Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Does IBS cause Depression?

IBS doesn't cause depression in the same way that, say, chicken pox causes a rash. However, if you're dealing with IBS symptoms you can become depressed (sad) as a result just as you can when dealing with any chronic illness that disrupts your life.

Anti-depressants (ADs)are often prescribed for IBS because it's believed that one of the causes of IBS is a malfunction in how our guts handle serotonin. Since anti-depressants affect serotonin levels throughout the body (gut as well as brain) the theory is that ADs can help our guts handle serotonin better and relieve the IBS symptoms. In other words, ADs are prescribed for IBS to treat the IBS directly not to treat depression. ADs are usually prescribed for IBS at much lower doses than they would be for clinical depression.

I, too, have felt that horrible hopelessness and anxiety when I had an attack. I don't know if it was a psychological reaction to the attack or if I was suffering from serotonin run amok, but once I began to stabilize on Heather's diet those sensations gradually faded away. Now attacks are rare and the ones I do have are milder as are the emotions that accompany the attacks.

The fact that you're not allergic to dairy doesn't really have anything to do with why it's a bad idea for people with IBS. The proteins in dairy are simply difficult for IBSers to handle. LittleMinnie explained this very well in this recent post. And certainly if you find dairy makes you ill you should avoid it completely.

I've had great success following Heather's guidelines so my advice would be to read what she says about how to eat and follow those guidelines, too. You can take a look at this old post to see the basic reading you need to do.

You should also find a good GI doctor and make sure you get tested for other conditions that might be causing your symptoms.

I hope this helps. Good luck with the wedding.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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