Elavil has given me a new life!
#305362 - 04/18/07 06:00 PM
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Hi guys! Had a bunch of tests done (stool samples, blood work, small bowel xray)all came back negative SURPRISE, SURPRISE. Sometimes I feel like our poor IBS bodies are like taking a car to the mechanic when your car acts up. Doesn't it always never seem to fail that as soon as you get it to the garage the darn car stops giving you trouble? Well sometimes I think the same when I see my gastro. I knew all my tests would come back showing NOTHING! I thought I'd go along with him and do whatever he suggested..Not that I want Chron's or UC but darn it, why was I suffering so bad the last two years with my IBS???
Anyway, he suggested I start on Elavil 20mg at night and see how that works. After making myself into having an axiety attack thinking about taking a new med, I gulped it down and ended up being fine. No reactions, nothing like I made myself think I would have. I've been taking it now for almost a month and can I tell you I feel normal again!  It made me a tad bit C in the beginning but beings I"m D I didn't mind the C. I am now on a pretty good schedule with my BM's. Still a little C but nothing really to bother me. I no longer worry about eating before I go somewhere, I can eat just about anything (with the exception of milk products. I'm not quite that brave YET 
I have no cramping before going, I'm not anxious about leaving the house for fear of having an attack, I'm putting weight back on, helps with my hormonal times of the month and many beneficial things that I just forgot to mention. I am so excited that this is working. I am just a tad bit worried though that I will become tolerant of the drug after taking it for a while. Doc told me he didn't think I would and that he has patient's that have been on this for years. I'm so praying to God that I never become tolerant of it and I"m normal now forever. Yeah right, wishful thinking huh. I know I've read that it hasn't worked for other people but I'm wondering if there is anyone out there (even though it might burst my bubble)that has become tolerant of it?
For now though I'm savoring my new life and I highly suggest that anyone who is had tried everything to try Elavil. It's an antidepressant that apparently is used to treat IBS and migraines. It's such a low dose that I have no side effects. I take it at night when I go to bed. I'm not tired in the morning from it and it hasn't effected my mood in any way. I was wasn't depressed to begin with. If anything I have anxiety and it hasn't even made it worse.
I'm doing the happy dance here in PA and I hope everyone else soon and find something that works for them cause DAMN is it a good feeling!!
Take care my IBS friends!!!!! I'm not leaving ya'll but I just wanted to report some good news for once!!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Yay! That's great news!
I also recommend it for anyone with IBS-D (or chronic pain/nerve pain from other illnesses) -- just start at a low dose and work your way up. I've been on 10 mg of Elavil/amitriptyline for a year and it's really helped with pain, D, and sleep.
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Yay Lisa!
I am so glad you found something to help. I have been wondering about you!
PS. I love PA. I used to live in Wellsboro. Ever heard of it?
LAura
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Laura, Yep! Know where Wellsboro is. I've actually been there once for dinner at the Wellsboro Hotel(Inn?)not sure. It was a big ol hotel/restraunt. Actually I think we go through Wellsboro too to get to some lakes around there. The only reason I know where it is is because my husband and our best friend went in on a house in Sylvania, PA. OUr friend ended up staying up there to live though. Hubby still goes up to hunt and visit with him a couple times a year. We live about 3 1/2 hrs south of there now. We are between Allentown and Philly. I hate the ride so I usually stay home. But........since my IBS is doing so well on the Elavil, I just may make a summer trip up there this year 
Thanks for thinking of me!
Where do you live now?
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~~~Lisa~~~
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I'm so glad to hear it's been helping you and it's been a year that you've been on it! I can honestly say that I've not had that God awful IBS cramping before I go in 1 month  (Hasn't helped with my period cramps but who cares! They only last a full day anyway!)
Woooohooooo! There's hope for at least a few years with this drug!!!!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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I was just prescribed Elavil yesterday. I was just wondering, could I take only as needed or is it necessary to take everyday. I only get anxiety when theres a big event comin up (such as long car rides, first day of work, ect). I only want to take the Elavil on thos days. Do you think that thats possible/effective
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Well, a low dose of Elavil won't alter your mood, so it won't have an effect on your level of anxiety. 10 - 40mg seems to be the average that people take in order to manage pain and IBS symptoms. You do need to take it everyday for it to be effective.
