Looking for a miracle drug
#168713 - 04/10/05 01:03 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I know, aren't we all? But I'm looking for a short-term miracle for very specific situations. Here's the deal:
First, I'm IBS-D. Using Heather's diet and acacia has pretty much eliminated the twisting, crampy, hideous diarrhea from food. I still have more frequency and urgency than I'd like, but in normal day-to-day activities, I can handle that with Bentyl and Immodium.
However, certain stressful situations involving travel can still send me into an attack: I have to be somewhere at a certain time and I'm running late; I'm traveling a new route and I don't know if there are restrooms along it; I'm traveling a route I know doesn't have any restrooms; there's a good chance I'll get stuck in a traffic jam. You get the idea. I know that these situations cause an attack because I'm worried about an attack, but that knowledge isn't enough to short-circuit the process.
Since we live pretty close to New York City, I'd like to feel comfortable traveling into the City but, as you can imagine, that trip meets a lot of the stress conditions that set me off. Do any of you know of a drug I can take that is guaranteed to shut down my lower digestive tract? This wouldn't be something I would take every day or even every week, but would be available if I was making a stressful trip. I'm not too concerned about side effects - I'll put up with sleepiness, dry mouth, stuff like that cheerfully. (If the drug actually renders me unconscious, that's probably not going to work.  )
My long-term hope is that if I can manage some successful trips into the City with the help of a magic drug, I'll eventually feel relaxed enough to try it undrugged.
Thanks.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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It sounds to me that you might be having anxiety attacks or panic attacks. Maybe you can take dramamine or something along those lines.
Good luck
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I have a similar problem. My GI tract goes nuts in stressful traveling situations too. Usually it's not D but still no fun. I haven't found something yet, but I'm trying some counseling right now to see if I can better handle these stressful situations mentally. Who knows if it will work, but at this point I'm willing to try almost anything.
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I think of anxiety or panic attacks as episodes that occur for no apparent reason. Given my past history with IBS, anxiety/panic over stressful travel seems perfectly rational to me.
Dramamine isn't strong enough, but thanks for the suggestion.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I imagine that I will eventually give the IBS hypnotherapy program a try, but I'm not ready for it yet. Therefore, I'm hoping for better living through chemistry.
I figure there must be something out there. After all, if I played center field for the Yankees, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be missing games due to stress-induced IBS attacks!
Good luck with your counseling. I hope it helps.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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--------------------
[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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"After all, if I played center field for the Yankees, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be missing games due to stress-induced IBS attacks!"
I LOVE this response.  It is probably true of anything we love to do! Sometimes I get "lost" in something I love (like my photography), and no way I feel any gut problems (unless I eat somewhere, and even then I've coped very well some time back...just not right now!). 
You can take that comment and extrapolate it all through your life I am sure. And I'm going to think on this as I believe there is SO much truth in "playing ball" or whatever and losing ourselves or forgetting we have any sort of "gut" or other problem!
You go!
Birdy (aka Lindsay)  Wishing we could put images directly from our computers for the fun of it!
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Roger, you're right about just Dramamine, but put it with something else (clear with your doc or if you KNOW it's okay) and you CAN be quite relaxed. I've done it with Bentyl. I just use 25 mg. Dram and 10 mg Bentyl during day. I get dizzy (hayfever) and Dramamine or Antivert help that, but I was surprised some time back when I had pain for ten people. I probably was very bad, but I knew I could do it so I took Vicodin (not the best for IBS, but I have severe FMS and it's the only thing that works for the pain), 1/2 Dramamine, and a bit of Bentyl. It acted like "peace in the valley." I would rarely do that. I was just surprised by how nice it felt: no pain, no tummyache...just quiet and calm! Gad, that sounds like I went on a bender, but you get the idea.
IF you have panic/anxiety, welcome to my world. I've had anxiety (usually attached to real issues and hit when I awake), and I've had some panic attacks. I actually can deal with panic better than anxiety as I know the panic has a life of its own, and I just watch it so to speak maybe for two or three hours. But anxiety that goes on and on and on can just wear a body down. I have to be the "queen of anxiety attacks"! I also worry about the future way too much. I am working on that too.
