Calcium

Hi everyone

I have been taking Calcium with Vitamin D for a few weeks now.. a tip I learned on this board. It really does work to help with the diarrhea and urgency. It took me a bit to figure out the timing and dose but right now I am taking a whole pill at night (600mg) and then a half in the morning before I eat, and so far, I've not had diarrhea (well once, but it wasn't as bad and I think it happened because I worked out way more than I had been in a long time and sometimes that makes things loose lol). I recommend anyone trying it becuase its more natural than drugs and it works pretty well.

However, I still have problems with gas and with just general stomach discomfort and feeling sick. My doctor wants to start me on Paxil for my social anxiety and he said he thinks that that may also help me calm down a little and possibly help to soothe out my stomach. I dunno, I really don't want to be on a mood stabilizer.... just a personal hang up. I guess I am just nervous about actually starting it and getting used to it.

Calcium is not easy to digest and they recommend it be taken with food. That may be part of the problem ifyou are taking it at night on an empty stomach. The peppermint tea is good but does cause acid reflux. I found that Ginger capsules worked very well as did the Pepto.

OK so I was thinking, that I am really terrified of taking the Paxil becuase I don't want the sexual side effects, or the weight gain, or just being mentally altered by a substance, but at the same time, I KNOW that anxiety plays at least a role in my stomach distress. I get anxious before I go to work and sometimes will even have a panic attack about it. I get anxious when I am going to meet friends, or have dinner with my boyfriend's family. Its so dumb and annoying becuase I know his family well and I love my friends but I get SO ANXIOUS about everything. Work doesn't make sense either becuase I have worked there for 3years with the same people. I did recently change jobs in the same office but I don't know why that would change anything. Oddly, I do not get stressed about class. Even sittinga mong lots of people, I feel relaxed.

Does anyone here have experience with Paxil CR? Or dealing with their anxiety in a more natural way? I was reading that Paxil is one of the worst drugs as far as alteration of your mind goes and stopping the drug when you want to stop it. I just wish my stomach would go back to like it is in a "normal" period.. but isn't that what we all want?

Just earlier today I was thinking about how badly i want to just work at home and live my life relaxed and stress free, I would feel so much better. Too bad thats unlikely, everyone wants to be able tow ork at home but how many people can actually do that?

Sorry, I was just venting. Can you tell I am distressed? :-p

Why Paxil if it has so many side effects? Why can't they try you on something that's not so strong and has less side effects? Maybe anti-depressant light, lol. And have you considered going back to therapy? Sometimes someone to listen to your problems and give you positive reinforcement can make a huge difference in how you view situations. There are certainly people who need drugs to help correct the chemical imbalance they have in their brain--and you may be one of them--but I think sometimes anti-depressants are given to people who just need a little behavior modification through therapy because they're cheaper than a counselor. I don't think worrying over your medicine is going to help you at this point.

Check into deep breathing techniques online. I found some back when I was having a lot of gall bladder pain (you may find some that's related to pain management--you can learn to breathe through your anxiety attacks the way they instruct people to breathe through their attacks of pain). I've heard that's a good way to get in control of your anxiety when it starts to build up. The deep breathing helps relax your body while concentrating on the breathing helps calm your mind and get it off whatever was distressing it. Keep a tranquil picture on your computer or in a folder and look at it while breathing deeply and think about that wonderfully warm Carribean isle or cool mountain retreat. That way you can see it in your mind when you are away from it and need to calm down and "go somewhere else" mentally.

mY Dr. is always talking to me about Yoga but I have not tried it yet. I sure couldn't do those weird positions at my age but the deep breathing techniques might help.

Hey all, im new to this board and im slowly reading up on everyones responses. its great ot read other ppl are like me and im not just insane haha. So calcium, can someone tell me whats its supposed to do exactly? just some info on it would help. I hate having IBS and my life seems to have halted because of it, im soooo lucky i work for my family so im at ease every time i go to work. I dont know what id do if i had to work in a big office or something. I do also work at a lingerie store,but i seem to have that under control for now, mainly cos i know where the toilets are and i havent had a bad episode while im working there. God forbid i get one, then i might not be so at ease. Anyways it seems calcuim is hte way to go for a few ppl??

