Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: antispasmodics and antidepressants- diff. and types??

Hello!

I'll try and give you some information about different types of meds.

The anti-spasmodics work to calm down the stomach muscles and hopefully ease cramping and D. The buscopan is an anti-spasmodic, don't know how it worked for you, I tried it and it didn't do anything for me. Generally speaking, you just take anti-spasmodics as needed, when you're having an attack and are in pain. Heather's peppermint caps are supposed to be excellent as an anti-spasmodic and I've found peppermint tea helps my stomach more than the buscopan did.

Anti-depressants are a daily drug that work to treat anxiety and depression. They are often also helpful in treating IBS. I believe that's for a few reasons. One being that IBS is generally aggravated by stress and anxiety, and anti-depressants can help ease those problems. Also, there is a sort-of second brain in your gut and there is some speculation that the anti-depressants work on the chemicals in your gut just like they do in your brain, and help calm the stomach. From personal experience, I can tell you that I used to be on Paxil and it definately helped my stomach. The problem is, anti-depressants can have a lot of side effects, so there is a lot of trial and error involved in choosing the right one.

Finally, you mentioned you had tried Dicetel? (A fellow Canadian eh?). Dicetel is an anti-cholergenic, and to be honest, I still don't quite understand what it does, but I found a description of a medical website I'll post here:

"Pinaverium is a calcium antagonist which inhibits the calcium influx by blocking the voltage-dependent calcium channel at the smooth muscle cell level. It possesses a high degree of selectivity for the intestinal smooth muscle.

Many studies showed that pinaverium induces a relaxation of the gastrointestinal and the biliary tracts and mainly of the colon, an inhibition of the motor colonic response to food and/or pharmacological stimulations, implying the action of the drug in irritable bowel syndrome."

I have been told that you have to take Dicetel on a daily basis in order for it to be effective. I've been on it for over a month and so far haven't noticed it really doing anything for me. I know Kimm on this board tried Dicetel and switched to something called Modulon which I believe she said has helped her more, maybe she can give you some more info on that.

Hope that helps!
Kelly

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