Hey everyone, I have suffering from ibs symptoms for about two months now. Of course it’s not everyday, but it mostly settled when I took my ibs medication. I have been diagnosed but my doctor was skeptical about it. I believe it started because of my chronic anxiety and stress. It was triggered yesterday because I ate ice cream and fast food. Has anyone had ibs from stress only? Does it settle with time? I’m really new to this whole thing and it’s making me feel depressed. I need tips too as well please.

Sorry in advance... VERY long post!

I'm 46M and I've had a sensitive gut for more than 20 years. I've seen more 37 GI doctors, across 5 states, had my first colonoscopy at 25 years old, and by January 2025 I had undergone my 10th colonoscopy, along with approximately 4–5 upper endoscopies and a ridiculous amount of other testing including 2 camera pill to swallow.

But I'm posting because what has happened from September 2024 through today (August 31, 2026) feels different from the GI problems I've dealt with most of my life.

Since around September 2025, my baseline has generally become 2–7 bowel movements a day, predominantly Bristol 6–7, severe urgency, very dark brown stool, and more recently this strange oatmeal-like/mushy consistency.

I'm currently being evaluated at Mayo Clinic, and honestly, Mayo seems to be running out of ideas too.

What really has me scratching my head are several things that have temporarily made the diarrhea dramatically better or completely disappear: becoming more hypothyroid, colesevelam, and now Percocet/Robaxin after ankle surgery.

Quick background – I've been dealing with GI issues for 20+ years

I've had what I'd call a sensitive stomach since my early 20s.

I had my first colonoscopy at age 25.

In my 20s, though, my actual bowel habits were considerably more normal than they are today. My stools were generally around Bristol 3–4 and eventually became more like 4–5 as I got older.

I've essentially never been a constipated person.

More importantly, I used to have bowel control.

Even if I needed to go, I could generally hold it until I got somewhere convenient. That's honestly one of the things I miss the most.

I also don't have two symptoms that seem extremely common in IBS discussions: chronic abdominal pain and chronic bloating.

My problems are much more about loose stool, frequency and especially URGENCY.

In 2012, I had a total thyroidectomy with a neck dissection/lymph node removal.

After surgery I became profoundly hypothyroid before my thyroid replacement was adjusted. went from 240 surgery weight to 315 in a matter of 6 months. my TSH was 12.9 and I was sleeping roughly 19 hours a day. Once my replacement dose was changed to generic to name brand and was increased, I eventually got pushed pretty hard in the opposite direction and developed palpitations, elevated blood pressure and a lot of diarrhea.

That was probably my first indication that my bowel function was very sensitive to thyroid status.

Around 2015 is when the IBS and diarrhea really hit home for me.

I went through an absolutely insane period where, at its worst, I was going to the bathroom upwards of 20–25 times a day. I think a lot of it had to do with anxiety for some reason, but not a lot of things in my life at that time was changing. No new relationships, job was the same, finances were fine... I couldn't pin point my issues (anxiety).

Sometimes I'd have such an overwhelming urge to go that I'd sit down and basically nothing would come out because there was nothing left. It felt like my rectum/bowel was still trying to evacuate something that wasn't there.

I was prescribed Lomotil as a rescue medication but rarely used it.

A lot of those episodes happened while driving. I'd randomly have to pull over and literally run into the woods to use the bathroom.

This was really the period when IBS/diarrhea became a significant part of my life.

The extreme 20–25-times-a-day period didn't continue indefinitely, though. By 2016 things were settling down considerably and my bowel habits became much more manageable.

By 2017–2018, things were actually pretty good.

The following years were generally manageable too. I still considered myself someone with a sensitive stomach/IBS, but I wasn't continuously dealing with the kind of severe diarrhea and urgency I had experienced in 2015–2016.

I traveled, went about normal life, and don't remember the kind of constant bathroom emergencies or severe urgency that now dominate my life.

So while 2015–2016 is when IBS really hit home for me, there was a substantial period afterward where things were much better.

Doctors essentially settled on IBS/IBS-D because nothing else adequately explained it.

By January 2025, I was on colonoscopy #10, plus approximately 4–5 upper endoscopies and extensive other testing.

For the most part, everything has been remarkably reassuring.

That's the 20+ year background.

What I'm really trying to figure out starts around September 2024.

2012 – Thyroidectomy and the first major change

In 2012, I had a total thyroidectomy with neck dissection/lymph node removal.

