Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Oh yeah. You are most definitely in the right place. And we can help you.

You should follow Heather's advice; she knows her stuff. She truly saved me when I was a total mess. Here's my story: web page

You can read others' stories as well -- in the hypno board. I too strongly recommend Michael's program. I finished it 2 months ago and in 1 more month I'm going to do his other program, "Towards Inner Peace." I can honestly say I am 90% of my normal self, thanks to Michael -- and Heather and these boards. Just yesterday hubby turned to me and said, "it's amazing the difference in you these past months; you're like your old self again. It's great!"

Now about that Donnatal. I have it too; it's my emergency med. I'm also a D. I have other meds as well:

For D only (no cramps): Lomotil
If I feel cramps coming on: NuLev
When the cramps aren't too bad: Hyoscyamine
For severe cramping and D: Donnatal

Go easy on that Donnatal; it's very dangerous stuff. My GI wouldn't even prescribe it for me; I had to get it from my regular doc. I take it ONLY when I have a severe attack. I looked up the stuff in my "Funk-n-Wagnall's" and got quite a shock! Check out the warning I discovered about it:

"Warning: special mental and physical adverse effects. Older adults are especially sensitive to the harmful anticholinergic effects of a family of drugs called belladonna alkaloids. Atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine are all in this family. Drugs in this family should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Mental effects: confusion, delirium, short-term memory problems, disorientation, and impaired attention. Physical effects: dry mouth, constipation, difficulty urinating (especially for a man with an enlarged prostate), blurred vision, decreased sweating with increased body temperature, sexual dysfunction, and worsening of glaucoma."

It's a combination of Atropine, Hyoscyamine, Scopolamine, and PHENOBARBITAL. Not good, not good.

You might consider mentioning this to your doc and asking him about Heather's peppermint caps instead. Heather used to take Donnatal, but she found that the caps actually worked better as an anti-spasmodic!

I also have Equalactin. GREAT stuff! It's not a drug, it's a soluble fiber supplement that you chew. Heather talks about it here in her link to fiber supplements, and we've talked about it in the board -- you can do a search and see what Heather says about it.

I like the Equalactin better than Fibercon or Citrucel (other soluble fiber supplements I've tried) because it just works better for some reason. At a restaurant, for instance, when I know I am going to have a problem with everything on the menu and my only choice is to pick the least of the offenders, I take an Equalactin before my meal -- and I'm fine.

I keep in my purse an emergency medicine cabinet containing a small supply of Donnatal, Hyoscyamine, Lomotil, butt wipes, toilet seat covers, and Equalactin. They're with me at all times. I used to rely on them a lot, but thankfully now I seldom need them.

It's hard to find Equalactin in the drug stores. I had to ask my pharmacist to order it for me -- which he did.

Megs, your story mimics mine to a "T" -- you are going through everything I went through just months ago. Girlfriend, please know that you CAN get better -- I'm living proof of that! I'm stable and feeling SOOOO much better, almost like my old self.

Read this; it'll bring you hope: web page

Again, welcome to the boards! You SOOO came to the right place!

Bev

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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy

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