Lindsay
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There are some really good anti-anxiety drugs out there your M.D./Psychiatrist can prescribe. I take Buspar and I highly recommend it as an anti-anxiety drug. It's really "clean" and non-addictive, too. It mimics the action of benzodopiates.
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I'm ashamed to admit that my intention in posting that wasn't nearly as positive as the way you read it. What I meant was that if I was doing something highly visible and well-paid, I bet someone would find a drug for me to take to keep doing it!
I like your interpretation, though, and I do think there's a lot of truth to it. The purely physiological part of IBS is out of my control, but there is a psychological component that I hope to learn to manage better. I have sometimes noticed that if I can get absorbed in something enjoyable, I can forget about whatever tummy problems I'm having.
Thanks for the positive outlook and encouragement.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Thanks, Wind. I see my GI guy in a couple of weeks and I'll put Buspar on my list of drugs to ask about.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Like I said, better living through chemistry.
Your point about panic being easier to endure than anxiety was interesting - it makes sense. Good luck with worrying less - it can be tough to do.
As for panic/anxiety attacks generally, I'm getting a little confused. Am I the only person on these Boards whose IBS makes her panicky/anxious when she's going into a situation where there may not be a restroom opportunity? Surely not.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Indeed, you are not alone in this. I fear not knowing where the nearest toilet/restroom is located and not being near it--even when I'm stable. It is an obsessive-compulsive anxiety, and seriously I take pills--Buspar--to help me deal with my intense anxiety re: IBS. This anxiety negatively influences my IBS and my self-esteem. Now, I'm able to live more beyond IBS and just deal with it as it happens. Without getting into too many intricate details, a lot of eating/food/ family/friend situations are affected by my IBS. I miss out. Now, I miss out less. I do more and well
Heather's diet significantly helps, too. I go to Yoga class. I go for long walks. I socialize 100% more. I'm able to think and function beyond IBS, except when I have attacks and then I work to stabilize myself a.s.a.p. Prescriptions are not the total answer, but they help ease alot of the psychic stress that influences IBS...the depression and the anxiety/obsessive-compulsive nature. Diet, lifestyle...and, pardon me, a sense of humour. There is no miracle drug...
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Lomotil?
#168933 - 04/11/05 11:55 AM
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lalala
Reged: 02/14/05
Posts: 2634
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You could use Immodium AD as a preventive--take one or two before a trip. You might want to talk with your dr about a prescription strength anti-diarrheal called Lomotil; I used this when I was suffering through my worst time with D and trying to get control of IBS through diet. It really worked for me and was incredibly useful when I went on long car trips or had an event where I couldn't afford to be in the bathroom all day (or worrying about a possible attack). However, I would not recommend taking it frequently or once you stabilize on the diet because it can also be very constipating.
I noticed that others have already mentioned this, but I agree that if you're dealing with anxiety because of IBS or the anxiety is causing more attacks, I would also talk with your dr about anti-anxiety meds.
Hope this helps!
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Re: Lomotil?
#168941 - 04/11/05 12:07 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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My GI guy prescribed Lomotil a couple of years ago, but it didn't seem any stronger than Immodium. Immodium will stop a low-level gurgly tummy attack, but not one of the major stress-driven ones. In retrospect, maybe I was too cautious about dosage with the Lomotil. I'll talk to my GI guy about it again.
As for the anti-anxiety drugs, maybe that would be the way to go if the standard IBS drugs (Bentyl, Lomotil, etc.) aren't strong enough for what I need.
Thanks.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Hi Sand,
I too am a "D". I'm happy to report that my IBS is finally in remission. But I used to take Donnatal whenever I had a severe attack of "D" and cramps; it ALWAYS, ALWAYS worked for me. If you do a search, you'll see a million posts in here about this stuff. Here's some important info about it: Donnatal
It's by prescription only, and you'll need to be careful with it, because it's serious stuff. Just take it when you have a real bad attack.
Now, to settle that rumbling tummy, calm down the nerves, especially when stuck in a traffic jam, having to wait in line at the airport, etc., consider getting yourself some Equalactin. It's an over-the-counter remedy for IBS rumblings. It's just a SFS, but it works like nothing else. If you do a search in here, you'll find a million posts about it as well. You can buy it online, or you can ask your pharmacist to order it for you. Most pharmacies do not keep it in stock, but they CAN -- and most WILL -- order it for you. It's about $7 per box.
If I have a stressful event coming up and feel those "rumblings" down there, I just chew up an Equalactin, and before I can get the car out of the driveway, my tummy's all calmed down.
Good luck --
Bev
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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i had the same types of issues -- thought it was a nervous stomach or stress induced...dr. said I had a spaztic colon and put me on Belladonna for when i felt off. I have been 100 times better the last 9 months since I used them. Also from NY and work in the city -- everyday was an adventure for me and I have been good with the commute since the Donna. -- Good Luck
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Bev - I have to smile at hearing from you on this question. When I was trying to put together a good description of what I mean by a very sudden, very serious attack to take to my GI guy, I remembered a post of yours I'd read, searched for it, and it was perfect. Your cutting counter description is humorous, but oh, so true. Given that, I gotta figure that if something worked for you it will probably work for me, too.
I read the "important info on Donnatol" link you sent and it does sound very promising. (I've done searches on anti-spasmodics, but never got to that thread. Being somewhat over-organized, I tend to start with the earliest info datewise and probably just never made it to April 2004.) I'll talk to my GI guy about at my appointment in a couple of weeks and, if he agrees to prescribe it, I will definitely be very, very careful with it. (I'll also read the rest of that thread AND do a general search on Donnatol.)
I do know about Equalactin - I recently referred someone on the Board who was asking about tablet-form SFSs to one of your posts on it - and again, your description of the symptoms and situations it helps with sound just like what I experience. Equalactin is on my list of things to talk to my GI guy about. I like to run everything by him - I may not always follow his advice, but he seems to be a pretty good guy and I at least want to know what he says.
Thanks for chiming in on this question. In a fit of insomnia last December, I went back and read a bunch of the early posts on the Eating for IBS Board. I liked hearing your voice in those posts and have missed hearing as much of you in the more current ones.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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In Bevrs post, she talks about Donnatal which is a combination of Atropine, Hyoscyamine, Scopolamine, and Phenobarbital. Since the first 3 are alkaloids of Belladonna (see this page ), it sounds like you and Bev are 2 for 2 in recommending this type of drug.
I have to say that your doing well with the commute into the City adds weight to the efficacy of this kind of drug. I worked in NYC for years and once the IBS started up, the commute became a nightmare. Luckily, we had a small studio during the week, but getting in on Sunday night was horrible. And riding the subway - I don't care how much better my IBS gets on Heather's diet or how many wonderful drugs y'all recommend, I can't imagine ever getting back on a subway train.
It's interesting you were diagnosed with a spastic colon. I was told the same thing 5 years ago after a colonoscopy (even though I was asymptomatic for IBS at that point). A couple of years later, when I was diagnosed with IBS, my GI guy told me that spastic colon was "an old-fashioned name" for IBS. I actually thought it was very descriptive of the way IBS makes my gut feel.
I'm glad you're doing so well. Thanks for your help.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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no you are not.. I work in San Francisco and my commute is 1 hr and 15 minutes from home. During the week I do my best to eat by 4 and no later. In the morning, I have coffee when I get here. I think we all have the same anxiety, sometimes it's hard for me to even walk to the gym during lunch of fear that I will need to use the restroom on the way out. I hate IBS, everything about it.
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Thanks for backing me up. I've been on Heather's diet long enough to not fear something like a walk to the gym, so I know I'm getting better. It's just longer trips, especially into unknown territory, that scare me.
I don't envy you your commute. Have you tried any of the "standard" IBS anti-spasmodics, like Bentyl? Or Heather's Peppermint capsules? Or Immodium?
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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and we're going to try Donnatol first. According to him, it's a souped up version of stuff like Levsin. He prescribes it all the time, has no problem with it, and if I read his handwriting correctly, has given me a prescription with 5 refills. So much for addiction. Donnatol has side effects, primarily drowsiness, but he's prescribing the Extentabs version, which lasts for 12 hours and should have less severe side effects that the shorter lasting version.
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I'm keeping tabs on this thread so I have backup drugs in case the Donnatol doesn't do it.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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