Effexor and IBS

Hi,

I havent tried effexor but I know people whi have. I have anxiety/depression with my IBS and 4 weeks ago I started taking escitalopram (lexapro) which is an ssri antidepressant and my bowels are sooooo much better - can't believe it really!

I never use to link my IBS to anxiety til now - now I know for sure that stress and anxiety makes it worse. Its been great to have no probs for a while. The lexapro has really helped with the anxiety too

I have been on Questran for my IBS for about 18 years. I take a half scoop of the powder a day mixed with water and my tummy is under control. It has been great for me. It was meant for high cholestral but it works like a charm for IBS too.

Doctors have recently found that certain anti-depressants really do make the guts behave better. I can't swear that it will help your pain, but it has helped some peoples bowel function and cramping from gas and bloating. It may very well calm your guts down so that they stop hurting all the time. Doctors have been trying anti-depressants on a lot of people with IBS to see if it will help their guts, regardless of their own mental state. One theory out there now is that our brains have very little to do with the function of our guts. There appears to be a "second brain" in our nervous system that does most of the controlling of our guts--thus why when people get nervous or stressed they frequently have bowel problems. Even if our regular brain is functioning quite normally, our second brain may be anxious, depressed, stressed or otherwise out of sorts and that regular anti-depressants seem to help it and make it function better.

Of course these medicines don't work for everybody, but I think they're certainly worth a try. Better than doing nothing and getting no chance of getting fixed, right?

If youre meds aren't helping you, you should definitely tell your doctor you want to try something else and that you've heard some people have gotten results from Effexor.

Hi

I have been on effexor 225mgs for the last 3 months. It has definatley helped my anxiety and depression. My IBS is still there but not as bad. I do tend to be on the more constipated side these days since taking it though which I find better than the other!

Other antidepressants havent helped my IBS but I think it has improved since I started this one. My psych said this one is known to help IBS.

I didnt have many side effects when I started effexor but I know some people do get bad side effects with it. Everyone is different.

I do not usually write on forums but felt compelled to share my story. I am 27 years old and have suffered from IBS all of my life. Like many of you I have been through so many tests and medications and nothing seemed to work. about 7 years ago I went to a new doctor due to insurance and he suggested going on EffexorXR, I tried the medication and it worked. My symptoms were completely gone. I began to live life again with a renewed energy. The only drawback at the time was that I noticed that if I missed one dose I would have horrible side effects. I felt like someone was pushing in on the side of my eyes and blurring my vision. The most severe symptom was the sudden nerve impulses that I would feel from my head to my fingers. During my next check up I told my doctor about this and he replied by saying that it was impossible to feel the effects of missing one dose. It is now widely know that missing one dose can lead to withdrawal symptoms. I weighed my options and decided that Effexor pretty much saved my life and that I was not going to take myself off of it anyways, so there was no need to worry.
I having been taking the medicine for almost 7 years and over the past 6 months or so I started have withdrawal like symptoms even though I am still on the medication. The withdraw like symptom that I keep experiencing are the "brain zaps" or "brain shivers." At first it would happen a few times a day and now I can't even tell you how many times it occurs. (probably in the hundreds) I do not know what to do. I have tried doing research and have found nothing about these type of symptoms occurring while taking the medicine regularly. I have an appointment with my Dr. next week and I just hope that he listens to me and does not blow me off like he did when I first mentioned the symptoms I was having when I missed a dose.

gooshi said...
Yes, but I'd been on several different antidepressants over the years that helped somewhat, but never came close to getting rid of it. What I'm saying is that this has literally cured my IBS, it's no longer part of my life. I hadn't eaten fruit in years, hadn't had milk products in years, etc., etc. Now I eat anything and I'm fine. I hope all of you out there believe me, I have no connection whatever to Effexor, I get nothing out of recommending it. I am absolutely sincere and truthful. No one, not even my doctor told me this would happen, it was completely unexpected. But for a full year I've been symptom-free. I wish someone had told me to do this years ago, and it's only because of that that I'm urging every one who reads this to try it. The only downside I know of is apparently getting off Effexor is hard, there are severe withdrawal symptoms if you don't do it extremely gradually. But honestly I don't want to ever go off it, my quality of life has improved beyond my wildest expectations.

Hey Gooshi...Im new to this website and stumbled upon what you said about IBS and Effexor... I have had IBS pretty much my entire life (im 22) and it had gotten to the point that I was soooo sick I could barely make it out of bed in the morning...I spent hours and hours in and out of doctors offices, specialists offices, hospitals and operating rooms to try and figure out what was wrong with me..and of course to no outcome what so ever...UNTIL....one day my Dr. decided we were going to try effexor....I thought ...you got to be kidding me...but i tryed anyways..obviously I tryed... i'd been in so much pain...for so long...that I was at the point that I would have tryed ANYTHING...and for the past 4 years...my life has pretty much drastically changed...Yes I do till get a little stomach ach here and there...but to this day i can eat things i could have never eaten before...and wake up before 7 o'clock in the morning without having to worry about hours of pain...(my stomach ...never was a morning stomach)...so I just wanted to let you know..that i agree with you 100%...it has definately changed my life!....and as for the withdrawal symptoms..they are a bit icky...I have ran out of a prescrip here and there and payed for that...mainly head achs and nausia...but honestly..to me its a small price to pay to have the quality of life that i have now!

I just posted a new thread about Effexor basically asking people about their long term results with Effexor. I have been on it for a month now and have not had one IBS issue! I am beyond ecstatic and praying it is not a fluke or temporary. I have suffered from IBS-D for almost 20 years. I am only taking a low dose of 25mg. I am taking it to control hot flashes due to menopause and hot flashes due to taking tamoxifen for post breast cancer treatment. I had no idea this would also be a welcome side affect. I can already feel it changing my life.