Best Pain Medications For Ibs
If youâre used to popping a pill to relieve IBS pain, then it may be time to rethink your treatment options.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , acetaminophen , and aspirin are often used to treat IBS pain because of their pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory qualities.
However, research published in the Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine suggests that the efficacy of these drugs in treating IBS pain is not well supported and long-term is associated with chronic constipationânot great if youâre already struggling with bowel troubles.
Additionally, NSAIDs appear to have negative effects on IBS patients, with research showing a link between frequent use of NSAID and the development of IBS symptoms.
If you still want to try an over-the-counter pain medication for IBS, then acetaminophen could be a better option, as itâs gentler on the stomach. Pain-relieving NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and naproxen, are known to cause gastrointestinal problems, ranging from mild to severe indigestion to the development of ulcers after long term use. â
What Are The Different Types Of Ibs
Researchers categorize IBS based on the type of bowel movement problems you have. The kind of IBS can affect your treatment. Certain medicines only work for certain types of IBS.
Often, people with IBS have normal bowel movements some days and abnormal ones on other days. The type of IBS you have depends on the abnormal bowel movements you experience:
- IBS with constipation : Most of your poop is hard and lumpy.
- IBS with diarrhea : Most of your poop is loose and watery.
- IBS with mixed bowel habits : You have both hard and lumpy bowel movements and loose and watery movements on the same day.
Narrow Or Thin Stools
A change in the size and shape of a bowel movement may indicate a problem, especially if you notice thin or ribbon-like stools.
A growth in the colon or rectum that is partially obstructing the bowel can change the size and shape of the stool as it exits the body. Other conditions may also cause thin stools, such as a large benign polyp or hemorrhoids.
While some sources describe thin as pencil-thin, there isnt an accepted definition. If you notice that your stools are thinner than normal, see your healthcare provider.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Some of the key symptoms of IBS include:
- chronic diarrhoea or constipation, or alternating between the two
Some people also report whitish mucus in the faeces , feeling their bowel movement was incomplete even after a poo and nausea.
Often, the pain of IBS can be relieved by passing wind or faeces.
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Understanding The Role Of The Gut
When asked how pelvic floor dysfunction might impact people with IBS, Bickerton emphasized that pelvic floor dysfunction is more complicated than our muscles ability to contract and relax. In fact, treating pelvic floor dysfunction often involves treating peoples minds and lifestyles as well as their muscles.
There is a theory called multifocal memory, Bickerton said, that suggests our minds tag our memories in different places in our brains. So when we think of cinnamon, for example, it may trigger memories of your grandmother, or baking, or the taste and smell of cinnamon, or how much you miss your grandmother. So cinnamon isnt just one thing in your mind.
Repeated straining and bearing down without a successful bowel movement may also produce feelings of anxiety, frustration, and stress, causing the muscles to tighten further.
Situations like these may create a feedback loop of pain causing the pelvic muscles to tense, which creates more pain, etc. Over time, this loop may retrain the pelvic floor to tense up in anticipation of pain when it receives the brains signal defecate.
This type of muscle mixup is called a paradoxical contraction or dyssynergic defecation meaning the muscles are doing the opposite of what theyre designed to do.
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How Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnosed
There is no specific test for IBS. To diagnose it, doctors ask about symptoms and do an exam. Theyll ask if anyone in your family has IBS or other gastrointestinal problems.
Talking about things like gas and diarrhea can be embarrassing. But the doctor deals with issues like this every day and needs the information to help you feel better.
The doctor may suggest keeping a food diary to see if any foods trigger your IBS symptoms. The doctor might ask about stress at home and at school.
Although theres no test for IBS, a doctor may send a patient for tests to make sure the symptoms arent being caused by other problems.
Ibs Treatment And Home Care
Nearly all people with IBS can get help, but no single treatment works for everyone. You and your doctor will need to work together to find the right treatment plan to manage your symptoms.
Many things can trigger IBS symptoms, including certain foods, medicines, the presence of gas or stool, and emotional stress. Youâll need to learn what your triggers are. You may need to make some lifestyle changes and take medication.
Diet and lifestyle changes
Usually, with a few basic changes in diet and activities, IBS will improve over time. Here are some tips to help ease symptoms:
- Learn to relax, either by getting more exercise or by reducing stress in your life.
- Limit how much milk or cheese you eat.
- Eat smaller meals more often instead of big meals.
- Keep a record of the foods you eat so you can figure out which foods bring on bouts of IBS.
Common food “triggers” are red peppers, green onions, red wine, wheat, and cow’s milk. If you’re concerned about getting enough calcium, you can try to get it from other foods, like broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, tofu, yogurt, sardines, salmon with bones, calcium-fortified orange juice and breads, or calcium supplements.
