Cholestyramine

First a little history: gall bladder removed in 2014 followed immediately by colostomy. I lost 15 inches of my colon. It was reversed in 2015 and things were ok until 2017 When I started having chronic diarrhea, the longest bout lasting 16 days. Now I'm seeing a gastroenterologist. I have added gastritis to my list of problems. I started taking Synjardy for diabetes and it's aggravating things some. Saw the Dr yesterday and he has prescribed cholestyramine to hopefully fix the issue. I've read some of the posts here so i m feeling positive that this new med will help. My stomach has been really giving me trouble lately; gas, bloating, general discomfort... I need some relief. The Dr wants me to try it for a few weeks and then let him know how it's working.

Hello! I don't post often, but cholestyramine is one of my favorite subjects--weird I know
I had 18" resected at my TI in 1990 and went from a life of constipation to worrying about D. I used cholestyramine for years, but a GI took me off of it (he thought I didn't need it anymore??? I think). In 2004, I had my gb out and the D was so bad I was staying home more and oh that acid owwwwwww. I went back on cholestyramine & my husband says it gave both of us our lives back!
One thing I recommend you discussing with your GI is self-adjusting the amount you take each day. I have days when stricture/diet/unknown makes me more backed up. I self-balance how much I take in a day. Some days it is none or less than a packet, on very rare occasion I use more than 1 packet. It is very person-specific, but you should ask your GI.
I hope this helps you as much as it helps me!

I'm quite new to cholestyramine (Questran is the brand I take). I've not had my gallbladder removed, but 90% of my colon has been taken out, which left me with chronic diarrhoea, urgency, butt burn and itching (bile must be the itchiest substance on earth).

Well it knocked the butt burn and extreme itchiness on the head immediately. Unfortunately it hasn't improved the diarrhoea or the urgency, but I do have active Crohn's in my rectum so that's probably why. At any rate I will take removal of some symptoms over removal of no symptoms. Nothing is more horrible than being out in public and getting an attack of severe itchy anus.

Like Hab, I have a tendency to get backed up at the surgical anastomosis. If you have a stricture, cholestyramine can make food even harder to get through by firming up your stool. (Well in theory. My stool isn't one whit firmer.) Be cautious about taking cholestyramine if you have a stricture anywhere - start with a low dose first, maybe half a sachet.

One more thing to bear in mind. Cholestyramine is an efficient binder not just of bile acid, but also of other medications and certain vitamins. So you should take medications one hour before cholestyramine or 4-6 hours after cholestyramine and consider taking a multivitamin supplement. Your doctor should have told you this already but just in case he hasn't.