My doctors have told me that I'd need to take four times as much for it to help w/ anxiety or depression; and at that high of a dose, side effects can include weight gain and fatigue. There are newer, better meds out there for anxiety and depression.
If you're looking for an anti-anxiety med, you might want to try Buspar (which is good for generalized anxiety), but you have to take it regularly. Or you can try a benzodiazepene, like Ativan, which you can use as needed, for those time you're really anxious or for panic attacks.
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Wonderful news! Glad to hear you are feeling well!!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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I agree with Maria. You'd have to take something everyday for it to be effective. I know that the Elavil didn't even start working for me until I was on it for at least two weeks. It has to get into your system to actually work. I've also been told that the dose that I'm on, which is low, only 20mg supposedly won't give me other side effects. I am gaining weight on it though, simply cause I can eat now without getting D
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Thanks Michele. I almost felt guilty posting that I"m doing well when you and others aren't  I hope things are going better with you and Will. I know if I were real sick my hubby would be the same way He does not deal well with sick issues. He had me dead when I was sick a coulpe of years ago with just one thing after another. Mono, Lyme Disease, c-diff, kidney stone. It was just horrible so in some small way I can relate to your frustrations and to how your hubby is acting. If he truely loves you, he will stick around. Hey, the wedding vows said for better or for worse and in sickness and in health right?!?! REmind him of that if he acts up again. I think that was so great of you though to approach him with the "I was looking at apartments". Let him know that you are strong and you can do things with or without him. (even though it's obviously better to have him with you!)My hubby and I broke up one time for a few months before we got married and I thought I'd never be able to live without him. Guess what? I found another boyfriend and let me tell you it shocked the heck out of him and he came right back to me. Anyway, I proved to myself at least that I could be without him. So let Will say and do what he wants but when it comes down to it, he'll realize that he was wrong!
Hang in there and take care!!! I really do admire you and how strong you are with everything that you've gone through
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Hi. I too feel that the starting to take Lexapro about 3 months ago has really helped me. It was the delicious icing on the cake b/c I felt that I was already on the road to stability with Heather's diet/acacia/hypno, etc.. Then I started the Lexapro b/c I could not keep my anxiety at bay and I was still having a few attacks. Since then, I am having problems with gas and bloating but no d, and I hear you...awesome to not have those cramps/painful spasms with bms and REPEATEDLY like I used to  . Thank goodness I have not been keeled over on the couch except for a few bad gas episodes but I am so much more confident going out. I too worry about getting used to the drug. I told my doc originally that I was apprehensive to start it b/c if it worked I'd want to stay on it forever. What does your doc say about staying on Elavil forever? I imagine that's what you would like to do, right?
I also think though that being on this site and being aware of our diets, stress, etc. helps along with the meds...kind of like the combo of meds and cognitive therapy. This board is my cognitive therapy! So glad to hear that you're feeling well and finding joy in your life. I hope others can find success like we have. (By the way, I have gained weight too but I didn't want to!)
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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Lisa,
I am not a Pennsylvania native. I was living there because my husband was investigating a problem on the assemby line of one of the factories there. We lived there for less than a year. We did a lot of sight seeing during that time. Heck, we lived within 10 minutes of two National parks. Pennsylvania is just so beautiful to me because I love hills and trees. I now live in Indiana where there is not enough of either but it's still an OK place to live.
I went sightseeing in Philly once and at the end of the day, I realized I did not have enough money to get my car out of the parking garage! All the banks were closed and I was stranded with my 2 year old son. A museum employee saw me crying outside on a park bench and he gave me $10 and told me to get home safely. I have always thought a lot of PA for that reason too. People were friendly there.
I hope you get to take that trip this summer. the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is up there too. Very nice.