Your doctor may suggest you try something called a low FODMAP diet that cuts down on hard-to-digest carbs such as wheat, beans, and certain fruits and vegetables.
Medications
The following types of drugs are used to treat IBS:
Other treatments can help with symptoms of IBS:
Belly pain and bloating
Constipation
Diarrhea
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How Is Ibs Diagnosed
If youve been having uncomfortable GI symptoms, see your healthcare provider. The first step in diagnosing IBS is a medical history and a physical exam. Your provider will ask you about your symptoms:
- Do you have pain related to bowel movements?
- Do you notice a change in how often you have a bowel movement?
- Has there been a change in how your poop looks?
- How often do you have symptoms?
- When did your symptoms start?
- What medicines do you take?
- Have you been sick or had a stressful event in your life recently?
Depending on your symptoms, you may need other tests to confirm a diagnosis. Blood tests, stool samples and X-rays can help rule out other diseases that mimic IBS.
Changes In Bowel Habits
A change in bowel habits is a common sign of rectal cancer. You may have diarrhea, constipation, or an increase or decrease in the frequency of bowel movements. With rectal cancer, diarrhea is quite common.
The important thing to remember is that a change in bowel habits means a change for you personally. Everyone has different bowel habits, and what is normal for one person may not be for another.
Your symptoms could be due to something as minor as your diet. That said, its still best to consult your healthcare provider if you notice any change occurring more than a few times.
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What Happens In Ibs
The colon’s main job is to absorb water and nutrients from partially digested food. Anything that is not absorbed is slowly moved through the colon toward the rectum and out of the body as waste in the form of feces .
Undigested food in the colon can’t move along smoothly if the colon’s muscles don’t work at the right speed for good digestion or don’t work well with the other muscles. This can lead to belly cramps, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.
Ibs Jaw And Face Pain
IBS can be such a pain in the…face? The research suggests that people with IBS are at a greater risk of experiencing joint and face pain due to a higher likelihood of experiencing other centralized chronic pain conditions.
One recent study showed that people with any subtype of IBS were three times more likely to experience pain and compromised movement of the jaw joint and the surrounding muscles due to Temporomandibular disorders .
According to John Hopkins Medicine, TMDs are disorders of the jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints , and the nerves associated with chronic facial pain.
Similar to IBS, current research suggests that hypnosis may also be an effective tool for treating TMD pain. â
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Common Symptoms Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IBS symptoms vary from person to person and can include:
- Abdominal cramps often relieved by emptying the bowels
- Change in bowel habit either diarrhoea or constipation or an alternating pattern
- Bloating and swollen abdomen
- An urgent need to go to the toilet
- A feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation
- Gurgling stomach noises
- Passing mucus from your back passage
People with IBS can also experience a variety of other unexplained symptoms including tiredness, backache, bladder frequency, indigestion, headaches, depression and anxiety.
The below webinar contains an overview of what to do once you have been diagnosed, and youll find more information on this topic below.
Kindly reproduced with permission from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
Urgent Advice: See Your Gp Urgently If:
You have other symptoms, including:
- a change in your bowel habits that has lasted for more than six weeks, especially if you are over 50 years of age
- unexplained weight loss
- a swelling or lump in your stomach or back passage
- bleeding from your back passage
These can sometimes be a sign of a potentially more serious condition.
You should also tell your GP if you have these symptoms and a family history of bowel cancer or ovarian cancer.
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How Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treated
There is a wide range of proven treatments for IBS, including prescribed medicines and over-the-counter medicines, as well as approaches that do not involve drugs.
Often, a dietary change is enough to improve symptoms this should ideally be made in conjunction with a health professional such as a dietitian who can make sure you dont miss out on any key nutrients while you are trying to identify and exclude foods that trigger your IBS.
In Australia there are no medicines designed specifically for IBS. However in certain cases, a doctor may prescribe medicines including antispasmodics, antidiarrhoeals, antidepressants or antibiotics that have symptom-relieving side-effects. In addition, some non-prescription products such as peppermint oil might be recommended if they have been medically proven to improve symptoms.
Your doctor will take several factors into account before recommending a treatment, including whether your IBS tends to involve diarrhoea or constipation, or alternate between the two.
Over-the-counter probiotics may have a role in improving symptoms, although more research is required before we really understand the strain and dose that will provide the greatest benefit.
There are some behavioural and psychological therapies that have been shown to improve symptoms of IBS. These can be particularly helpful if you notice that your IBS is triggered by stress or anxiety.
