Dear Heather, I have been receiving and enjoying your IBS newsletter for about a year. It just occurred to me to send you a piece of information that I have never seen you mention, about an anti-diarrhoeic medication that I have found useful for IBS. I manage my IBS very successfully now with diet and acupuncture, but still use this treatment as a back-up when stress or illness causes my IBS to flare up. The medication is called paregoric, or tincture of opium. It was recommended to me by my family physician, who is now in his 70's. Apparently it was ubiquitous up to the middle of the last century, but it fell out of fashion and is less commonly prescribed now. It comes in liquid form, and is diluted with water. It works by slowing down contractions of the gut, and because it is in liquid form, it works very quickly. I like this medication because it can be titrated very closely down to the minimum effective dose that will work for each individual (much harder to do with pills). It is quite inexpensive, and one bottle lasts for a long time. It is a little bit hard to get, because it is listed as a schedule 3 narcotic, but I have been able to get my prescriptions filled at a local hospital pharmacy. I have been assured by my family physician that it is not addictive if used as directed, and my tolerance has not increased in 18 months of use. With best regards Heidi
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