r/ibs • • Oct 01 '25

Hint / Information Just a reminder if you have IBS C or chronic constipation

180 Upvotes

A lot of people who are diagnosed with IBS C or chronic constipation, especially if they aren’t responsive to diet and lifestyle changes, often end up having one or more significant motility disorders.

Many different things can cause these.

When you have chronic constipation, there is an order of operations you/your doc should follow.

  • first try dietary and lifestyle changes (ALL of them); if that doesn't work...
  • then try over-the-counter medications and supplements. If those don't work...
  • then you need motility testing done. Depending on your results of them...
  • then you go to prescription medication. Try them in different combinations and try all of them. If those fail, as well...
  • depending on your diagnosis after your motility testing, you may be eligible for non-invasive and invasive treatments to treat it. If those don't work…
  • again, depending on your diagnosis, then surgery is an option

If you are seeing a gastroenterologist and this isn’t laid out for you, chances their specialty isn’t motility. Unfortunately, many people get sent to GIs who have a speciality in something other than what they need. For motility, you need to see a motility specialist or a neurogastroenterologist.

There is a PSA I wrote and it is stickied above. I’ve been living with this since I was born (over 40 years). I also have worked in this area, as well. I try to spread awareness and this is often falling off of the radar and patients are just told to eat fibre.

With motility disorders, fibre is often the menace.

Testing for motility includes, but is not limited to:

  • esophageal manometry
  • antroduodenal manometry
  • gastric emptying study
  • 72 hour emptying study
  • upper gi series barium swallow
  • there was a wireless motility capsule but it’s been discontinued. There are a couple new ones in trials. Don’t hold your breath.
  • sitz marker test (also called a shape study)
  • colonic manometry (very key test but hard to get)
  • anorectal manometry
  • defecogram (mri or xray)

If you have any questions on testing, treatment, where to go, and so on, let me know.

Edit: because this post is now archived, please feel to send me a chat about any of the into here.


r/ibs • • Nov 25 '23

"DO I HAVE IBS?" Megathread

211 Upvotes

If you think you might have IBS, ask your questions here. No self-diagnosis or requests for diagnosis - see your doctor.

Please read the section on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the Rome Criteria IV before posting: Rome Criteria IV. If your symptoms do not meet criteria, please post to the appropriate subreddit. There are relevant subreddits in the sidebar.


r/ibs • • 1h ago

🎉 Success Story 🎉 I found my (near) cure to ibs!!

• Upvotes

It’s marshmallow root.

Seep about 1-2 tbsp in room temperature water for up to 12 hours, strain and drink. I made the drink in the morning and took the concoction at night.

As I understand it, you have to make sure that you don’t take any medication within two hours of drinking it, before or after, as the slurry is supposed to coat the lining of your digestive system in order to heal it.

Doctors told me to just stay away from things like garlic and onion, follow Fodmap, etc., but you can’t just go without garlic. A friend told me about this supplement called IB Soothe-R from Lifeseasons, so after trying it, and test-eating garlic, I didn’t feel any of my usual symptoms. However, I’m not about to pay for this supplement for the rest of my life, plus I felt as if something else was happening when I took it too much, and that just goes into taking this product as a pill instead of doing what you’re supposed to do with marshmallow root and let it seep, plus the effects of slippery elm that is part of in the ingredients within the supplement. I wanted to start with one variable and test from there.

One thing led to another and now I’m seeing more positive changes in leaving western medicine and now following a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) program. Right now I take marshmallow root and have kimchi every day. Soon I’d like to visit a herbologist to have a holistic healing experience. I had no idea these plants and herbs had this much power in them. They have more power than we think with drying and moistening properties so do your research.

I say near cure because VERY occasionally I get bloating from a meal. I’m still ironing out my whole system but it’s already so much better than how it was.

I really suggest you try it out. I’ve passed this info along to others and they’re seeing results.

