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Suggest Treatment For Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Posted on Tue, 18 Mar 2014

Question: I have mucous and yellow loose stools, abdominal pains and lots of gas and very loud gurgling prior to sudden need to pass stools 3/4 times / day. Also I'm constantly very bloated. Have had all these symptoms since October (5 months) GP has given me blood tests and stool test which all came out normal and suggested it was Irritable bowel. Gave me fybogel, which made no difference. Next step would be colonic exam. Now my son is complaining about the same symptoms. He's 11

Answered by Dr. Indu Kumar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: You need to follow other measures to control IBS. Detailed Answer: Hello XXXX Thanks for writing to HCM Your symptoms are typical of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).Only fybogel will not give enough relief to you. Besides stool examination you need few other investigations like LFT(Liver function test),ultrasound of abdomen,upper GI endoscopy.Further investigations can be done if needed. Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease associated with large intestine and exact etiology is not known. There is no specific treatment of this disease. It can be controlled by altering diet pattern,psychological therapy and medicines. For gas you should take tablet Pantoprazole 40 mg half hour before food for six weeks.You should avoid hot and spicy food. You should take plenty of fibres in your diet in the form of salad etc. If you have lactose intolerance you should restrict it. Laxative can be used. You should do regular exercise and if there is any stress factor,try to reduce it. You can also take tablet loperamide SOS. You should avoid cold drinks and high gas forming vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower. You may need psychological counselling if needed. Yes,Colonoscopy should be done if these measures doesn't help you.It is necessary to exclude other causes. For your son,he can be prescribed single course of tablet Albendazole 400 mg at night for deworming as it can cause similar symptoms. Get well soon. Hope I have answered your question. Further queries are most welcome. Take Care Dr.Indu XXXXXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Indu Kumar (44 hours later)

Thanks for your answer. I was tested for kidney dysfunction, gluten intolerance but not liver dysfunction. I need to assess whether I'm lactose intolerant, so I read that a domestic test I can do is to eliminate lactose for 3 days, then during 3 glasses of milk and see whether this results in abdominal pain, gas and yello loose stools, a s I've been having. Would you recommend this before going back to my GP? I had a bout of gastrointeritis at around the time this all started. Does that mean it could have damaged the lining of the small intestine and caused secondary lactose intolerance ? If it is lactose intolerance, how soon will the bloating go down once I change my diet ? It's very uncomfortable - It's the same as when I was 9 months pregnant ! Hope you can answer some of these pressing questions for me

Answered by Dr. Indu Kumar (11 hours later)

Brief Answer: First you need thorough investigations. Detailed Answer: Hello XXXX Thanks for writing back First you need thorough investigations like upper GI endoscopy and ultrasound of abdomen to find any obvious cause. You can try for lactose intolerance test. Repeated gastroenteritis may damage normal intestinal flora so you can take probiotics.It will help in restoring normal flora. Get well soon. Hope I have answered your question. Further queries are most welcome. Take Care Dr.Indu XXXXXXX

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar