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Does IBS Cause Headache, Fatigue And Abdominal Bloating And Intermittent Pain?

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Posted on Tue, 28 Oct 2014
Question: I am a 57 yo female with hashimotos disease and IBS. I had dental pain a week ago and my dentist put me on amoxycilline 250mg TDS and Flagyl 250mg QID. This aggravated my IBS and by the end of the week I felt exhausted. Now I feel headachy and very fatigued. I have abdominal bloating and intermittent abdominal griping pain. I have been on a paleo type diet plus multiple supplements prescribed by my GP whom I visited to seek better management of my Hashimotos, and based on my blood tests to reduce my elevated copper levels and assist my low cortisol levels. So I now take my regular thyroxin, HRT for menopause (estalis transdermal ), Hiprex (chronic UTIS with infected wall of bladder), plus my supplements - basically vitamins plus SAMe, molybdemum, zinc 75mg /day. At times i find not only my energy levels but my mood levels oscilate. This is irritating because I am by nature quite a cheery soul who is very energetic. of late i find if I go at things at my usual 120 mph speed i last a few days and then i konk out. An endocronologist i saw a few years ago told me I was on the cusp of chronic fatigue. Do you think the current slump is just a result from a disturbance of my IBS ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
I think it is quite possible; some information

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through you query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. After going through your most detailed query I have noticed that you are being well addressed/treated for all the conditions that you have been diagnosed for except for your IBS.

Either I have failed to realize what treatment has been advised for your IBS or your doctor has failed to prescribed anything. Which is why I would like to discuss this first before discussing anything else; IBS (whether Crohn's or Ulcerative colitis) are conditions that can present mildly at first, but you should know that they can make life hell. I am an IBS-sufferer as well, and knowing the risks that these conditions hold I try my best to care and address it as much as I can.

Firstly, understanding the condition is winning half the battle as a list of irritants which are the main cause for aggravation of the condition need to be known along with the individual-specific irritants. Let me list a few of the most common irritants there are:
-Chocolate
-Tea
-Coffee (caffeine)
-Caffeine-containing drinks or food items
-Carbonated drinks
-Popcorn
-Dairy products
-Gluten products
-Fried items
-Certain medications
-Spicy food
and others.

As you might have learnt, there are certain irritants in your case as well, and the medications prescribed could also be some of them, but luckily they are only temporary and you should be able to recover once they are discontinued. But please know this, every time you experience an episode there is some amount of erosion or damage to the inner lining of your intestine. As the condition progresses, the erosion progresses reaching the underlying blood vessels of the intestine and presenting as blood in stool. And from there on, further progression can result in worse consequences.

So it is vital to prevent every episode we can, although it is not possible to prevent them all. So if you know that you are experiencing an aggravation or are going to, it is best to initiate medication that can help prevent these episodes (eg. mebeverine). So please do speak to your doctor about short courses or permanent prescription of medications that can help you prevent episodes.

The next thing I would like you to know is that our intestines perform various functions (eg. absorption of nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, etc.). If they do not function properly (like during an episode of IBS), we lose all these nutrients in our stool. A deficiency of these nutrients can result in chronic fatigue, weight loss, weakness, loss of hair, depression, etc. That being said, it is quite possible that your presentation could have resulted from the IBS episode ma'am.

I hope I have succeeded in explaining things in a manner best understood by you, please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.

Best wishes.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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Does IBS Cause Headache, Fatigue And Abdominal Bloating And Intermittent Pain?

Brief Answer: I think it is quite possible; some information Detailed Answer: Hello ma'am and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. I have gone through you query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. After going through your most detailed query I have noticed that you are being well addressed/treated for all the conditions that you have been diagnosed for except for your IBS. Either I have failed to realize what treatment has been advised for your IBS or your doctor has failed to prescribed anything. Which is why I would like to discuss this first before discussing anything else; IBS (whether Crohn's or Ulcerative colitis) are conditions that can present mildly at first, but you should know that they can make life hell. I am an IBS-sufferer as well, and knowing the risks that these conditions hold I try my best to care and address it as much as I can. Firstly, understanding the condition is winning half the battle as a list of irritants which are the main cause for aggravation of the condition need to be known along with the individual-specific irritants. Let me list a few of the most common irritants there are: -Chocolate -Tea -Coffee (caffeine) -Caffeine-containing drinks or food items -Carbonated drinks -Popcorn -Dairy products -Gluten products -Fried items -Certain medications -Spicy food and others. As you might have learnt, there are certain irritants in your case as well, and the medications prescribed could also be some of them, but luckily they are only temporary and you should be able to recover once they are discontinued. But please know this, every time you experience an episode there is some amount of erosion or damage to the inner lining of your intestine. As the condition progresses, the erosion progresses reaching the underlying blood vessels of the intestine and presenting as blood in stool. And from there on, further progression can result in worse consequences. So it is vital to prevent every episode we can, although it is not possible to prevent them all. So if you know that you are experiencing an aggravation or are going to, it is best to initiate medication that can help prevent these episodes (eg. mebeverine). So please do speak to your doctor about short courses or permanent prescription of medications that can help you prevent episodes. The next thing I would like you to know is that our intestines perform various functions (eg. absorption of nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, etc.). If they do not function properly (like during an episode of IBS), we lose all these nutrients in our stool. A deficiency of these nutrients can result in chronic fatigue, weight loss, weakness, loss of hair, depression, etc. That being said, it is quite possible that your presentation could have resulted from the IBS episode ma'am. I hope I have succeeded in explaining things in a manner best understood by you, please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help. Best wishes.