Type and dosage of SFS
#120360 - 11/09/04 04:23 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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It seems like everyone is on a different SFS - from metamucil to Acacia to citricel. How do I know if the SFS I'm on is causing harm or helping and separate the symptoms that I may have because of the SFS from the symptoms caused by the food I may have eaten?
I've been taking citricel clear mix (2g fiber) in am and equalacitin (3g ) for a total of 5g a day. Equalactin is expensive as a maintenance SFS, but I don't know how to choose an SFS or a dosage amount. How can you tell how much you should be taking, if any at all. Some of you take a few grams of SFS, while others are up to 12 or 15g. That's a big difference! I'm IBS-A, leaning more to the C side right now!
Is there a favorite brand out there or an optimal dose. Can some of you tell me how much you take and how you selected a brand and an amount? How did you differentiate the side effects from the food you were eating?
Thanks for the feedback. I'm so confused, I'm driving myself batty! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Well, the side effects one is an easy one for me to answer: When I found "my" SFS, there were no side effects. None at all. Now, a little gassiness or cramping on days that you increase your dosage is normal... but what I was experiencing on the "wrong" (wrong for me!) SFS was CONSTANT pain and increased D. I would say that that's not normal.
Choosing a SFS was relatively easy for me. I tried the mixing-stuff-in-a-glass thing and found it was like swallowing glue, so I decided that was out. I can't swallow pills, so something like Citrucel tablets was out too. I wanted a chewable, so I tried Fiber Choice, and ended up really liking them. That's still what I take.
As an A, I can also tell you that I didn't feel like the SFS was doing much for the C until I worked up to a daily dosage of about 8g. I felt so much better at that dosage that I never had any reason to increase higher than that. Even though some people stay at a very low dosage, it's highly unlikely that it's doing much of anything in your system until you've worked up to a higher dose. 12-15g is Heather's general guideline, but like I said, you might find you feel pretty "stable" at 8 or 9g and that's fine too. 
Hope that helped a little!
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...Now that's interesting. I've been still experimenting with the fiber intake. I'm an A...but I've been very C for the last three weeks. And now I'm thinking that perhaps I'm not taking enough fiber, because I'm really making a concerted effort to drink over 64 ounces of water. I was taking the Acacia..but I just don't like the way it sticks all over the place. And I can never achieve just the right temperature to dissolve it correctly. Plus I felt it made my C worse. So it's in my fridge and I'm back to taking Citrocel. But I take a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening prior to my evening meal. Maybe I need to be taking it prior to lunch as well. Hmmm..that may be a little tricky at work..but I'll give it a try. You're probably right...I may have to increase the dosage. I wound up cheating today by having coffee, a piece of chocolate and an orange...just to get off center with the C...and of course the spasms and the running back and forth to the rest room started...so adding more fiber seems like the saner solution.
Thanks.
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To every problem, the answer is love.
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I've had IBS for about 8 years, and was using Metamucil, but still experienced problems with excessive gas and bloating. My system was extremely sensitive, going from one extreme to the other for weeks at a time. Finally, I started using the Acacia fiber, one tablespoon morning and one evening, plus I restricted my diet to only the most allowable foods for about four weeks. I also drink about a quart of peppermint tea (Heather's is the best) each morning, then sip on some other hot beverage (usually non-caffeine) throughout the day. I also took probiotic enzymes and acidophilos two to three times a day for the four weeks I was on the restricted diet. My IBS is now completely under control, I can even occasionally eat forbidden foods. I'm down to one tablespoon of Acacia in my tea in the morning (I add some Silk Soy French Vanilla Creamer to it too) and the probiotics once a day and I'm almost symptom free. If thing get out of line, as they sometimes do when I travel, I go back on my diet, up the Acacia dosage and within a few days I'm back to normal. The Acacia seems to have made the biggest difference in my diet. I recommend it 100%.
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Did you start at 2 tablespoons a day or work up to that amount?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
Edited by Augie (11/10/04 10:42 AM)
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on metamucil AND citrucel (seperately) my D and cramps got worse... on benefiber it got better but really only noticeably when I was up to 3-4 Tablespoons- -12 grams per day... I switched to acacia and have NO side effects and seem stable at 1-2 tablespoons a day plus a bit extra when I am going to really screw around as far as diet for some reason! this made the biggest difference next to diet change for me....
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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--------------------
~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
Print
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--------------------
~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
Print
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Notify Moderator
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Print
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