Laura
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Yes, I explained to my doc that I want to be on the Elavil forever. His response was only that he has patients that have been on it for a few years that had great success with it. He couldn't tell me if I'd become tolerant of it. I'm hoping that I don't because it would certainly be a tease if I feel better for a year or so and then go back to my old IBS ways . I'd imagine then maybe he'd prescribe some other type of antidepressant at a low dose that helps with IBS. Who knows! I just hope from this point on in my life that I never have to feel like I had for 20 years! The last few have been the worst. I think my hormones just started getting wacky from getting older and somehow this drug helped put them in line? I really was at the point that I would do whatever it took since IBS really started dictating my life and it never had in the past. I was able to cope with it and it seemed like recently I just couldn't cope and keep on top of it by being positive.
Are you on the Lexapro for IBS or for anxiety? Is that a AD or anxiety med? Apparently Elavil is a AD and is used also for the treatment of migraines. It does something to the seratonin in your brain to tell your gut to slow down? I think that's how he explained it to me for the use in IBS patient's. Well whatever it's doing to my brain is working and that's all that matters. I do have to get used to though being slightly C. It does get frustrating sometimes cause that too is uncomfortable but honestly, it seems much more bareable than D 
Take care and I'm glad that you are feeling well too! It's nice to read other "well" stories.
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~~~Lisa~~~
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I used to live in Sandy Lake, PA. I loved it, too. I miss all the open space we had.
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***********************
If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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Hmmmmmm.....you got a good impression from Philly? Interesting because it isn't known to be the best of towns. Don't get me wrong it just like your typical city and does have some neat old buildings/houses and of course the "Liberty Bell" but some parts of Philly are just downright bad! Like near Temple University. Not a good area. Guns and violence. My 12 year old son has some infactuation with Temple and claims he wants to go there for college and I just cringe when he says that. I say, how bout a nice Catholic College in Allentown just close to our house I have 6 or 7 years to change his mind
I have a friend who lived in Indiana but did end up moving back to PA where her family is. My neighbor is also from Indiana. I wanna say South Bend? Is that a place there? It's funny how you use other words for things. Like "pop" for what we call soda here and you call sneakers "tennis shoes". I think she refers to bags as "sacks". We laugh and tell her that only santa has a sack. Each state though has their own form of slang words. It's interesting to hear them though. It's funny though because she says that PA reminds her a lot of Indiana as far as where she came from. She said it's not too much different. I think you get much more snow than we get which is fine by me! I HATE snow and winter with a passion!
I'll have to check into the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. I didn't know it was even there!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Sandy Lake? Where is that near? So you went from PA to California? What a difference in culture, climate and everything!!!!! I would think PA would be boring compared to CA?
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Sandy Lake is way up in NW PA. It's a little town, which last I checked, still only had about 900 people in it. It pulls up on Yahoo Maps. I've lived in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, California, and Oregon.
Big change in culture and climate in all the places I've been. I like SoCal the most, but you really can't get much space to yourself down there unless you go inland. And then it's just hot. 
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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Hi Lisa, so glad you feel better on Elavil!
I just wanted to throw in my experience from Elavil, so everyone is aware that there can be side effects. I was prescribed Elavil after being diagnosed with Fibro, since it's an AD that is often prescribed for sleeping problems (I hadn't slept for 5 days at that time). The doctor pointed out that it would have the positive side effect of helping my IBS as well. Anyhow, I was on it for a couple months, and it did its job -- I was able to sleep for the first time in ages. But that is where the positives end. I can honestly say I HATE elavil. It ruined my life for the next two years. I gained 30 pounds in one month (!!), and my metabolism got so out of wack that I was eating everything in sight. I felt like I had lost control, and even though I quit taking the Elavil, my metabolism was seriously screwed up for a VERY long time. I went from being a thin, active girl, to a 30 lb heavier seriously depressed person within ONE month. The worst part was feeling like I had lost control. I could not be alone in the house for 5 minutes without raiding the kitchen. I would eat and eat and eat, everything in sight, even if it wasn't mine! Long story short, I developed an eating disorder, on top of all the other problems. I would venture to say Elavil had serious long term psychological effects on me, long after I stopped taking it.
About that same time (this was summer 2005), another active board member (Ruchie) had the same response to Elavil. She gained alot of weight within the first month or so as well, and couldn't get it off.
