Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Antidepressents and Anti-Spasmodics

Hey Steph,

Just wanted to throw my two cents in the mix about your switch from an anti-spasmodic to an anti-depressant. I think that alot of the time anti-depressants do really help the tummy, but part of having them help is finding the right one, and sometimes that can take a lot of trial and error. I was on Paxil about 3 years ago and it did wonders for my tummy, but the side effects were too unbearable so I had to go off it and haven't settled in to a new one yet (though I am trying).

In my opinion, I would still have an anti-spasmodic while on the anti-depressant. You may not need to take the anti-spasmodic all the time, but you should maybe see if you can get a prescription for one so that you at least have it. I think maybe part of the reason that the doc suggested you just take the anti-depressant could be because a lot of the anti-spasmodics have sedating effects which can be magnified by anti-depressants. For example, I just started taking Librax (which is a combination anti-spasmodic/anti-anxiety) and it can be sedating, and I'm still on a VERY low dose of Paxil, so I was warned numerous times that it may make me very sleepy.

Also, I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but it's been my experience that when you're younger, doctors are more reluctant to have you on a lot of drugs that are potentially sedating because of the negative effects alcohol consumption can have on them. This has just been my experience, I always get the third degree from doctors about how I really shouldn't consume any alcohol in combination with the drugs I'm on...and I think they just assume that if you're younger your not going to listen and drink yourself sick. Just a thought

Hope that helped a little,
Kelly

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