After surgery, I became profoundly hypothyroid. I went from about 240 lbs at surgery to 315 lbs within roughly six months, my TSH reached 12.9, and I was sleeping close to 19 hours a day.

My thyroid replacement was eventually switched from generic to brand name and increased. That ultimately pushed me pretty hard in the opposite direction, with palpitations, elevated blood pressure and a lot of diarrhea.

Looking back, that was probably my first indication that my bowel function was very sensitive to thyroid status.

2015–2016 – When IBS really hit home

Around 2015 is when the diarrhea and IBS problems really started for some reason.

I went through an absolutely insane period where, at its worst, I was going to the bathroom upwards of 20–25 times a day.

Anxiety seemed to be involved somehow, but I could never figure out why. Nothing significant in my life had changed—same job, finances were fine—so I couldn't pinpoint where the anxiety or GI explosion was coming from.

Sometimes the urge was so overwhelming that I'd run to the bathroom, sit down...and basically nothing would come out because there was nothing left. It felt like my rectum/bowel was still desperately trying to evacuate something that wasn't there.

I was prescribed Lomotil as a rescue medication, but rarely used it.

A lot of these episodes happened while driving. I'd suddenly have to pull over and literally run into the woods to use the bathroom.

This was really the period when IBS/diarrhea became a significant part of my life.

The extreme 20–25-times-a-day period didn't continue indefinitely, though. By 2016 things were settling down considerably, and my bowel habits became much more manageable.

2017–2023 – Things became much more manageable

After the major 2015–2016 period, things improved substantially. I still had IBS and intermittent loose stools/diarrhea, but I wasn't continuously dealing with anything resembling the severe urgency and predominantly Bristol 6–7 pattern I have now.

I had a number of relatively normal years where IBS was still part of my life, but it wasn't dominating my life.

The major change I'm trying to understand seems to begin again around 2024.

September 2024 – Diverticulitis with a microperforation

While in the Bahamas in September 2024, I suddenly developed severe abdominal cramping and significant abdominal distention/bloating. Again, 1 Imodium for the flight, landed and had some bad food. Imodium + bad food trying to leave my body, the Imodium was doing its job at keeping food in equals a disaster.

This was VERY unusual for me because chronic abdominal pain and bloating aren't normally my problem.

After returning home, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis with a microperforation.

Thankfully, I didn't require surgery.

After that episode, I would occasionally get a very specific kind of cramp. I'd suddenly get an intense abdominal cramp and, usually within about 60 seconds, I'd either pass a substantial amount of gas or have diarrhea. As soon as that happened, the pain disappeared. Those episodes used to happen every few months but fortunately have become much less frequent.

September 2025 – Something fundamentally changes

This is where my current problem really begins.

Around September 2025, my bowel pattern changed substantially.

Since then, I've generally been having 2–7 bowel movements per day, predominantly Bristol 6–7.

And the urgency is off the charts.

When I say urgency, I don't mean:

"I should probably find a bathroom."

I mean VERY short notice.

Years ago, even when my stool wasn't perfect, I generally had enough control to delay going until I got somewhere convenient...5-10 min and I'd be okay but not now.

Now my body sometimes gives me almost no negotiation time.

More recently, the stool itself has developed a strange appearance that's become remarkably consistent.

The best description I can give is oatmeal-like.

Very soft/mushy, poorly formed and with this weird texture rather than simply being straight liquid every time.

The stool has also generally been a very dark brown.

At this point, Bristol 6–7, dark brown, oatmeal-like stool and severe urgency have basically become my normal.

November 2025 – Extensive stool testing finds basically nothing

Because this was continuing, I had an extensive stool workup on November 15, 2025.

The GI PCR panel was negative for essentially everything tested, including multiple bacterial, viral and parasitic causes of diarrhea.

Among them were Campylobacter, C. difficile toxin A/B, Salmonella, Shigella/enteroinvasive E. coli, multiple diarrheagenic E. coli strains, Vibrio, Yersinia, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Entamoeba histolytica, norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, astrovirus and sapovirus.

Traditional cultures found no Salmonella, Shigella or Campylobacter.

E. coli Shiga toxin was negative.

Ova and parasite examination found no ova, cysts or parasites in the specimen.

There were no white blood cells seen in the stool.

A separate C. difficile cytotoxin B test was negative.

My fecal pancreatic elastase was >800 µg/g, with >200 considered normal.

So that entire infectious/parasitic/pancreatic workup basically gave us nothing to explain what was happening.