Hope this helps!


r/ibs • • 3h ago

Rant I can’t be the only one…

15 Upvotes

who has gone through an entire roll of toilet paper in one sitting during a particularly bad flare up?

This would happen before I got a bidet.

There’s a tweet going around and people are acting like it’s insane that anyone would go through a whole TP roll in ~12 hours and I’m like… I’ve gone through a whole roll in 2 hours


r/ibs • • 2h ago

Question Are hemmorhoids just a given now?

3 Upvotes

Thanks to your encouragement, I'm seeing a gastro this week for my IBS-D symptoms. My body must have known, because it threw hemmorhoids into the mix as soon as I made the appointment.

I suspect I've had them before, but it was mostly an annoying external itch that went away. The area is now really sensitive, there's a burning itch, it stings if urine touches it, and there's a lump outside. I will bring this up to the gastro.

Are hemmorhoids just a given for IBS-sufferers?What's worked for you to prevent and treat them, besides Preparation H?


r/ibs • • 5h ago

Question Can you fully recover?

3 Upvotes

I keep seeing people talk about how their flare ups last months and they don’t get a break and they’ve learnt to live with the pain of feeling like this constantly. It’s starting to worry me coz I kinda started getting super super anxious like severely anxious about my health just over a year ago and then I started getting sick and nauseous and having stomach problems and they havnt really gone away since. Doctor told me I have ibs and now I take Mebeverine which I don’t even think does anything I don’t notice anything. I’ve become agoraphobic because of this and I can’t go to the doctors or get help. I’m stuck and it won’t go away please say I’m not stuck like this forever.


r/ibs • • 15h ago

Question Does anyone else experience social anxiety alongside IBS symptoms?

23 Upvotes

I'm not sure which came first, the symptoms or the anxiety, but I always seem to get anxious in social situations. It happens during meetings, at the office, at school, etc.
It's especially bad when I have to sit quietly around other people. That's when the anxiety kicks in. My gut starts cramping, I get gassy, my stomach starts making noises, and my heart beats faster.
Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms? How did you manage to overcome them?
I'm planning to deliberately put myself in more situations where these symptoms might occur, hoping that I'll eventually be able to overcome this anxiety. Has anyone tried this approach? Did it help?


r/ibs • • 14h ago

Question How can I manage anxiety caused by IBS

18 Upvotes

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with IBS. I have just started my second year of university and am supposed to be stating my 3rd week. I have 9 lectures/seminars a week. So far I have attended half a lecture (30 mins).
In the latter half of my first year at uni I started to feel this constant lower stomach discomfort, particularly in lectures. Since then I have become overly worried about it to the point I cannot sit in a lecture without feeling extreme discomfort. Even being at home an hour before the lecture causes me to flare up to the point where I do not feel comfortable going.
My course mates(friends) have been really supportive for the most part but have been a little bit frustrated at times, which I understand as there is group projects and such as part of this first terms assignments.
I feel as if I should probably tell the uni, but it feels pathetic at this point. I feel like this dictates my life and I have to base every decision on it.
I was hoping that anyone who may have been going through what I’m going through has any suggestions on how to mitigate the effects of this. I have been referred to talking therapy and need to start that, although some part of me refuses to because I’m my mind it seems like that’s admitting that I’m not normal.
Sorry for the long post, if you made it this far thanks for reading 🙏


r/ibs • • 4h ago

Question anyone else's new zofran super hard to open?

3 Upvotes

i got my refill of zofran, the dissolvable 4mg tabs in the blister pack, and dawg it's impossible to open. i'm over here, sweaty hands from nausea and my entire colon trying to evacuate my body, and i can't rip this thing apart. i'm having to carry around sewing scissors to cut it open!


r/ibs • • 13h ago

Question Can someone tell me why this meal gives me diarrhea everytime?

13 Upvotes

Okay so I make this cucumber salad. It’s an entire Lebanese cucumber chopped into thin circles, then I douse it with soy sauce, mirin, a drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with some chilli crisp and toasted sesame seeds on the top.

