caffeine
#99217 - 08/18/04 02:51 PM
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Hi everybody,
Can someone help me determine if there is an IBS-safe way to get caffeine. Drinking caffeinated drinks obviously can activate the gastro-colic trigger, but can caffeine pills be injested safely and bypass the trigger area? Or is there any other way to get caffeine into your system? (nasal spray, patch etc.)
Thanks
PS I need the caffeine for low BP reasons and it seems to help better than my medications.
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Hi,
Don't know the answer to that question but if nobody on the boards replies why don't you ask a pharmacist. Sometimes they know a lot more than doctors about things like that.
Barbie
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I take caffeine tablets for my fibromyalgia fatigue. I haven't noticed any problem with them so since you need them for medicinal purposes, why not try them and see.
Not something I'd normally recommend to everybody, but in your situation, like mine, sometimes we have to find a middle ground.
As you probably know, they're available over the counter in the drugstore and there's lots of brands including store brands. No Doz, Lucidex, Vivarin, etc.
Good luck and welcome to the boards!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Hey LS,
I thought I had read somewhere that caffeine can trigger migraines.....Is that true? Also, chocolate. I know you have been having a lot of migraines lately. I am sure you have done the research on this but just thought I would mention it.
Barbie
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That is a tricky one, especially since most people just try to avoid it!
While we are on the topic of caffeine, I wanted to note that after detoxing my body so much through this diet over the months, now when I take Midol Menstrual pills to combat my severe cramps, they keep me up all night from the caffeine they contain! No lie, last three periods, I will not sleep for the entire night, or will get something like 2 hours in. I finally made the connection last night. makes me all jittery too.
Looks like I have to find a new way to combat cramps! 
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-Sheri
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-Sheri
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I too get horrible, horrible cramps - and for a while I was taking 800 mg Motrin and it worked awsome...the doctor stopped perscribing it to me - I now take Alieve and it works just as well...advil and all others do not work - andI do not think there is an caffine in Alieve...try it!! 
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Donell 
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I get migraines and caffine does not trigger them it actually helps them...I have to take excedrin because it contains caffine (all brands of excedrin (tension, migraine, and the regular) contain the same ingredients!!)- when you get a migraine the blood vessels get constricted and caffine releases the constriction...BUT you have to be careful with Excedrin - because of the amount of caffine in them you can get addicted ( I DID) and then your body becomes so use to having that much caffine that if you dont continue taking them you get a headache(a regular one not a mnigraine) from not enough caffine...so you cant depend on them but when it feels really bad I take them...
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Donell
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I have black or green tea on occasion, and it doesn't seem to bother me (in moderation). I'm C-predominant, so the gentler/heathier triggers (raw fruit, tea, etc.) don't really bug me and often help.
I also have low blood pressure, and getting enough salt is key for keeping me from getting dizzy all the time. Fortunately, I love both pickles and canned soup!
--AC
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Anyone who is suffering with bad cramps should give alleve a try! I have always had BAD cramps and have tried all kinds of meds. I pop two aleve at the first sign of cramps and they work like a charm. My dr. also told me to take 4 a day a few days before my period and that seems to help even more! I too don't take midol because of the caffine! Besides, caffine is bad for your cramps, PMS and IBS!! Also midol has diuretics in it which can cause consipation.
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~Wookie
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Hey Doe! Unrelated to this.. how is the breakup thing going???
Dina
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Yes, Chocolate does contain caffeine. I have a Mitral Valve Prolaspe and my Cardiologist informed me to stay a way from chocolate because of the caffeine; it can cause me to have palpitations.
I could, however, drink decaf coffee until IBS reared its ugly head. Of course, I had to give that up too. But as long as it helps my IBS, I really don't mind. And, when I gave up coffee, I had no withdrawal symptoms that I recognized. Perhaps the D and C was so bad I just did not notice.
Good Luck.
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God never promised life would be easy, but he did promise to provide a way out!
