IBS Supplements

C

coolertech

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Hi Everyone, new to the forum so sorry if this has been asked before.

I've recently been told by my GP that I've got IBS

I've been tested for gluten and dairy products and all come back clear but my GP does not think it's worth sending me for further test and has mentioned to vary my food to see what works best etc.

My main problems seem to be straight after eating food getting a upset stomach followed by lots of gas and very loose bowel movements, I also have lots of bowel cramps and bubbling noises coming from my lower stomach and bowel area.

I've tried cutting out lots of things and I just seem to be getting nowhere, sometimes my symptoms are worse and sometimes better (Gravy & anything with cornflour in it seems to make me worse) however bread and such things are ok.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the internet and seen that theres a few supplements that you can buy to help control, I'm based in the UK so I've been looking at Holland & Barratts, I've tried Ginger Tablets, Rennies and Tums atm, and not many staff seem to know what to suggest me everytime I visit the H&B store.

Please could someone suggest anything that could ease my symptoms

Thanks
 
well, not a supplement so much, but what does your normal diet look like? lots of fresh produce and meats? or lots of pre-packaged/processed food?

actually, papaya contains papain (spelling?) which is an enzyme that can aid in digestion. you can get papain tablets pretty damn cheap over here in the US. That or look for other 'digestive enzyme supplements' but you'll have to research them all as many are garbage.

but that sorta comes back to my first question...a poor diet can leave your digestive system wrecked but changing to a very unprocessed way of eating can bring back digestive health without supplements or gimics (like colon cleansers)
 
coolertech said:
Hi Everyone, new to the forum so sorry if this has been asked before.

I've recently been told by my GP that I've got IBS

I've been tested for gluten and dairy products and all come back clear but my GP does not think it's worth sending me for further test and has mentioned to vary my food to see what works best etc.

My main problems seem to be straight after eating food getting a upset stomach followed by lots of gas and very loose bowel movements, I also have lots of bowel cramps and bubbling noises coming from my lower stomach and bowel area.

I've tried cutting out lots of things and I just seem to be getting nowhere, sometimes my symptoms are worse and sometimes better (Gravy & anything with cornflour in it seems to make me worse) however bread and such things are ok.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the internet and seen that theres a few supplements that you can buy to help control, I'm based in the UK so I've been looking at Holland & Barratts, I've tried Ginger Tablets, Rennies and Tums atm, and not many staff seem to know what to suggest me everytime I visit the H&B store.

Please could someone suggest anything that could ease my symptoms

Thanks
Click to expand...

I feel your pain, I really do. I have had IBS since I was 15. Tests for gluten and all that come back clear, and different things trigger it off.

Tablets and supplements don't work. I have been there, tried that. Heat pack occasionally, but not all the time

Last year my personal trainer suggested to me to try a grain free diet and it has been working. It is hard at first but the symptoms will go away.

Grains mean bread, pasta, rice, corn etc,, here is a link...



Try it for a couple of weeks then try adding stuff back in. That way you can figure out what triggers the pain. I now know for a fact that if I have something with rice four in it, I get very gassy

Hope this helps!
 
I am sure (I hope) your GP mentioned to you that IBS is not a diagnosis itself but simply a name they give to gastrointestinal upset they cannot otherwise pinpoint a cause for such as Crohn's, etc.

I'll echo what malkore said about quality of nutrition.

One thing to look at is the amount of artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose) and sugar alcohols you ingest. The way these substances work is that they chemically "induce" your sweet taste buds but they are not metabolized (absorbed) by your body...hence their 0 calorie nutrition. For some people this creates gastric upset similar to what you mention.

Try eliminating pepper(s) and spicy foods as well. If diverticulosis runs in your family it can antagonize it...as can stuff like peanuts, popcorn, etc.

Have you tried limiting your carbohydrates to mainly vegetables and fruit plus maybe 1-2 servings of whole-grain foods/complex carbs? Try that and then consume the remainder of your calories from lean proteins (~1g/lb of body weight) and healthy fats (20-30% of total calories).

Often times excess fiber can wreak havoc though. If you are still having issues after a few weeks cut back on the grains like CypKitty said.

Also, try some Greek yogurt (with a little honey and fresh fruit) or other yogurt with active cultures to make sure your gut has the proper amounts of flora kickin' so any bugs that aren't supposed to be there are outnumbered by the ones that are.

Lastly, are you eating enough? Sometimes too few calories will present with the same "symptoms" like you describe. Track what you eat for about a week and compare it to what you should be taking in.

Good luck. I've dealt with the same thing in the past and it was depressing and frustrating. The biggest thing that helped was consuming enough calories and cleaning my diet up.
 
Last edited:
Hi everybody, thank you for your replies.

I'll try to answer all the points mentioned.

My GP tried quite a few tests when I went to him with the problem, mainly gluten wheat, also dairy, I had blood samples and stool samples taken all came back clear and normal, he questioned me about my diet.

I do eat a normal diet, I tend to eat little for breakfast as my stomach feels worse late at night and first thing in the morning when i get up, so a piece of toast or a bowl of porridge oats is normally what i eat.

as for lunch, this is normally fresh sandwiches which i make myself with salad and fresh (real) chicken and non formed ham as such.

I drink water, I do have the odd cup of tea or coffee and these are always decaf, I also drink a glass of milk every other day and help myself to an odd glass of coke sometimes with my dinner, I eat a takeaway about once per month (say chips & fish or chinese), but tend to only eat the basic stuff (i wont eat anything with sauce as I do not know what had gone in it.)

For dinner, I mainly eat fresh foods, rice, sometimes pasta, chicken, gammon, fish and lots of vegitables, I don't eat red meats such as beef, I try to cut down the number of processed foods I eat when I can.

The one thing I have noticed that makes things worse is breakfast cereals, weetabix is a no go, gravy and things with cornflour in also make me worse, sometimes when I have a battered fish from or chips fried in the same oil from takeaway it gives me stomach cramps about a couple of hours later then I have really bad diarrhea, tea (even decaf) has had some bad effects, I can sometimes feel my stomach gurggling just after I've drank it.

I don't really eat spicy foods, I take sugar normally, I've tried yogurt in the past but this hasn't had much effect, but I will be giving it another go, I eat quite well (I'm one of those people who can eat lots and not put on any weight), I haven't lost any weight since I've had my symptoms.

I'm a 33 year old male and quite slim, I do goto the gym twice a week, and I'm not overweight.

I might try the grain free diet as suggested by CypKitty

other than that I'm really stuck on what to do, it's getting to the point where I don't want to eat food as I know the effects, but I know I have to eat.

I was going to go back to my GP but there was talk of him sending me to see the specialist for the camera but he said that would cause more pain and discomfort and just did the blood and stool samples, he was quite sure that I had IBS symptoms.
 
I know what you mean. I get to the point where I won't eat certain foods, for the fact that I know I will be in pain and is it really worth it.

I've been told about the camera too but I don't want to either!
 
@ CypKitty-

Thanks for the tip about the Grain Free link.
The misses has IBS...........

Cheers again!
 
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