Hi Jmo10293- Welcome! Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time, but good news is lots of people here can relate. Have to ask for clarification-what do you have, IBS-wise... C, D or both? There are different alternatives for each.

what are oyu r symptoms JMO

That's what they tell me too is Fiber, and Cut out spicy foods and caffeine.Watch your fat intake and lower your consumption of fast foods, fried foods and red meat.Drink water daily .and Yogurt may help.stool softeners and laxatives in constipation. i too suffer from it{or at least my ob doctor said i had it back in 2003, but yea the pain can be so bad that i feel like im gonna pass out , :( hope the best for ya.oh do u ever fill bloated and full from eating small amount of food or gulping down water?

you can have too much fiber also . that causes terrible bloating

Yes, it depends on which IBS you have. I have a doctor that is really good and has tested me for everything under the sun to make sure it is IBS. Then his final diagnoses is IBS-D, he first tried putting me on an anti spasm med (I reacted to it, so I had to not take it), then he tried elavil, it took 3 weeks to feel the full effect, but it helps tremendously. I still have 2-3 episodes a week, But they don't hurt, there is no bloating or cramping and I can take 2-3 imodium after and it takes it away right away. I love having 4-5 great days inbetween episodes. but I am also rare, they tried to up it and my body reacted so they had to take me back down. So for a normal person that doesn't react to meds this treatment would work wonders. Also, he did tell me anyone with IBS-D should not take fiber because it will cause the problem to get worse not better. I love this GI, he actually knows what he is talking about. Now, there is another drug that he said I could try as well, it is meant for people with IBS-D, but it has some really scary side effects so I chose not to try it at this time, because I just react to almost every med and I get the scary allergic reactions. So that being said, these are some choices you could try.

I take a stomach relaxer called Dicyclomine and it helps

Don't go and see doctors, go and see a good nutritionalist - they know all about IBS and can help with your diet. Mine is definitely better when I eat properly, small meals and cut out certain foods that affect me, ie red meat, fats, sugars, wheat, dairy and fructose. I can't eat much fibre either as it bloats me and gives me terrible cramps and diarrhea. See someone who knows what they are talking about, sorry but doctors have no idea about IBS and how to treat it. I also take a probiotic daily which helps. Oh yes caffeine is bad too and spicy foods as mentioned by others here. Hope this helps.

Don't go and see doctors, go and see a good nutritionalist - they know all about IBS and can help with your diet. Mine is definitely better when I eat properly, small meals and cut out certain foods that affect me, ie red meat, fats, sugars, wheat, dairy and fructose. I can't eat much fibre either as it bloats me and gives me terrible cramps and diarrhea. See someone who knows what they are talking about, sorry but doctors have no idea about IBS and how to treat it. I also take a probiotic daily which helps. Oh yes caffeine is bad too and spicy foods as mentioned by others here. Hope this helps.

Don't go and see doctors, go and see a good nutritionalist - they know all about IBS and can help with your diet. Mine is definitely better when I eat properly, small meals and cut out certain foods that affect me, ie red meat, fats, sugars, wheat, dairy and fructose. I can't eat much fibre either as it bloats me and gives me terrible cramps and diarrhea. See someone who knows what they are talking about, sorry but doctors have no idea about IBS and how to treat it. I also take a probiotic daily which helps. Oh yes caffeine is bad too and spicy foods as mentioned by others here. Hope this helps.

The doctors never told me which IBS it was, each one just said IBS which even proves more how unhelpful they were. Thank you for the replies

Well you should know which IBS you have... IBS-D is diarrhea and IBS-C is constipation. I definitely have IBS-C. But still at times it can switch depending on what you take and what you eat.

I take domperidone and pariet to help with some of my IBS symptoms. Since coming off Cymbalta my IBS has sky rocketed out of control.
It is such a trial and error trying to figure it all out.

@Mystie... I love your profile pic!!! Steve Perry!! OMG I was such a Journey fan!!!

May I ask why you stopped taking the Cymbalta if it was helping? Did you suffer side effects? How long did you take it for?

@JMO... Hope your feeling better.

Peppermint oil capsules helped me a lot. They were pretty soothing to the gut. Don't use them if you have gerd/acid reflux though. I had to experiment a bit with when to take them to see how they worked best for me. And they're natural, which is always a plus. In addition, they work for people with C or D. Google Heather's Help for IBS. It's a great resource and there is a whole line of products that are natural and specifically for IBS. I found the site very helpful. Good luck to you!

I agree that an Integrative Medicine Nutritionist would be helpful. I have been doing meditative breathing exercises that seem to help. I also take digestive enzymes with every meal. Simple things, if you are willing to pay attention to your body and your eating habits can make a big difference. I also have been making an attempt to chew my food as well as possible and not stuff myself at meals.

I have been told by a GI doctor that I met at a conference on "Food as Medicine" that 400mg of Ginger supplement can help increase bowel motility if constipation is your problem.

I hope you can find relief soon.