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
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
IBS treatment info