Edited by Lene (08/19/04 10:18 AM)
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Funny you ask today. My ex and I broke up about a couple of months ago or so, as you know. I started seeing someone new about a month ago, just dating (nothing serious). Naturally, I compare everything about the two guys and they are polar opposites! Which is good and bad. But I have had my ex on my mind a bunch here lately and I even dreamed about him last night. I have wanted to text him so bad and just say something like - 'I still think of you. Hope your doing okay.' But I didnt do it. It didn't work the first time so why would it work again, right? But that doesn't mean I don't think about him often. I had a dream that I called him and tried to get back together and he turned me down. I was so sad. I spoke with him about a month ago and that has been it. Break-ups are so hard sometimes! Thanks for asking and letting me vent on you a bit! 
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~Wookie
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I have taken Rx strength "Aleve" - Naprosyn - off and on for many years because I have a really bad back (scoliosis, degenerative disk disease). This past spring my doctor prescribed naprosyn again because my back pain was flaring up really badly. It totally TORE UP my stomach, even though I was taking it with food  I know this was Rx strength stuff, but I couldn't help adding my two cents in about Aleve  I just don't want anyone to suffer as much as I did I also wonder if taking the naprosyn (and some other anti-inflammatories) over the years has contributed to my stomach problems. My doctors won't even let me have any anti-inflammatories anymore, so I'm stuck with Tylenol (which doesn't do much).
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I just bought Midol maximum strength and believe it or not it says that is it caffeine free and aspirin free, which can both upset your gi. Midol has two different formulas now, caffeine free and one with caffeine.
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Ibs-d and fructose sensitive.
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if you use unsweetened cocoa powder for baking, the fat and caffeine have both been removed. If you're eating solid chocolate, be careful, because both the fat and caffeine will be in there.
- H
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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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you may have a personal threshhold for the stuff and be able to tolerate the caffeine in tea (though the tannins may bother you), for example. I wouldn't touch something like caffeine pills - that's a dose that would likely really upset your gut.
- H
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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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Yes, for the record, I totally agree with Heather. No one with IBS should consume caffeine in any way shape or form. Just because I do doesn't mean I think ANYONE ELSE should. I take it under very strict supervision by my doctor and with full knowledge and awareness of the risks involved.
Just wanted to reconfirm that for everyone, okay?! Do as I say not as I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Quote:
Hey LS,
I thought I had read somewhere that caffeine can trigger migraines.....Is that true? Also, chocolate. I know you have been having a lot of migraines lately. I am sure you have done the research on this but just thought I would mention it.
Barbie
Barbie, yes in some people it can, but in most people it helps the migraine. Just like some women stop getting them at menopause and some women start getting them then -- go figure!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Quote:
That is a tricky one, especially since most people just try to avoid it!
While we are on the topic of caffeine, I wanted to note that after detoxing my body so much through this diet over the months, now when I take Midol Menstrual pills to combat my severe cramps, they keep me up all night from the caffeine they contain! No lie, last three periods, I will not sleep for the entire night, or will get something like 2 hours in. I finally made the connection last night. makes me all jittery too.
Looks like I have to find a new way to combat cramps!
Sheri, as other people mentioned, I also find Aleve (naproxyn) very good for menstrual cramps. Unfortunately, as posted above, it's very tough on the tummy. Through trial and error I've discovered that if I take an Imodium WITH the Aleve, my tummy is okay.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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-Sheri
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I am having the exact same problem as you! My ex and I (who split in april as you know) are now trying the friendship thing. its so hard. In the back of my mind I keep telling myself that we will end up back together but he doesn't want committment in his life, so I have to make sure I back off and not say anything of the sort to him. Hopefully mr right falls in my lap sooner than later, so I can get over this guy! I can't seem to stop thinking about him, it sucks. and its not helping the stomach either! Every single time I go out with him, I have an IBS attack. You can't get me out of the bathroom, think my stomach is trying to tell me something???!!!!
Dina
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NSAIDS...