2026 – I end up at Mayo Clinic

I started working with Mayo Clinic in 2026 and I'm still undergoing evaluation.

So far, bloodwork and other testing have generally been normal/reassuring.

Nobody has given me a convincing explanation.

And at this point, Mayo seems to be running out of ideas too.

That's not meant as a criticism of Mayo. There's only so much you can do when test after test keeps coming back normal.

But it's a big reason I'm now throwing this entire ridiculous history onto Reddit.

Then I accidentally discovered something interesting with my thyroid

My TSH had been hovering around approximately 2.3, which is generally considered perfectly reasonable.

But knowing how much diarrhea I experienced when my thyroid replacement pushed me too far in the other direction years ago, I started wondering:

What if a TSH of 2.3 is technically normal, but my gut behaves differently at that level? When looking at my records which I do blood work every 3-4 months measuring TSH since Sept 2012. I have over 50 blood work ups in the past 14 years and 2.3 on paper, didn't have any recorded diarrhea issues (I'm pretty meticulous about writing every little thing down).

I essentially performed an experiment on myself and allowed myself to drift more hypothyroid. I stopped working out/walking and I started to eat a lot of fast food. I gained only 3 lbs and noticed an overnight immediate change.

• The bowel urgency basically disappeared.
• My stools became firmer.
• Frequency decreased.
• Suddenly I felt like I had bowel control again.

When I checked my thyroid labs, my TSH was approximately 5.9.

April 3rd 2026 – Colesevelam almost feels like a miracle

Then something else happened.

In early April, I was preparing for a motorcycle trip to Arizona.

My diarrhea and urgency were awful, and obviously having 30 seconds to find a bathroom doesn't work particularly well when you're riding motorcycles all day.

I contacted my colorectal surgeon and was prescribed colesevelam, a bile-acid sequestrant that's primarily a cholesterol medication but is also used for bile-acid diarrhea.

Because of timing/interactions with my other medications, I couldn't take the full regimen. I could essentially only take about half the intended dose, around the middle of the day.

I don't normally eat lunch either, so I wasn't even taking it with a regular meal.

And yet...

Within about a day, something changed dramatically.

• My diarrhea improved.
• My stool became more like Bristol 4–5.
• Frequency dropped.
• Most importantly:
• The urgency dramatically decreased.

By around day three, I was genuinely emotional about it.

After dealing with this for so long, it felt like somebody had handed me my life back.

I remember thinking:

Holy crap! We found it. It's bile-acid diarrhea.

Except apparently it wasn't going to be that simple.

Arizona – For 2 weeks I'm almost normal again

I continued taking colesevelam throughout the trip.

There were several other differences from my normal life.

During the motorcycle portion of the trip, breakfast and dinner were generally chef-prepared meals. Some were foods I would never normally make for myself. Overall, the food was healthier and heartier than my usual diet.

I also wasn't drinking my normal iced latte.

During approximately a week of riding, I think I had maybe one or two episodes where I needed a bathroom and had loose stool.

But even those were completely different.

It was:

"Okay, I need to find a bathroom."

Not:

"I have 30 seconds before we have a serious problem."

That distinction is ENORMOUS for me.

April 15–17 – I come home and within 48 hours it's back

I returned to Orlando around April 15.

On April 16, I resumed normal life: usual breakfast, normal iced latte, normal routine.

By April 17, the diarrhea and urgency were back.

Multiple bowel movements. Bristol 6. Severe urgency.

It was almost like I wasn't taking colesevelam at all.

The transition happened incredibly fast.

I tested the obvious coffee/milk theory

My morning iced latte routine is extremely consistent and has been for years.

Same basic recipe, same Fairlife whole milk, same ingredients.

So I stopped the coffee/milk combination for several days.

No meaningful improvement.

The diarrhea continued.

But simply removing my latte did not reproduce what happened in Arizona.

Here's another thing I can't explain – even water, white rice and chicken can result in diarrhea

This is why I've struggled to identify a reliably “safe” food.

I can eat something obviously unhealthy and get diarrhea.

But I can also eat plain white rice and get diarrhea.

I can eat plain chicken and get diarrhea.

Even drinking water can trigger bowel activity/diarrhea for me.

Sometimes it feels less like what I'm eating and more like the simple act of putting something into my GI tract causes everything to start moving.

And I've noticed the opposite too.

If I substantially reduce my food and fluid intake and become dehydrated: The diarrhea can and will almost always stop.

