What You Should Know About Irritable Bowel Syndrome

For most people, they feel stomach pains and experience diarrhea or constipation when they eat something that doesn’t agree with them.  Normally, the stomach pains and symptoms go away.  However, for people with irritable bowel syndrome  these symptoms happen throughout their lifetime.  It is caused by events in their life or certain triggers.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder.  IBS affects the large intestine. It can cause cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation.  Unfortunately, this is a chronic condition that you will have to manage for the rest of your life.

Only a small number of individuals suffer from severe symptoms of IBS.  Most individuals can control their symptoms with managing their overall lifestyle.  For those with severe symptoms, medication and counseling can help.

IBS Classifications

There are four classifications of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They are:

• IBS-C – The “C” signifies “constipation”
• IBS-D – The “D” signifies  “diarrhea”
• IBS-M – The “M” signifies “mixed”
• IBS-U – The “U” signifies “unspecified”

IBS Symptoms

IBS does not have a lot of symptoms. They are:

• Cramping
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating and gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

If you experience IBS and are in the midst of an episode, you might be going to the bathroom more often.  The need to go the the bathroom is intense and sudden.

Related Diseases

If you have IBS, you may also have different issues like anxiety or depression.  It is not something to be embarrassed about.  There are lots of people who suffer from it.

Women are at more serious risk for:

• Interstitial Cystitis
• Endometriosis

The Bristol Scale

To enable your specialist to know precisely what the consistency of your fecal issue is amid flareups of IBS, you  need to do the Bristol Stool Scale.  The scale offers pictures and depictions of the sorts of stool that individuals have, from the hard knotty kind to full watery looseness of the bowels.  The scale has seven unique levels of stool cases.

Treatment for IBS

There is no cure for IBS, but there are ways to help alleviate your symptoms. You doctor will probably recommend lifestyle changes before going the medication route.  Some lifestyle changes that your doctor may recommend are:

• Physical exercise
• Cutting back on your caffeine intake
• Eating smaller meals
• Minimize stress
• Taking a good probiotic
• Not eating deep-fried or spicy foods

There are also lots of over-the-counter medications that can help alleviate symptoms.  They are:

• Kaopectate
• Pepto-Bismol
• Imodium
• Gas-X
• Mylicon

If you cannot find relief through life style changes or with over-the-counter medication, then your doctor may prescribe you the following:

• Antidepressants – Helps with stomach pain caused by IBS
• Antispasmodics – Helps relax muscles
• Alosetron – This medication can help relieve stomach pain and diarrhea
• Bile Acid Sequestrants – Help control chronic diarrhea

Irritable bowel syndrome is a horrible disease to suffer from.  Even though there is no cure for the disease, you do not have to suffer.  There are many lifestyle changes that you can make and medication that can help you.  It is best to see your doctor to understand the disease further, get a proper diagnosis, and build a treatment plan.