Granted, it doesn't affect everyone this way. But there are quite a few of us it does. Google elavil and weight gain, and you'll get quite a few hits. According to this site, Elavil causes a general weight gain of 1-9 lbs in a month, but a minority of patients gain 30-45 lbs in 2 to 6 months. I was the unlucky minority, unfortunately.
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Heather
"Quod me Nutrit me Destruit"
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Wow! Sorry you had such a rough time. But thanks for pointing out the possible side effects. It's important everyone knows as much as they can about any medicine they plan on taking.
Can I ask how many mg you were taking a day? I've been taking 10 mg at bedtime for a year with minimal to no side effects, but I think I remember Ruchie saying she experienced her side effects even at this low dose.
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About 12 years ago, when I was first diagnosed with IBS, I was put on a different tricyclic AD. Desipramine and then imiprimine, at 25 mg twice a day, with my doctor at the time thinking it would help with IBS and help me gain some weight. Well, that dose was way too high for me and taking it along with Donnatal was a big mistake. I always felt heavily sedated, either I was like a zombie or I'd sleep an entire day at a time; the AD caused my jaw to lock and I experienced "difficulty urinating." (It was very difficult to start peeing! I sat on the toilet once for fifteen minutes or so just trying to go. Scary!) My IBS symptoms didn't improve and I didn't gain weight. I actually lost some weight during that time. That was a horrible experience for me and for years I refused to take any medication, other than the BC pill.
So, recently, when my current doctor recommended Elavil to help me sleep, manage pain from lupus and IBS symptoms, I wasn't too happy. But she started me at 5 mg and after a month increased it to 10 mg. Fortunately, that's been working for me, but if I were to become tolerant to it I'm not sure I'd want to increase the dose.
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I went on the lexapro for mainly anxiety with a bit of depression. It is primarily prescribed (as far as I know) for anxiety. I had been on it previously but only 5mg and that wasn't enough. I wish I knew then to increase the dosage, but instead I went off of it, suffered for another year, and finally went back on after reading that others here take it in higher doses and it helps them. My doc said that it might help with the IBS but I didn't expect it too since the 5mg did not. Now it does make me a bit c too but I'm also doing the diet whereas before I was eating triggers and taking the 5mg so I was still getting d. I read the other post about Elavil precautions. I hope it remains successful for you and doesn't affect your weight or anything else. If it becomes a problem, don't fear...maybe you could try the lexapro! (I'm not usually a big medicine advocate, but like you I felt at my wits end with the IBS "dictating my life" as you put it. I think the hypno helped me with that too.) Well, enjoy while it's good.
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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Thanks for the input, really. I post on here to get other people's experiences with it. I'm sorry it "snowballed" into all those other things for you. Can I just tell you though that when I saw my doctor on March 23, I weighed a little over 80lbs! Yes, I'm just 5 feet tall and 39 years old. I was apalled at my weight. I've been thin all my life and never have I weighed more than 100 except when pregnant with my two children. I can't tell you how much healthier I was being heavier. I even had people tell me that putting weight on "agreed" with me. So if I gain 15lbs from being on this drug, believe me, I don't think I'll be very upset. I'll have positive things come from it. I will be able to actually buy a juniors or misses size 1 or 2 and it fit me! I litteraly have to buy xsmall skirts or kids skirts to fit me and if I can find a small skirt I like even if it's a little big, I will pin it at the waist! It's really awful trying to shop for clothing. I am so tired of people telling me how skinny and thin I am and "how much do you weigh" kind of questions. I feel if I do gain weight I will feel so much more self confident of myself.
I have been on the Elavil for almost 1mth now and I think I may have gained a few pounds. I'm sure it will take me months though to reach 90lbs! I am only on 20mg a day which I understand is a very low dose and apparently shouldn't have the same side effects that a person using it for depression may have. You never did say how many millegrams you were taking....
As far as sleeping goes, I never had a problem sleeping and I think it does help me sleep a little better but I still wake up at night. Sometime a few times a night. I can fall back to sleep but the main reason I'm taking it is for my IBS. After reading your post though, I know if my IBS eventually comes back, I don't think I'd try to "up" the millegrams. I may ask for another AD at a low dose. We'll see what happens in the next few months.