I know dehydration isn't healthy. I'm absolutely not presenting that as a treatment.

Unfortunately, there have been important times when I've actually resorted to it.

If I'm going somewhere with friends or family — for example, spending the day at the parks — I'll sometimes intentionally avoid eating and drinking because it's the only way I feel confident I can leave the house.

So I'll be out trying to enjoy myself while hungry, thirsty and eventually dealing with a dehydration headache, simply because I'm afraid that eating or drinking will start the diarrhea.

That's the level to which the urgency has affected my life.

August 11, 2026 – Steel Cut Oats

Multiple doctors have told me for years to add soluble fiber.

I've bought Metamucil multiple times and then basically let it sit in the house.

My thinking was always:

“I already have diarrhea. Why would I add fiber and make myself poop even more?”

I've since learned that's an oversimplification and that soluble fiber can absorb water and potentially help form loose stool.

So on August 11, I started eating steel-cut oats every single morning.

And I've actually stuck with it.

Today is August 31, and I've eaten steel-cut oats every morning for 20 straight days.

I've also continued drinking my iced latte every morning.

Here's why those dates become interesting:

From August 11 through August 20, I was eating the oats every morning and I still had my usual diarrhea.

Then August 21 arrived.

August 21–31 – Ankle surgery, Percocet...and suddenly my poop is NORMAL

On August 21, I had ankle surgery.

I've basically been stuck at home on one foot ever since and was prescribed Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) for pain and Robaxin (methocarbamol) as a muscle relaxant.

And my diarrhea basically disappeared.

I went from my usual:

• 2–7 bowel movements/day
• Bristol 6–7
• Severe urgency
• Very dark brown
• Oatmeal-like/mushy

to:

• ONE bowel movement a day.
• Well formed.
• No diarrhea.
• And even the color went back to what I consider normal-looking brown.

I honestly haven't consistently seen my poop look this normal since my 20s/early 30s.

And this has continued.

Because I'm stuck at home recovering, my diet has actually been unusually boring and consistent.

Every morning I'm still eating the same steel-cut oats I've been eating since August 11.

I'm still drinking my iced latte every morning.

I'll usually have a small snack during the day while I'm home and having nurses rotate through for my post-op check-ins.

Dinner has generally been something simple like chicken with sweet potatoes or chicken with rice.

Remember, I've eaten chicken and rice before and gotten diarrhea.

I've even had water trigger diarrhea.

So I can't simply say:

"Well, I completely changed my diet after surgery and that's why everything got better."

I didn't.

The oats were already there for 10 days before the diarrhea stopped.

The latte is still there.

Chicken and rice are still there.

Here's the part that REALLY caught my attention.

I can brush my teeth, and NO I'm not swallowing the toothpaste and within min. I have to rush to the bathroom with urgent oatmeal diarrhea, almost level 7.

I stopped taking the post-op medications for one day.

The next day?

The diarrhea came back.

The stool went right back to being loose and very dark brown, basically like it was before surgery.

I started taking the medications again.

And it went right back to:

One well-formed, normal-looking brown bowel movement a day.

And that's where I am today, August 31.

I completely understand that oxycodone is an opioid and opioids are notorious for slowing intestinal motility and causing constipation.

I'm not suggesting Percocet as a long-term treatment for diarrhea.

But here's what I find so interesting:

I'm not constipated.

I'm still going every day.

It's almost like slowing my GI tract down has taken it from whatever the hell it normally does and put it back into normal gear.

So...what the hell am I missing?

This is the pattern I can't stop thinking about:

• More hypothyroid → diarrhea and urgency dramatically improve.
• Colesevelam → diarrhea and urgency initially dramatically improve.
• Percocet → diarrhea disappears, 2–7 bowel movements/day becomes ~1/day, stool becomes well formed, and the very dark brown color changes back to normal-looking brown.

Meanwhile:

• Eating can trigger diarrhea.
• White rice can trigger diarrhea.
• Chicken can trigger diarrhea.
• Water can trigger diarrhea.
• Reducing my dehydrating myself can essentially stop it.

And now I've had this accidental little experiment where I ate steel-cut oats + my normal iced latte for 10 days and continued having diarrhea, then continued eating/drinking those exact same things while taking my post-op medications and suddenly my bowel movements normalized.

I know the obvious answer to the Percocet part is:

“Opioids slow your gut. Of course the diarrhea stopped.”