Calcium absorbs excess water the way limestone perks water in a field.  So when you take a calcium pill, it just sucks up the excess water in your digestive tract and that's what keeps you from having diarrhea.  Me, I have excess bile in my intestines and while the calcium helps some, it doesn't do as well as medicine I take just for absorbing bile.  And some people have a transit time so rapid that calcium and all just rush through without getting much time to work.  So depending on what's causing your diarrhea, the calcium may not be a cure.  But it seems that most people do get some help from it.  Also, calcium can help heal your intestines if they are irritated or inflamed by viruses, bad bacteria, excess acid, stress, allergic reactions, etc.  I did get my guts tore up last summer from a combination, I think, of allergic reaction to food and excess bile and I hurt all of the time and had diarrhea that would not stop and the calcium stopped the pain and got my diarrhea back down to my usual levels so my bile medicine alone was able to handle it again. 

The Caltrate 600 w/ Vitamin D is the recommended brand because it is the right type of Calcium (carbonate, I think) and it has a minimum of magnesium.  You have to have magnesium involved in order to absorb the calcium into your bones, but it also acts as a laxative and counteracts the constipating effect.  Obviously most people who are on calcium for their bones don't want to be constipated, so most supplements have plenty of magnesium in them in order to combat the constipation.  This particular make and model, however, has the lowest amount of magnesium of the brands out there, which means you get maximum water absorbtion. 

I think you said you were in Australia?  This brand may not be available down there or may go by a different name.  Just look through the different bottles of calcium and find one that's calcium carbonate and get the one that has the smallest amount of magnesium in it.  You can always ask the chemist to help you find the most constipating form of calcium, lol.  I'm sure he's had plenty of people come in and complain about one brand or another. 

I still haven't taken the calcium yet.  Each morning or night I plan on starting it, I get diarrhea & take Imodium to control it quick.  I worry about taking the calcium after the Imodium since I know the calcium can have a constapating effect.  I don't want to be the "blocked up" and feel like my insides are coming out in knives when I am finally able to go...does taking Imodium with the calcium give you worse results???

You can always take just 1/2 an imodium as you add in the calcium. Imodiums have a tendency to constipate me anyways, so I only take them 1/2 a pill at a time anyways. Do as Inape suggests with the calcium pill and when you develop diarrhea during the day, take 1/2 an imodium every 30 minutes until the diarrhea stops. Take the calcium as usual the rest of the day. The next day, maybe you won't need as much imodium. If, after a week or two you're still having to take some imodium, then try two whole calcium pills a day morning and night (or breakfast and supper) and then just use the imodiums as needed. Calcium is not as strong as imodium, so even if it does constipate you, it won't be very bad. I have found, when I'm taking too much, that I just get a bit harder stools that I have a bit harder time passing--but nothing worse. I can still always have a bowel movement when I feel the need. But when I get like that, I just lower my medicines a little bit until I'm blanaced back out.

Liquid calcium??? Do you live in the States? What's it called (brand) and where do you find it?

Ok, I take liquid-filled calcium (600 mg) + D in a softgel tablet that is made by Rexall.  I looked into it because I have crohn's also. 

I have been on Calcuim and vit d now for about 6 months for Osteopenia, and I don't see it helping with my diarhhea, I go quite often to the bathroom....I have just started drinking "cholestrymine" (sp) and it works great...Now I still have my gallbladder, but I have an excessive amount of bile in my stomach, so GI says that this attaches to the bile salts or something like that , it may decrease my extremely high cholestrol and aid in my reflux problem and slow sown the diarrhea,,,So far d is at bay a little, but I have not found that the calcuim has helped at all with the diarrhea...

Cyndi

I posted something similar to this before.  But anyway, I am a psychotherapist and I have anxiety disorder and IBD.  In the research I've done, they occur together in about 80-90% of IBD cases.  Our whole systems just over-respond.  I get really upset with myself as well.  Always trying to explain why I cant get out with friends, etc b/c I'm too anxious, then you add in being anxious that you will have IBS symptoms while you are out, and you have a viscious cycle. If Mr. Right is out there for me, I'm not going to find him like this! I agree  that trying natural relaxation should be the first try - especially excercise - and a continuing thing (although it is hard to take out the time).  However, there are also just chemical things in our brain activity that show up on PET screenings as different than normal.  anti-anxiety meds sooth those responses. thus soothing physical symptoms as well.  Also, I wouldnt recommend paxil - for one thing it is an antidepresent, not an anti-anxiety.  Hope I helped anyone!

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