I did have sort of a similiar situation as you after I had my first child. I gained 30lbs or so and then after giving birth had a little bit of a hard time losing it. I started on the depoprovera shot for BC and I too got depressed cause I think one of the side effects of the shot was weight gain so I felt like I stayed the same weight as when I was pregnant.  I stopped that injection and my body slowly got back to normal.
I do hope though that your body has gotten back to normal too after your bad experience and you are able to live your life happily. I know everyone reacts to drugs differently. I think it's just a matter of how you perceive it. Like I said, I welcome any weight gain I can get. All my life I struggled gaining weight and if this helps than that will be a benefit for me!!!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Re:Thanks lisa
#305714 - 04/23/07 10:14 AM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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but please, don't ever feel guilty for feeling good!!!
Yes, I think I made Will think long and hard when I didn't just melt down and beg him to stay with me. I have been in some REALLY bad relationships and promised myself a long time ago, I will never let myself be treated like that again. Being alone is not anywhere near as bad as being lonely with someone else. 
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Ok, so maybe I jumped the gun a little bit but I really thought the Elavil was gonna help me. It seemed like it did for the first month or so and within the last week I've had 3 IBS attacks. 1 of which was severe cramping. I didn't change my eating habits at all. I continued to eat what I had in the past. I put on some weight which was good but now I'm afraid I'm gonna lose it again if I start having the attacks again! Ughhhhh....can anyone tell me that's had experience with Elavil if I need to be taking it for months or so for it to REALLY work. Am I taking it for nothing? I have gotten some C with it, which believe me, is welcoming when you are D! Nothing really to complain about being on it. It does help me sleep but I really never had a problem sleeping in the past. I'm really not having any other side effects. I'm on 20mg a day at night and I'm afraid to "up" the mgs if doctor suggests it cause I don't #1 want to be completely C nor do I want the other side effects that can be caused with higher doses.
I'm so frustrated right now!  Please someone tell me not to give up and give the Elavil a few more months!!!!!
Thanks guys!
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~~~Lisa~~~
Edited by LittleLisa (04/30/07 07:03 PM)
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Hi there!
I tried an SSRI once because my GP thought it might help keep the IBS calm, and I only took one 10 mg pill once and got really bad side effects (everything from throwing up and feeling incredibly nervous to getting blood in the urine) and I wasn't myself again for days. So I don't ever want to try that again. Happy for you though that you haven't had any side effects from your medicine.
For antidepressants it's pretty typical that you get side effects the first few weeks and then they get less severe or disappear. It could be that your bowels getting slower was a "side effect" from the medicine... But I don't want to take away your hope completely. Why not give it a while longer? You don't have anything to lose by doing that right? And remember - even if the effect wears off on some people it doesn't mean it will for you. I have freaked out when people have said time and time again on these boards that Imodium only works for a while, but I've been on a generic for 1.5 years and so far so good. And I am sure hoping it will continue to work. And I know a woman who has taken the same generic for years and it still works for her so...
By the way, how did the hernia thing go? Not sure you've read the post I wrote the other day but it looks like I will get a colostomy. But I am really happy about that.
Hugs,
Ulrika, IBS-D
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I agree with Ulrika that the C could have been an initial side effect that is now wearing off. I took Cilexa for a while to try to help IBS-C. The first month or so I thought it was great. My C was a lot better. I was less nervous. I actually gained a few pounds (which is good for me). But then after a while I started to feel worse. My C came back...only it seemed a little worse. I was soooo tired I could barely make my 20 min. drive to work each day. My hair started to get thinner. Libido went way down. There are others, but I can't think of them at the moment. Anyway, not to sound discouraging, but that does happen. One thing that I tried (although it didn't make much difference) was changing from taking my pills in the evening to taking them in the morning. I was hoping it would help with the fatigue. Anyway, something to try. Or you can try a different dose. When I started feeling worse I gradually weaned myself off of the meds. I went from 20 mg to 10 mg to 5 mg to nothing. I did it over the course of a month or two. I was taking a different AD, but I thought this still might be helpful. If you're really concerned I would talk to your Dr. Maybe he/she can give you advice about dosage or a different kind of AD to try.