Yes. I completely understand that.

But that's actually part of my question.

Why does slowing my gut repeatedly seem to take me from severe diarrhea/urgency 4x a day, mushy oatmeal, I have 15 seconds to make it to the bathroom all the way back to what looks and feels like normal bowel function, normal color, ZERO urgency and sometimes maybe skipping a day to poop?

Medications I've already tried

Rifaximin – 2026: Tried it for the diarrhea/IBS symptoms.

Colesevelam – 2026: Tried it with the dramatic initial response I described above, although the improvement didn't last after I returned home. 2 weeks taking only 3 pills at lunch time because I could not take the full 6 pills because of medicine dosing times and possible issues over overlap.

Lomotil – around 2015: This was prescribed when my more serious IBS/diarrhea problems first started. I took it very rarely back then and haven't taken it since.

Imodium

• 2015 - 2016 - Not effective at all, then I was given Lomotil which worked.
• 2000-2024 - I could take one pill and it would work for me, make me stop using the bathroom for 1-3 days and then I would have explosive diarrhea following. Would help with just fly days, from having an accident on the plane.
• October 2024 - was asked to not take it anymore due to my diverticulitis diagnosis.
• 2026 Arizona Trip - 6-8 pills every 24 hours every single day while in Arizona for 9 days straight before introducing Colesevelam and it didn't even slow my gut down at all. Still having 3-10 diarrhea episodes per day.

Actual Data

One advantage of dealing with this for so long is that I actually have years of bowel movement data.

I started formally tracking on February 6, 2016, shortly after the extreme diarrhea/urgency period I went through in 2015. My older Poo Keeper records contain 3,182 logged bowel movements through March 20, 2025.

There is an important caveat, though.

I was pretty diligent about logging everything when I first started, but somewhere around 2018 I became less consistent. So I don't consider the totals from those middle years an accurate count of every bowel movement I had. They're still useful for seeing what my stool looked like, but not necessarily for measuring frequency.

In 2025, I started using a different tracking app that I really liked, and I became much more consistent about recording everything again.

That's where the numbers get interesting.

2025 — 703 recorded bowel movements

Bristol 1: 7
Bristol 2: 11
Bristol 3: 13
Bristol 4: 41
Bristol 5: 223
Bristol 6: 344
Bristol 7: 64

2026 through August 31 — 492 recorded bowel movements

Bristol 1: 2
Bristol 2: 0
Bristol 3: 2
Bristol 4: 27
Bristol 5: 144
Bristol 6: 266
Bristol 7: 51

The part that really stands out to me is the change in what is “normal” for my body.

In the older records, Bristol 3–4 stools were common. In the recent records, they're almost nonexistent. In 2026, I've recorded only 29 Bristol 3–4 stools compared with 461 Bristol 5–7 stools.

So when I say my bowel pattern has changed over the years, I'm not relying entirely on memory. I actually have a ridiculous amount of data showing the shift.

Location Data - 2015 - 2026

Number of times I've had to pull over on the side of the road and crap right next to the car while on the highway with zero privacy: 103

Number of times I've had to pull over on the side of the road and run into the woods to post up next to a tree with some level of privacy: 87

Number of times I've crapped myself because I simply couldn't make it to a bathroom: 4

Number of times I've crapped myself in the car and the damage was too great and I ended up salvaging the car and getting a new one: 1

Number of times I've almost crapped myself but couldn't get my clothes off fast enough while sitting in first class bathroom and crap was everywhere in the bathroom: 1

Number of times I've had to jump out of the pickup line at a major airport because I knew I wasn't going to make it and post up next to a 100% public tree while cars are passing by seeing me completed naked crapping all over a tree/ground: 1

My IBS is playing games with my life and I hate every minute of it. Due to the medication combination of Imodium and dicylomine my symptoms were in remission, couple of years ago. Then the combination stopped working and I started becoming constipated when that never happened before. Where I used to have an easy time going with IBS-D, now it's changed.

On my days off, I can't get out of the house. It's like my body is playing games with my life because it only wants to use the bathroom when I have something scheduled. I can go a whole day without the imodium and medication but nothing happens. That used to never be the case.

I can't go to the gym anymore or out anywhere and am bound to the apartment. I've tried a new gastroenterologist and so far he prescribed Viberzi which was a disaster. It did nothing for my cramps and severely constipated me. He found out that I have dyssynergic defecation. He's ordering every single test when all I want is a better medication. He wants to try lotronex but it's not approved for male patients. He orders tests and it's like pulling teeth to get them to tell me if my insurance covers it. He wants me to see a dietitian but my insurance doesn't cover it. He wants me to see a physical therapist and guess what...it's not covered by my insurance.

