Anti-depressants for IBS

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine is going through her diagnosis stage, they seem to have ruled out Crohn's and are calling it IBS.  She has awful stomach pain and frequent irregularity (too much or too little).  Her Doctor put her on Lexapro 2+ months ago but her side effects include sleeplessness and dizziness, and it hasn't improved her IBS symptoms.

My question is this - have you been put on anti-depressents as your lead medication before and if so is there one that worked better than the other?

Also - do you know how to taper off Lexapro (is it smaller pills ever day or same size pill but fewer days?) 

Her doctor sucks and won't return her calls - but I know it's dangerous to go off Lexapro all at once.

BTW I know no one is a doctor here - just looking for anecdotal advice from your own experiences.

Thanks!

A pharmacy could probably help with tapering advice also.

I was put on Prozac under this rationale - people who are not depressed have normal serotonin levels. An anti-depressant in a non-depressed person will raise serotonin levels. Higher than average serotonin levels can block pain receptors. It worked for me for about 3 or 4 months and then it was pointless. I took it for 8 months I think. My boss was also proscribed it for back pain. But, when they prescribed it to both of us they used the generic name brand so we would feel less "stigmatized." Silly.  My doc said she wished they would market it under another name just for people using it for pain. I guess she had patients that wouldn't take it because it was an anti-depressant.  I feel like it would be deceitful not to tell someone it was an anti-depressant.  But I guess if you arent depressed it shouldn't alter your mood. Im not a doc or a pharm so I have no idea.