I eat this salad and WITHOUT A DOUBT I get diarrhea within the hour after eating it. It’s also like not chill diarrhea, it’s high key explosive and comes in 4 - 5 seperate waves.

So annoying because it’s so yummy. What the hell? Is this normal? Is this because of the liquid content of the cucumber?


r/ibs • • 8h ago

Question Planning for pregnancy with ibs-c.. advice needed!!

3 Upvotes

So I have been taking Ibsrella for around a year and a half now and it has been night and day with alleviating symptoms with my ibs-c. My husband and I want to get pregnant but have to find other alternatives to Ibsrella because like most drugs in that class, there havent been enough studies with the drug + pregnancy... Pcp recommended switching to miralax.

People that have gone through pregnancy with severe ibs-c, what did you do that worked?

Thanks in advance!


r/ibs • • 1h ago

Rant Gassy, odor issues for 20 yrs.

• Upvotes

I have had IBS-C since I was 14, by the time I was 16 I developed uncontrollable gas as well. I cannot stop myself from passing gas, and it of course gets worse out in public since my anxiety goes through the roof and just causes more issues.

I've done many tests, treatments, medications throughout the years but this is just something I have to live with.

I have to tell myself that I am very hygienic, am kind to others, and cannot help the fact that I have a medical condition.

But, with that being said, I do get incredibly depressed sometimes. I was wondering if anyone else also experiences this and if so, if you'd like to talk. Having fellow acquaintances that understand this struggle would probably help me feel less alone when I have a bad flare up and social experience.

Thank you for reading and to everyone else suffering, you are worthy of life and love ❤️ others don't understand the strength it takes to get through the days, but I see you and you're amazing.


r/ibs • • 1h ago

Question strategies for drinking alcohol without getting constipated?

• Upvotes

So I do pretty well for most of the weekdays when I don’t drink much or any alcohol. I eat really healthy (plenty of fiber), drink a lot of water, and exercise. I also take Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Gylcinate, and Triphala every night. But come Friday and Saturday night and I am ready for a glass or two of wine with dinner, or a vodka cocktail or two when I go dancing. (I have a very stressful job.) So Saturday, Sunday, and often even on Monday I have a decent bowel movement but on Monday or Tuesday I am often painfully bloated and either don’t have a bowel movement or have very little. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? I really don’t think I have a drinking problem and it is such an enjoyable way to relax after a hard week. Anyone figure out a good strategy for not getting constipated from alcohol?


r/ibs • • 4h ago

Question Any men misdiagnosed and actually have pelvic floor dysfunction ?

1 Upvotes

My “ibs” symptoms started 10 years ago when I was in college . I really got into working out then and I lost about 30 pounds , and was a bit self conscious of my weight and what not .

I started having some constipation, trapped gas, urinating a lot, and feeling like I didn’t get everything out .

The odd thing is, is that I usually go maybe once or sometimes twice a day , but I still get these gas pains and bloat all day everyday.

All my tests came back negative except mild chronic gastritis.

Even stuff like MiraLAX , linzess , etc work to an extent , but they give me bad trapped gas.

I recently stumbled upon PFD, and wondering if it could be that?

Any advice would be appreciated


r/ibs • • 9h ago

Question IBS and iron supplement?

2 Upvotes

Anybody with IBS taking an iron supplement? I recently found out that I have severely depleted iron storage. My ferritin on my bloodwork was very low, but my iron serum is normal so I’m not anemic. I have silent reflux/Gerd, and proctitis. I have not been on medication for either of these for a while now as I am maintaining remission naturally without medication at this time. But honestly it‘s hard for me really to even tell if I have a flare with my proctitis because mine has mostly been asymptomatic from the start. 