Ibs Blood When Wiping
Bright red blood that appears on toilet paper can often be a sign of a tear in the lining of the rectum. Often the results of constipation or haemorrhoids.
Dietary approaches to improving bowel movements can often ensure adequate fibre intake as well as maintaining optimal hydration. These 2 key factors to support bowel motility be help reduce fecal impaction reduce the strain placed on the bowel wall.
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What Causes Ibs Pain
You can think about IBS pain in two ways. First, pain may be caused or worsened by the physical and social factors associated with IBS . Second, pain may be caused by how IBS affects the pain signaling function of the nervous system between the brain and the gut.âAbdominal IBS pain is typically referred to as a type of visceral pain. Unlike somatic pain, which is felt by the skin, muscles, bone, and soft tissues, visceral pain is felt around the internal organs, including the stomach and intestines.
It is important for people with IBS to understand that while pain is felt in different areas of the body, it is actually processed in the brain.ââ
Research into IBS shows that pain may be caused by oversensitive nerves in the gut. These nerves send signals to the brain, telling it to overreact to physical stimuli or tell the brain that normal digestion sensations are ‘painful.’
Millions of nerves and neurons run between the gut and the brain, along a neural highway called the gut-brain axis. This means that the brain can feel what’s happening in the gut and that the gut can feel what’s happening in the brain .
When Should You Worry About Rectal Bleeding
If symptoms of IBS change suddenly, particularly the frequency of bowel movements and increased pain and is accompanied by an increase amount of blood, further examination would generally be advised.
The shade and volume of the blood can also indicate the degree of concern.
The appearance of blood in the stool can also take another form which may be harder to spot.
It is generally accepted that the further the blood travels through the colon, the darker it appears. This means that can blood can appear in the stool in what can be described as coffee grounds and would take the appearance of dark spots in the stool which can indicate a bleed higher up within the digestive tract.
This may also lead to a stool that is generally darker in colour.
While this may indicate the need for further examination to rule out colon cancer. Other causes of this are a tear, inflammation or certain medications.NSAIDs medication such as Ibuprofen, in particular may contribute to irritation that can result in a bleed.
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What Is Ibs Treatment
No specific therapy works for everyone, but most people with IBS can find a treatment that works for them. Your healthcare provider will personalize your IBS treatment plan for your needs. Typical treatment options include dietary and lifestyle changes. A dietitian can help you create a diet that fits your life.
Many people find that with these changes, symptoms improve:
Dietary changes:
- Increase fiber in your diet eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts.
- Add supplemental fiber to your diet, such as Metamucil® or Citrucel®.
- Drink plenty of water eight 8-ounce glasses per day.
- Avoid caffeine .
- Limit cheese and milk. Lactose intolerance is more common in people with IBS. Make sure to get calcium from other sources, such as broccoli, spinach, salmon or supplements.
- Try the low FODMAP diet, an eating plan that can help improve symptoms.
Activity changes:
- Try relaxation techniques.
- Eat smaller meals more often.
- Record the foods you eat so you can figure out which foods trigger IBS flare-ups. Common triggers are red peppers, green onions, red wine, wheat and cows milk.
Medical changes:
What happens if medications dont work?
In some cases, symptoms dont respond to medical treatment. Your provider may refer you for mental health therapies. Some patients find relief through:
How Can I Best Take Care Of Myself If I Have Ibs
IBS will likely be with you for life. But it doesnt shorten your lifespan, and you wont need surgery to treat it. To feel your best, try to identify and avoid your triggers, including certain foods, medications and stressful situations. A dietitian can help you plan a nutritious diet around your specific needs. Talk to your healthcare provider if symptoms dont improve.
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms
Different kinds of IBS are diagnosed according to their symptoms, with people experiencing different combinations of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including bloating, diarrhea, constipation and painful abdominal cramps.
Diarrhea and constipation may each affect people with IBS on their own, together, or in alternating periods.
Common symptoms include:
Are There Complications Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
While IBS can be painful, it is reassuring to remember that the condition does not cause long-term damage to the colon or other parts of the digestive system. IBS also does not directly cause other physical health problems.
Although IBS is often a mild condition that can be well-managed by diet and other lifestyle improvements, it can significantly impact some peoples quality of life, and can be stressful to manage. Flow-on effects can include depression and anxiety, migraine, fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome.
If IBS is causing you to feel down, anxious or upset, there are IBS-specific psychological support services. Talk to your GP about whether they are right for you.
A small number of people with IBS may experience faecal incontinence. The Continence Foundation of Australia can help with strategies where this is due to constipation or diarrhoea. Call their toll-free helpline for advice on 1800 330066.
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