I'm just done with this doctor after $653 in medical bills and still no symptom management while I'm self medicating again. If I go to another gastroenterologist, they're just going to try and milk my insurance for tests like this one.

I don't want to live like this. I can't keep living like this.

Whenever I try to have a healthy lunch of salad, stir fried vegetable and buttermilk/eggs and no bread/rice/roti, I get explosive stomach cramp followed by diarrhea. I really want to be healthy and eat clean. Please help how to control it

Hi I’m Abbie and in two weeks time I’m heading to university, however I have just went to the doctor as I suspect I have IBS. She agrees and I’m having blood tests done (to rule out other underlying causes) and started on medication.

I’m a little worried how I would manage this if I do have it. Some of the classes would last 3 hours, and I am always punctual so I don’t like to go during class. Going out is even worse because I always find myself desperate to go where access is always limited. I have also noticed that eating a heavy meal and some fruits are the main trigger, and let’s say I’ve always had a large appetite.

I’m just wondering how you all managed this so some advice would be appreciated.

I'm half way through my 14 days on xifaxin and yesterday was notified I'd tested positive for h.pylori. Dr wants me to finish xifaxin, wait 14 days and do the quadruple regimen (pepto, prilosec, tetracycline and metronidazole) for the h.pylori. She told me to wait to do the treatment until I didn't have much going on for a couple of weeks. What the heck does that mean? I'm fortunate that I work from home so I'll be near a bathroom, if that's an issue but I rarely don't have anything going on for a couple of weeks. At the very least, I go to the gym 4 times a week. Can anyone share their experience with this treatment?

I have Ibs. (Obviously) and I feel so anxious about it whenever I go to my partners house or basically anywhere. I was thinking of buying a portable bidet as in my opinion they seem more hygienic and help me generally be quicker. Does anyone have e an experience with these?

Just got bloodwork done and found out I have an iron deficiency. Unfortunately, I have severe IBS-C and struggle to go more than once a week under normal circumstances, also frequently experiencing syncope and pre-syncope in relation to bowel movements. The gastro gave me a free sample of Linzess, which is helping a lot with keeping me regular and reducing cramping and bloating, but unfortunately I cannot afford to renew the prescription.
I know I need to improve the iron deficiency, but I know iron supplements make constipation worse, and without being able to medicate the IBS-C, I am afraid to start taking iron. I don't want it to get worse, but I'm already struggling to make it to class (I'm in college, with a strict attendance policy for most biology classes), and I cannot afford to keep seeing doctors for a diagnosis that I could get accommodations for.
I'm looking for advice about whether it is worth attempting to treat the deficiency or if I should just try to thug it out until I graduate and can afford healthcare. Has anyone here gone on iron before and has any advice about managing the constipation?

So for probably the last 6 years I cycle between constipation and diarrhea. It’s rare that I have normal poops, in fact, they’re so infrequent I couldn’t tell you the last time I had one. The thing that is odd is that my constipation usually lines up with alterations in my schedule. I tend to get blocked up on weekends or days that I’m not doing my normal routine. However, once I miss a poop on one day the constipation continues for days and days . Once it’s over I have diarrhea usually until my constipation flares up again with an occasional normal BM throw in the mix. I don’t seem to have another other symptoms though, like bloating or pain. I’ve been dealing with it for so long it just seemed normal to me. I suppose a trip to the doctor can’t hurt. I was just curious if anyone else’s sounds similar? Can flare ups be associated with changes in daily schedules?

I’ve had IBS on and off for years. My main symptoms are visceral abdominal pain and very noisy/gurgling bowels after eating, without much diarrhea or constipation.

My flares can last for years, then completely disappear for years, then come back. I’ve also tested positive for hydrogen SIBO, and VSL#3 probiotics have helped some.

The weird part is that during IBS flares I also get lightheaded when I stand up and sometimes have brain fog. When my IBS is gone, the orthostatic symptoms are gone too.

I recently checked my heart rate lying vs. standing during a flare: 74 lying → 117 at 3 min → 130 at 5 min → 127 at 10 min, while BP stayed fairly stable.

Has anyone else had POTS/orthostatic symptoms that seem to come and go with IBS flares? If so, what do you think causes it, and did treating the gut or treating the orthostatic issue help both?