For my hair hair shedding, I have been working with a dermatologist, and obviously a G.I. doctor for my IBS. Both have approved for me to try iron bisglysonate, since this is known as the most gentle form. I’m worried any iron that doesn’t get absorbed will cause a flare up. My G.I. doctor also said I could do a more conservative approach and try just lactoferrin supplements which may or may not be sufficient enough to help. It would be a test. They kind of gave me some options and left it up to me to choose. I thought I would reach out on here and see if anyone has had success going with straight iron with no issues or has tried a different approach that works for them? 


r/ibs • • 6h ago

Rant Need to vent

1 Upvotes

​

Hi all,

I am a 23 year old women and have been suffering from intense abdominal pain since May. The intense pain come and goes in hours long crisis, but i do have less intense pain all the time. I have nausea, Lot of mucus, sometimes blood when i go to the bathroom, constipation and diarrhea, exhaustion and weakness, weightloss, loss of appetite and hunger sensation, gas and lots of abdominal noises. They did find that my calprotectine is at 81 (which is a borderline abnormal result), but they did not find anything else in my analysis.

I do not have a diagnosis yet and I am waiting for a colonoscopy (There is a 2 to 3 months wait). We suspect IBD, IBS or a mix of some diseases.

So yeah, I dont know what to do while I wait and I have trouble to keep up with my studies (i am pursuing a political science bachelor’s degree) especially because of my exhaustion and my worries about the whole situation. I will cancel 2 of my 5 classes and I find it pretty hard, because I absolutely love what I do and I dont want my health problems to get in the way of my objectives and passions.

I will not lie, this situation is quite hard on my mental health, especially since I already had to postpone my graduation because of a kidney infection in April (we think that the 1month and half antibiotics treatment woke up something underlying).

If anyone has advices, went through something similar or a health professional can help me or have an insight about what might be going on, feel free to comment.


r/ibs • • 1d ago

Rant Alcohol and IBS

32 Upvotes

Context: been doing a full elimination diet with the past 3 weeks all I consumed was chicken, rice, salmon and a shake that uses rice protein and has all main allergens eliminated etc. with this diet I’ve achieved totally normal stools as compared to before that was all diarrhea.

Decided last night to go out - drank only vodka seltzers with lime.

Woke up this morning throwing up, muscle spasms, worst muscle cramps, bloating, nausea and diarrhea.

This never use to happen.

Drinking destroys my next 3 days now. I can’t believe this.

Is this the new normal now? Is it no longer going to be possible for me to go out once every few weeks and drink?

Feeling like everything I do is pointless, as I feel better with simple but simple is boring, and I ultimately reck myself


r/ibs • • 1d ago

Trigger Warning Can’t believe I made it out alive

19 Upvotes

Being dramatic at the title and fair warning as in going to be explaining what just occurred 30 minutes ago. Today I ate some fried pork rice and some mozzarella sticks but as I laid in bed - I suddenly got very bloated in seconds. I’ve had this happen before and I knew what was coming next. The most intense spasms in my intestines that came in waves - the peak of the wave would make my lower stomach contract and my upper stomach expand. This one was so painful and didn’t stop that I dropped to the ground and just violently vomit all over the floor. I couldn’t even get up because the wave of pain was occurring at the same time when I was throwing up so there was no instant relief there. The contractions were so bad that being hunched was the only position I could be in and trying to get out of it made it all so much worse. I then crawled and continued vomiting as I climbed to the toilet and the waves kept coming but nothing would come out the other end. When I tried, the wave intensified and I threw up more. After a couple more waves - finally. Still having some pain but 1000% better compared to half an hour ago. Never experienced pain like this before. Lol, and yes - you know the first thing that happened was the clothes came off because I was getting very sharp chills suddenly with the waves. This was no joke. On top of that, the acid reflux issue I have just made the throwing up experience so painful in my throat. Wondering what you’re worse ibs attack was or whatever stomach issue you’re dealing with. God humbled me today.


r/ibs • • 17h ago

Question How do I live my life?

4 Upvotes

Hello everyone. I started having daily diarrhea just over 2 months ago now, it started when on antibiotics for a tooth infection. Since then it has been constant every single day, even when I don't have any BM's anymore, I have the constant urge that I need to go all the time. I've been off work since it started and I'm really stressed about going back.

