Cholestyramine (Questran)
#364452 - 04/24/11 05:11 PM
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catarific
Reged: 09/25/10
Posts: 21
Loc: Florida, USA
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I had been suffering from IBS-D since September, 2010 after having a bout of food poisoning. I have had IBS-C for years but it took a 360 degree turn. Because I was also having nocturnal diarrhea (waking up during the night to go many times), I was fearful it was something worse and went through a battery of tests including a colonoscopy, endoscopy, bloodwork, stool samples, biopsies, etc.
I thought I might have C-Diff, Microscopic colitis, Crohns, celiac disease, leaky gut - but all these tests were negative for any of these. My gastroenterologist concluded that I have IBS-D.
My doctor then suggested I use Cholestyramine (Questran) to see if this would work. And it has so far. My food intolerances went away as did the diarrhea (at least, so far). I do want to qualify - that I DO NOT have and NEVER HAVE had gallbladder disease and have never had my gallbladder removed. I read Heather's article found here:
http://www.helpforibs.com/news/newsletter/limemint072704.html#askheather
and want to clarify that you can have IBS-D that will respond to this drug without it being gallbladder disease.
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Habba Syndrome
#364455 - 04/25/11 06:48 AM
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Syl
Reged: 03/13/05
Posts: 5499
Loc: SK, CANADA
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The condition you speak of is known as The Habba Syndrome
--------------------
STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I would think so except I have had nocturnal diarrhea for a long time which is not indicative of this.
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I am moving this up because I am sure many diarrhea sufferers do not know that their IBS-D may be caused by bile salts leaking into the intestines. Diet will not cure this - the only thing that will is medication and that medication is either Cholestyramine which is powder form or Welchol (pill form). I know some will say that this is Habba Syndrome - but not all forms of leakage are categorized as this syndrome. My Gastroenterologist explained that this is fairly common and easy to take care of and is not really anything to be alarmed over.
What you will need to do is first have a colonscopy and endoscopy to rule out Celiac, Colitis, IBD, or Crohns disease. Blood work is also necessary and stool samples. If all come back negative - then you may be suffering from Bile Salt leakage or possibly Habba Syndrome. Trust me when I tell you it is well worth looking into. I have suffered for months and am finally beginning to see some positive results. I am still thin at 98 lbs. (lost a lot of weight with this) but am hoping to soon put some back on. I did notice that I am not having digestive issues (malaborbtion) and the diarrhea is much less than before. I asked the doctor how long I would have to continue the medication - he said probably around a year until everything returns back to the way it should be. I must say - I can now eat many of the foods I had sensitivities to - which were many.
So if you are really suffering from IBS-D - do look into this.
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I get post prandial pain-predominant IBS-D (since I was 7 years old). I've been meaning to give Questran a try, so at my GI appt today I decided to ask for a prescription.
Just thought I'd share because I know how important it is to feel like you've reached at least one person by ''going public'' with your story!  
I'm a huge advocate of ''Whatever Works,'' and IBS is such an awful game of trial and error we play to find something, anything that makes our lives just a little easier. These boards are so important to connect us with people who have been there.
I haven't tried anything new in a while, so I'll be taking a chance going off Donnatal, Immodium and Tylanol 3 to try this new treatment, which might not work for me, but D 9-20 times a day, every day unmedicated has taught me #1 a sense of humor, and #2 a deep sense of empathy for people who suffer. It's worth it to me to dig deep and find some hope that a new treatment could do something for me. 
Listen, about night attacks-- Do not wear anything around your waist while you sleep, not a drawstring, not even elastic underwear. It's not a cure, it's a trick, but you'll cut your night attacks big time. Sounds weird, but trust me on this one! Night attacks are the worst. But since I changed to an oversized nightshirt, seat belts have now jumped to my #1 nemesis.
Stay strong, and remember, if it works for you, it works for you!!! We all need a little of that in our lives.
Oh, and welcome to the boards!
~nelly~
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I just picked up my Questran prescription today. I've just been through all the product information online and interestingly, the stuff comes in an orange-flavored powder I'll mix with water.
Coincidentally, it also contains acacia. I saw it listed, and I'm like, "???". With my insurance, 30 pouches of the powder (30 days' worth) cost me $2.50. 
I have 2 refills, and from what I've gleaned, it takes 8 weeks+ to see results.
The hardest part will be not taking imodium before I go to sleep tonight!!! I will probably have an attack in the morning, or even a night attack *dread*  . But I want to do it this way, to see if it'll really work.
(Don't get me wrong, I will be RUNNING for the imodium if this gets too difficult. ) I'm a little nervous already. I haven't tried something new in ages. Wouldn't it be great if this worked?
Wish me luck!
~nelly~
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I just picked up a prescription for this today but only have 30 days worth (at a sachet a day) so I'm wondering if I'll even be able to tell if it's working for me. My primary IBS problem is diarrhea and I've had the Celiac blood test (negative) and been on various medications that haven't worked to stop the D. My father had to have his gallbladder out when he was younger than I am now so I do wonder if this is a case of a dysfunctional gallbladder rather than IBS.
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Hey, good to have the company!!! I think it's normal to just get 30 to start, AislingH, and I'm guessing you can refill as necessary without too many problems! Have you tried/tasted it yet? How does is compare to Heather's acacia fiber?
I'm still trying not to get too psyched about it, but deep down I'm really excited to see if it works...!
I figure I can try this for a month to see if I see any improvement, but I'm going to try it w/o the imodium. I've already been 3 days w/o imodium (really strange for me, btw!), but I haven't had an attack yet. I'll try my first sachet 2night (yum, orange!), and treat myself gently.
It's like, there's never any "good time" to go off my meds... My DB's dad is flying in for the week (first time in 2 years) and he'll want to take us out to EAT, then I have to drive my maternal parent to the airport next weekend and take care of the house while she's away for 6 weeks in France (she's a hoarder), so STRESS.
She's already yelling about not throwing away any of her Important Papers... There's also about 5 mice I need to catch... My family is probably about two 911 calls away from a reality show.
Anyway, I'm getting as much sleep as I can, and trying to eat and live as D free as possible right now before everything kicks into high gear!
~nelly~
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Please let me know if it's working for you - I started seeing results in less than 2 weeks. I even lessened my dose. I was to take 2 packets per day - now I am down to one at night only. I also have the orange flavored one. It doesn't taste that bad. If you find you are getting constipated, do not be afraid to lower the dose. And remember, it may work for the diarrhea - but if you have foods that do not work for you (due to IBS), don't start eating them. I tried that - felt so good - I ate some chocolate - wrong thing to do - I had diarrhea for two days - but I went back to two packs a day for a few days - and got back in the swing - and again I am back to one packet a day. My doctor said to be flexible - and flexibility so far is good!
Let me know how you are doing with the medication....
Wishing you luck!
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Thanks, catarific!!!!! It's been 6 days w/ no Imodium, and no D yet. I've been eating really safe, tho. I will post back and let you know how it goes!!
~nelly~
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