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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.
 
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LittleLisa -
I'm sorry you're having attacks! But just remember that even though this medication helps, it's not a cure, so you are still going to have attacks now and then. That's the problem with IBS - sometimes you will have a random attack which isn't always related to food (it could be hormones or stress or ???). I would say to keep on taking it for 6 months to a year and then see how many attacks you have during that time. I know that when I had an attack, I'd panic and was unable to "see" that overall I was actually doing better. I'd say that after a year you should be able to see if it's really helping you by decreasing the number of attacks.
If you want to increase the dose, ask your doctor if you can take an increased dose every other day or just go up by 5 mg. In the meantime, keep following Heather's diet and advice and taking your medication. Maybe you could BTC for a couple of days. I hope you feel better soon!
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Hi! Yes, I have read your post about the colostomy. I wanted to be able to have a few minutes to actually talk to you about it. I know it was a very hard decision for you and I'm so glad that you made the decision that you did and you are happy with that. I know that when you are at your wits end with something you just come to the conclusion that you have to do something and you did just that! I'm sure it will be a rough road for you in the beginning but I bet in the end you will be much happier with your life and the things that you will be able to do now.
I have a coworker that was on a temporary colostomy for a twisted bowel. She was lucky and had it reversed but honestly she had a terrible outlook with having it simply because she knew it wasn't permanent. I think if you have in your mind that this is the only thing that will help you, you have a totally different outlook. I imagine you will certainly adapt to it. I really think you'll do fine. I guess it could be reversed right if it didn't work out and you hated it? Is that an option?
As far as me. I certainly will give the Elavil more time and like Maria and others said, if it even helps my attacks to cut them in half to what I'm used to, that's better than nothing. I think I just got frustrated cause I thought it was gonna be my "cure all". Silly me! We have IBS! There is no cure!!!! I'm gonna have my 12 year old son become a biochemist and discover a cure for me/us! Hey, there's always hope for the young generation to find cures for us!
Oh, the hernia? No hernia I went to a surgeon for a second opinion and he checked me over thoroughly! Said he found no hernia in the area I was complaining about. He did find a small, very small area that he said could of torn when having children but that I'm in good shape as far as that's concerned compared to his daughter who had twins and tore real bad in her abdominal muscles The pain as gone completely away and he just thinks it was a torn muscle !!!!
Good luck with your surgery and keep us updated.
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~~~Lisa~~~
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You are so right. I guess I need to look at it how you said. I should be thankful that my attacks aren't as frequent as before. I just was disappointed cause when the dr. prescribed it for me he said it will help with the pain and D and honestly if anything it did help with the cramping/pains. I've only experienced them once since I've been on it and yes, I was ovulating and perhaps that's what brought the attack on! It really became a mind over matter cause I thought it helped so much that my outlook on traveling and just eating before I traveled was so much better. I thought, heck I can eat now since I'm on this medicine and I did and nothing happened. I was so excited. Now with this little set back my mind went back to my same old thinking of "I can't eat before I go anywhere cause I might get pains!". I just have to keep in mind that it may still happen and may not.
I have thought about maybe asking the dr. to increase it by 5mg and maybe that will help. I just don't want to take too much higher of a dose for fear of side effects since the side effects I am having now are so minimal.I see the dr. on May 17 so I'll keep ya updated. Thanks so much for the well wishes. I'm so glad for all you guys!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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I'm not sure if taking my meds in the morning vs. the night would help. I think I'd be so tired if I did that. I usually take it about 1/2 hr to and hr before I fall asleep then I sleep really good. He specifically told me to take them before bed I think because of that. I will continue to take it since the side effects really so far are minimal. I'm hoping that I don't develop things like you mentioned. I'm hoping that if I was to develop those type of things that I would have by now. Who knows. I do know that it too has helped me to put on some pounds which I needed desperately!!! I feel a little better now about my appearance being a couple pounds heavier. I'm hoping to gain at least 10 more pounds! That would be perfect!