I’ve been getting nausea after eating every meal for a few weeks now

I’m not eating anything out of the ordinary

I was on antibiotics about 3 months ago but it might not be that because I’d have expected that to affect me sooner

It’s quite mild nausea. Most of the time I don’t feel near throwing up or anything.

I have IBS-D

Does anyone else experience the same?

So I take this antidepressant for about 5 months now. It was prescribed to me by the neurologist to treat tension/chronic headaches. Long story short, I found the cause of my headaches and I'm planning to either stop this medication or taper it down.

I realised quickly after first dose (25mg) that it treats my IBS-D, rather my headaches. I also suddenly was happier and less dramatic, so the antidepressant effect also was working on me. That being said, I currently take 75mg (dosage for treating pain) and it seems like a lot of people here takes only 10mg.

Can anyone please share your expierience with this medication, if you currently taking it, and what dosage. Also, have you started with lower dosage than the current one? Anyone here tried to taper it down completely and have your IBD symptoms came back afterwards? Have you tried different/similar medications and what doctor prescribe them to you?

Is this common with IBS or whats going on if anyone has ideas.

hey everyone,

I’ve been having a hugely painful IBS flare-up for about 6 days now. I haven’t slept at all because of the pain and I’ve just been curled up in bed for the most time. today my doctor prescribed me Diclofenac against the pain (3 pills a day). however, everywhere online it says it won’t help (the first 2 pills have indeed changed nothing for me) and the side effects are horrible according to a lot of people. did my doctor simply prescribe me the wrong pain killers or does anyone have any good experiences with this drug against IBS pain? thanks! :)

Unfortunately I am one of the unlucky ones who’s IBS-D does not go away in pregnancy.
My OB had no opinion on taking Immodium as it’s not fully studied but said i can take it in emergency’s. But it is the ONLY thing that helps me and allows me to live my day to day life without always thinking I’m going to have an accident.
I try to minimize taking it to once or twice a week but as I get further along and baby is moving it’s getting worse.
Has anyone taken Immodium during pregnancy and everything be okay?
I am currently 25 weeks and know I only have 13 left to go so just hoping I can make it through.

Obviously the safety of my baby is my top priority but I also need to be able to function and go to work.

I’ve been having a super painful IBS flare-up for about 6 days now. I haven’t slept at all because of the pain and I’ve just been curled up in bed for the most time. today my doctor prescribed me Diclofenac against the pain (3 pills a day). however, everywhere online it says it won’t help (the first 2 pills have indeed changed nothing for me) and the side effects are horrible according to a lot of people. does anyone have any good experiences with this drug against IBS pain? I’m a little nervous to take it because of what I’m reading online. thanks! :)

Hi! My friends (Biotechnology engineering students) are conducting a research project on IBS and are therefore looking for Genomics/Metagenomics sequencing data of an Indian (Indian as in from the Indian subcontinent) individual. If anyone wants to anonymously or not share their sequencing data please DM. Thank you

Excruciating flares from not enough water with food lasting 24-48 hours. Food gets stuck/feels like a blockage in one localized spot in my intestines and then gas builds in that one spot which is extremely painful (the worst flare pain ever). Lots of pooping follows. Eventually with time the blockage clears (it takes like 12-20 hours) and then lots of painful gas followed by sore intestines for another day. Can’t eat during this time without making it worse.

My partner has extremely similar flares and has Crohn’s.

I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy 5 years ago that didn’t show anything, but this issue only started within the last year.

I never used to flare for this reason, but now I’ve eliminated all my food triggers and almost never flare from food anymore.

Doctors always dismiss as IBS because I had a colonoscopy before. I’ve only told them about this after the fact, I’m usually in too much pain during these flares to move much.

Edit: don’t need you to tell me to drink water (that part is obvious) or honestly any other advice at all. I know what I need to do, it’s a matter of life happens, sometimes you make mistakes and it results in a flare.

My only question is: does this also happen to you?

Dicyclomine worked to control my son’s diarrhea short term- 1-2 weeks. At the 1 week mark he had a huge overflow diarrhea, probably because he had been trending towards constipation since starting it. But still stooling daily. After the blowout, his stool firmed up again. Then at the 2 week mark the diarrhea came back again and hasn’t left. Any other similar experiences with this medication? Waiting to hear from his GI dr on what she recommends. Happy to share his GI hx if interested, as it is a long one. Thanks.

