| After being diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, you may want to talk with your doctor about an irritable bowel medication that will help control your symptoms. The medication your doctor prescribes will depend on the symptom you have that is most prevalent. A medication that can help control your symptoms is the most important factor to consider so you can restore your quality of life and you can carry on with your day to day activities.
If the most prevalent symptom you have is diarrhea, then your doctor will most likely prescribe an anti-diarrheal medication like Lomotil or recommend you buy Imodium over the counter. Both of these medications decrease the motion of the intestines. Your doctor will more than likely also suggest that you watch what you eat and make other lifestyle changes so you aren't depending totally on the medication.
As a woman and you have severe diarrhea that has not responded to these medications, your doctor may prescribe Alosetron as your irritable bowel medication. There are also bile acid binding medications which prevent bile, excreted by the gall bladder, from stimulating the intestines and decreases the frequency of diarrhea.
Perhaps on the other hand, your major problem is constipation you'll need a different medications in order to relieve it. First, try a good source of fiber and a stool softener like Dulcolax to relieve your constipation. If you have a mild form of irritable bowel syndrome a fiber supplement and stool softener may be all you need.
When you do not get relief from these medications and your doctor thinks you need a stronger medication, there are several options to choose from. Stimulant laxatives, like Senna, irritate the bowel lining and can cause cramping so they are not well tolerated by a lot of people and may not work well for you. Stimulant laxatives should not be used long term as they can cause some dependence. You just want to fix a short term problem and not need a laxative to have a regular bowel movement.
Milk of Magnesia, Lactulose and Polyethylene Glycol all aid in the retention of fluid in the intestines and drawing fluid from outside the intestines to ease the passage of stool. Your doctor may prescribe Amitiza for the most severe cases which also increases the amount of fluid in the intestines. Bentyl can help with the pain caused by spasms related to irritable bowel syndrome.
Since no one knows exactly what causes IBS and speculation is there are several causes, like depression for one, an antidepressant like Imipramine or Amitriptyline may be useful to treat not only depression symptoms but pain and diarrhea as well, just be careful because a side effect of these medications is constipation. So take them with a full glass of water and increase your daily fluid intake to prevent this side effect. You do not want to go from one extreme to the other when treating your irritable bowel syndrome with an irritable bowel medication. |