I dream about being one of those people who grows her family’s food, buys all organic products and begins and ends her day with a half hour of yoga. Unfortunately, I’m not Gwyneth Paltrow. I have a job, no nanny and two kids who love anything artificially colored and flavored. Life is busy and stressful which means that I don’t have the time or patience to cook 21 meals a week. It also means that stress and bad eating choices sometimes takes a toll on my digestive tract. Does this sound familiar?
Between 25 to 45 million people in the U.S. battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and two-thirds of these sufferers are women. IBS is characterized by:
When you discuss this problem with your doctor, he or she may ask you if you have abdominal pain or bloating at least one day a week for three months. You may also be asked if the consistency of your stool changes often such as if you feel like you aren’t completely emptying your bowels, if you feel pain before you pass a stool or if there is mucus in your stool. If your doctor has further concerns, he or she may request a flexible sigmoidoscopy to check out the lower part of your colon, a colonoscopy to view the entire colon or an X-ray or CT scan to view other parts of your gastrointestinal tract. There are additional lab tests that can determine if you have IBS or another digestive disorder.
Every medication has its benefits and risks, so you should review your lifestyle habits first to see if there are any drug-free changes you can make to manage your symptoms. Stress, anxiety, gluten (like in processed white flour), certain beverages (including alcohol and caffeine) and irritating foods (such as those high in fat and and gassy veggies like broccoli and cabbage) can all increase your chances of experiencing IBS symptoms. Learning to relax and eat right can help your digestive tract to normalize.
However, let’s say you’re watching what you eat and you’re avoiding that pesky family member that stresses you out but you’re still frequently running to the bathroom. Then what?
If you are concerned about your IBS, make an appointment with your doctor. There are some simple options available that s/he may recommend. For constipation, you might want to try a fiber supplement like Metamucil that you can find at your local drug store. Drinking lots of water can also help to soften your stool to make it easier to pass. If that doesn’t work, you could next try over-the-counter laxatives such as Phillips' Milk of Magnesia or Miralax.
For diarrhea, your doctor may recommend trying Imodium that you can buy from your local store. If that doesn’t work, your doctor may suggest a prescription medication such as cholestyramine (Prevalite), colestipol (Colestid), dicyclomine (Bentyl) or eluxadoline (Viberzi).
So why should you be wary of trying prescription medications to manage your IBS? Viberzi is a great example. Viberzi is used for IBS-D and is a newer opioid medication that can relax part of your digestive tract too much, which can lead to pancreatitis (when your pancreas is inflamed) or sphincter of Oddi spasm (which is when your digestive juices get backed up). Numerous people are coming forward to report to the FDA that they or a loved one have experienced these complications after taking just one or two doses Viberzi. 76 of these patients were hospitalized due to these dangerous health risks and two even died.
While lifestyle changes aren’t always easy to make, it is certainly the best option when compared to the dangerous adverse effects that are associated with many drugs. With a little time and planning, better choices can be made to live a healthier life.