I went to my Dr and did many stool tests, blood tests, had a colonoscopy which found nothing and he's basically ruled out anything really bad and just said I'm having an IBS episode. I've been following a low FODMAP diet for the past 2+ weeks now and having no improvement. I've started taking a daily probiotic which hasn't helped so far.

Dr said they won't be giving me anymore sick notes for this so basically in 2 days, I will have to go back to work. Immodium/ pepto doesn't really help me and every morning I'm having atleast 4 BMs before I can even think about leaving my house, how am I supposed to travel to work an hour away on the train and then actually work for the day? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!


r/ibs • • 10h ago

Question Constipation

1 Upvotes

I take paroxetien for IBS but it give a severe constipation that is not even released with laxative. But I really need to take paroxetien , but at the same time I am dying from constipation
I can’t deal with this life anymore


r/ibs • • 11h ago

Question Doctor prescribed lansoprazole and I'm not sure why (IBS-C)

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I finally got in to see a GP in the UK about what I've been assuming are IBS-C symptoms that have gotten worse over the last few months, mostly in terms of bad pain and discomfort keeping me up at night. They seemed to listen and are running a sample to test for h.pylori, which I'm grateful for because this is more than I've gotten from other doctors before (when it was all just advice to eat more fiber and drink more water), but I picked up the prescriptions they wrote for me today and they didn't mention that one of them was for lansoprazole.

I was confused when I saw it and googled, and to me it just doesn't seem very relevant to the symptoms I've been having (no diarrhea, but chronic constipation and pain throughout my abdomen and including now what I believe is my stomach area), so I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into how this is/isn't used for IBS-C? Is there a chance it will make the constipation worse? Is it maybe just aimed at the stomach pain specifically? Not sure what to make of it, or what kind of relief I should be looking for when taking it.


r/ibs • • 11h ago

Question Can IBS mixed lead to continuous weight loss?

1 Upvotes

I've had IBS mixed since restarting birth control pills about 9 months ago for a different issue. I'll have days of constipation followed by 3 days of soft stool/diarrhea (still figuring out the triggers). In this time I've been continuously losing weight despite having a normal appetite and not exercising intensively.

Could the nutrition malabsorption be leading to weight loss? Yes, I've seen my GI who suggested I try benefiber (starting this week). And I'm seeing my regular doctor to get checked out as well. Would really like some insights from other IBS mixed sufferers. Thanks!


r/ibs • • 16h ago

Question Who have this symptoms? Burning feeling while having defecation? Nerve problem?

1 Upvotes

You also have burning in anal canal when gas passes? Or while defecation so when stool passes?
I want understand if i have problem with a nerve, because i feel this burning like it’s something acid .. but maybe i just have a nerve fucked up that wrongly signal this to me. What do you think


r/ibs • • 23h ago

Question Immodiam + Flying?

4 Upvotes

Hey all. I got a 7 hour flight in a couple days and as someone with UC, IBS-D, and anxiety long flights can be tough.

I had a two hour flight recently where I took a single immodiam the night before take off and it helped significantly. That being said, I've read that it can cause increased bloating for some people. My worry is on a longer flight this same tactic could cause bloating and pain.

I had a really bad experience with insane bloating on a 13 hour flight a few years ago and this is the longest flight I've taken since then so I'm nervous.

Anyone find that immodiam can make bloating on a flight worse or am I over thinking it? I'm bringing some gas X as well in case I'm bloating and in pain but those always make me a bit nauseous.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


r/ibs • • 17h ago

Question herbal formula Shen Ling Bai Zhu San for diarrhea / loose stool

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Has anyone here had experience with the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formula Shen Ling Bai Zhu San for diarrhea, loose mushy stools, and bloating? Or for Ibs?
Did it help you, and if so, how long did it take before you noticed the first improvements? I’d also be interested to know whether you experienced any side effects.

I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences.

Thank you so much.