#99615 - 08/20/04 06:02 AM
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khyricat
Reged: 08/05/04
Posts: 3612
Loc: Michigan
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tell me about it- I was told by my doc to stop taking all nsaids- my GI that is as they can trigger IBS symptoms.. I was taking lodine for my knee, naproxyn (aleve) for other issues, both as needed... and now with the diet and no more drugs I am much better.. even my joint pain is bearable.. though it definitely hasn't gone away... I'd rather live with that then my belly ebing out of control- I had a slip the other day, KNEW I was going to need the meds for my knee to function so I took them and BOY did I pay... 2 days of severe d that immodium couldn't touch... farting liquid is no fun... so she's right (I used aleve rather then one of the stronger meds) that the nsaids are definitely a trigger....
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Dina - I hate to hear it but it is good to know that I don't suffer completely alone! It doesn't help for you to date someone else really. It is good sometimes to get my mind of the ex but I am constantly comparing the two since they are so different from one another. It is one extreme to another with them. I wish I could find someone that is just in the middle! I too have been having IBS attacks here lately.  I was stable for so long and then BOOM, the stress hits me. It is weird how you don't feel that you are that stressed but your body is telling you that you are! I also tried the 'friend' thing with my ex and that didn't work. We were close like friends and I could tell him just about anything but we were too attracted to one another to ever truely be friends. That is why he ended things with me. He said as long as he was around me he wasn't allowing himself to seek out other women.  It is just eating at me to know if there is somone else in his life now! I guess there are different phases to breaking up with someone and I am in the 'miss you' phase right now. I am also afraid to lose him forever. As each day goes by I know that his feelings could be less and less for me. I don't want to let those feelings die but I don't want to keep trying something that isn't going to work! URGH! Relationships!
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~Wookie
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i feel like i just read my journal! we are def going through the same thing and it completely sucks. Men will never make any sense to me. How can one minute you be extremely happy and then the next you decide you don't want committment. makes no sense to me at all. Scott started to go out with other women but he kept calling me and coming back to me, I am keeping him at a distance though. I am leaving myself open to meeting someone else but if no one calling then I allow myself to go out with him. Who knows what will happen long term. I know deep down he is prob not the right guy for me but there is no one to take his place so i can't get him out of my mind. I am just trying to keep a level head and not get too wrapped up in it. Working out is helping, takes my mind off of him and makes me feel physically better. I figure the more weight i lose the more he will feel like crap for leaving me
Hang in there, I can't say it gets better (cause I am not there just yet).. but mr right has to be around the corner for both of us.
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Reading your postings makes me feel like I am reading my own journal myself. It is funny too because my ex was a commitment phobe BIG TIME! We would be just fine until I would try to define our relationship and all hell would break loose! I don't get it really but most men work that way whereas we work the opposite. I mean, you meet someone that you feel a strong connection with and become great friends, you want to keep moving forward with it. What is wrong with that? Like you, I don't understand men at all! That was the pitfall of our relationship! I could also talk about my IBS with him because I started having attacks and was diagnosed when we were dating. I miss that very much (having someone you don't have to be embarrased around and that gives you compassion). The new guy doesn't know anything about my IBS...yet anyway.
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~Wookie
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when I feel the need for caffeine (which is pretty much every morning) I have always been a coffee drinker, but I quit that for good about 3 weeks ago. I am still having trouble waking up in the morning, so after breakfast I'll usually have a small glass of iced tea, and that seems to help me wake up.
I also have low blood pressure, and I've never noticed a connection with caffeine, but I do try to make sure I get enough salt in my diet.
Good luck!
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Hey, Miss P, I remember when you gave up your coffee! Three whole weeks, that AWESOME!! You rock, girl!! Have you noticed an improvement in your IBS as a result? Remember Bevrs said she noticed the very next day that there was NO cramping!!
(Now if we can get you awake enough that you don't need the ice tea, you'll earn a gold star for your chart!!!)
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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