There is also the option like you said to try something new. I'll give this a good 6mths or so and then see if he thinks something else would work better. He is so cooperative with me and did say that we will get to the bottom of my troubles even if it takes a year!
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~~~Lisa~~~
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Re: Ulrika
#306377 - 05/02/07 04:50 AM
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Ulrika
Reged: 08/20/06
Posts: 581
Loc: Uppsala, Sweden
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Hi there!
Wow, glad to see there was no hernia. Too bad they got you worrying in the first place...
Yes, I am happy about my decision. They could probably reverse it if it didn't work well but I hope that won't happen as I doubt that would make things better...
I have been pretty stable lately so that is nice but it's just a stress in the back of my mind wondering if it will change and if so when. Plus every time something has to be changed in my daily routine I freak out. Like, if I want to try a new supplement et.c. Talk about IRONic: When I had to start taking iron pills because I had a deficiency back in January I was so scared... But it worked out really great. Now that my iron level is normal I find I'm instead scared to stop taking them...
Having a colostomy will sure be a huge change. After surgery I will have to be without my medicine for a short period at least to see how it works. That will be interesting. My fiancé and I want to have kids soon and my hope is of course that maybe, maybe I might be able to make it through pregnancy at least without meds, or at least keep them as low as possible. We'll see how it goes...
I hope I won't have to wait for too long to have the surgery done. Though the wait is at least 3 months here and summer is soon here so I'm hoping for September at least. We have to get this whole issue with my bladder emptying sorted out too. I'd hate it if having bladder problems would stop me from having this surgery. I wonder why problems seem to turn up in weird combos like that all the time. Like one problem makes the other one worse or, the medicine for one problem makes the other problem worse... I might have to start doing intermittent catheterisation but that's no fun since it increases the risk of UTIs which in turn leads to having to eat antibiotics which certainly wouldn't help with the IBS. Plus I have nerve pain in "that area" and that's finally under control so I don't want to risk making it worse again by "poking around"  there every time I have to empty the bladder. But hey, with a colostomy at least I will never have bladder emptying problems due to bowel problems again... At least not the kind of problems I've had now when I have to keep the bowels really slow to feel confident enough to get out of the house.
Ok, no point in worrying in advance. Too bad that's easier said than done...
I will sure keep you updated.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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hey, Little Lisa, I was wondering if you were still doing well on the Elavil. Has your IBS gotten better or worse since the last time you posted? Ive been on Elavil 25mg once a day for a month, and have noticed it does wonders on my IBS-A.
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Hi. I think that I can safely say that it has helped me. I'm taking 20mg at bed time every day also. Ive been on it now for for a little over two months. I still have my moments around my period but it seems that I have had less of "those moments".
When I saw my gastro on May 17th I told him that I thought it had helped me 50%. I can say now being on it a little longer that I've noticed it has helped me even more than 50%. I'm hoping the longer I'm on it the less attacks I have. I realize that as long as I'm ovulating and having periods that I will suffer at least one time a month with some kind of attack but I think I'm ok with that
I've had really no major side effects from it either. I seriously needed to gain some weight as I was WAYYY too thin a few months ago and I have gained weight. Not near as much as I'd like to gain but I've gained some. It also seems like I don't lose it as fast either after having an attack as I did in the past. I feel much better about myself being a couple pounds heavier too. I was a little C the first couple of weeks but I welcomed it since I'm D. That passed and I don't notice having any C problems at all anymore.
I hope you continue to feel well also. I'm gonna keep taking it until it stops working which I hope is NEVER. I guess if I notice that it's not working as good, I may "up" the millegrams. He did tell me I could up it to 30 but I kinda wanted to wait and see what happened before i did that.
Now if I can just feel confident about going on long trips. I'm working on that. As long as the Elavil keeps me stable I should be ok. I have a ton of baseball tournaments coming up with my son and I'm a little worried on how my tummy will be. Let's hope for the best I'll keep you updated.
You also keep me updated on how you are doing too! Thanks so much for asking how I was doing
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~~~Lisa~~~
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