you mean! I'm waiting for my acacia too...so we'll have to see how it goes! Heather said it should really help to stablize me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
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--Julie
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