I’ve developed a severe fear of leaving the house, especially alone. Why? Because I’m terrified of getting a stomachache and not be able to find a bathroom. It sounds so irrational but it’s genuinely consuming my entire life. I haven’t worked in 3 years and I haven’t been able to have a social life. I literally take 6 Imodiums everytime I have to leave the house but as soon as I feel a stomach gurgle, I start panicking and need to get home asap. I also get vasovagal syncope that’s triggered by stomach pain, so on top of panicking, I also get super hot and light headed and have to lay down. It’s ruining my life.

Doc recommended adding in a couple fiber one bars a day. I’m on day 3 and clearing the Savannah after every meal. Hopefully my partner sticks by me with the loyalty of a meerkat 🤞🏻 Anyone else have this phase with a fiber increase? How long did it last for you?

22 M. I’ve had IBS for about five years, but the past month has been hell. Nearly every day I’ve either vomited, dry-heaved, or felt extremely nauseous. I’m also having frequent abdominal pain and bowel movements around five or six times a day. I’ve lost about 35 pounds since March, although some of that may be from eating less because of the nausea.
I’ve seen my family doctor twice. My SSRI was switched to Buspar, but I felt even sicker, so I was taken off it and recently started sertraline. I’ve previously had scopes, bloodwork, scans, and tests involving contrast dye. Other than some inflammation, nothing significant has been found.
Gravol helps the nausea somewhat, but it makes me extremely tired, and ginger Gravol doesn’t help at all. I’ve also developed fairly bad neck pain lately, although I’m unsure whether that’s connected.
Has anyone experienced a flare like this, particularly while changing anxiety medications? What helped calm the nausea, abdominal pain, and frequent bowel movements? Are there any treatments or tests that you found useful and would recommend asking my doctor about?
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Despite tracking calorie deficit and exercising my weight will go up 3lbs every few days because of the constipation.

Weighing in the morning doesn’t help because I haven’t had a stool movement. Then weighing in the evening is inaccurate because I’ve eaten!

Ugh. How do you guys with constipation do it?

Hi guys, Three years ago, while I was preparing for a physical test, I pushed myself to the limits i used to run 5km everyday and lift heavy and took mass gainers and whey protein with milk to gain weight quickly, but I ended up ruining my life. I pushed my body beyond its limits and developed gut issues.

Now, I can’t digest 90% of the edible things available on the planet. I started taking mass gainers and whey protein, which caused frequent, mushy stools. I thought the side effects were temporary, so I continued taking them.

For the first three months, it was mainly increased stool frequency. I started taking loperamide and an Ayurvedic medicine called Dastrol, but that seemed to make things worse.

Now, after eating almost anything, I start farting uncontrollably. I can’t stop it. I fart at least 200–500 times a day, literally every minute, sometimes even while I’m eating. My life has become a living hell. I lost my girlfriend, I have almost no social life, and I’m scared to go out or be around people because I can’t control my flatulence.

I’ve tried so many things simethicone, activated charcoal, peppermint oil—but nothing has worked. I’ve also taken rifaximin 550 mg 4 times, but it didn’t help either.

I can’t even think about eating potatoes, dairy products, legumes, or beans anymore. I’m basically surviving on maida and soy. Even then, I normally have bowel movements 4–5 times a day when I eat only soy and maida. When I eat other foods, it can increase to 10–15 times a day.

Milk and chicken are two things that make my condition significantly worse, and the symptoms can last for at least a week afterward. Whenever I consume dairy, I get this weird smell and sensation coming from inside my gut, along with pain that can last for weeks. I also can’t stop farting or burping, sometimes for weeks at a time.

I genuinely don’t know what to do anymore. If anyone has experienced something similar or has any idea what could be causing this or what treatment actually helped, please share. I’m desperate for some answers. If anyone is dealing with similar issues and wants to connect and share their experiences, please feel free to DM me.

Apart from my digestive issues, I’m also dealing with COPD, chronic pansinusitis/rhinosinusitis, chronic prostatitis, PBNO (primary bladder neck obstruction), varicose veins in my legs, warts on my body and Grade 4 bilateral varicocele.

I’d really like to connect with people going through similar health issues, exchange experiences, and learn what has helped them.

I was reading elsewhere and on here that kiwi twice a day is known to help with IBS symptoms but I hate the super sweetness of kiwi. Does anyone have any recommendations to make it taste less sweet or alternatives in vitamins or something to help?