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Has anyone tried Amitiza yet?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 10/8/2006 7:13 AM (GMT 0)
My motility specialist just prescribed it to me, it's only been out since February 2006 and i've not heard anything good about it.

Anyone?
Posted 10/8/2006 7:19 AM (GMT 0)
P.S. I ask because I could hardly find any opinions on it out there, the few I did find were bad. Just looking for more. I hate being the guinea pig for new prescriptions, and I thought Zelnorm was bad!
Posted 10/17/2006 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
I started on amitiza a couple of months ago and it is working great for me. I have Crohn's-C and IBS-C. The only problem is that the side effects are bothersome. I almost stopped taking it because of that but I am glad I continued because I have gotten used to them and the amitiza really helps. Amitiza side effects for me were nausea (better if you eat before taking it) headache, trouble breathing, and stomach pain. I was prescribed 2 a day but that made the side effects worse so I take one a day and have a bowel movement 2-3 times a week which is better than once a month. The stomach pain stops once you are able to make a bowel movement and actually it is mostly diarhea. I have heard a lot of negative things about amitiza because of the side effects but for me that was better than the constant constipation and looking 8 months pregant with horrible pain. Try it and see if it works for you but I would recommend giving it a few weeks to adjust to it.
Posted 5/31/2007 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I posted about Amitiza back in October and since then I have changed my feelings about the medication. I stopped taking it in Feb 2007 (7 months after starting it) due to the horrible side effects that just got worse in time. The nausea is horrendous and the heart burn is awful. I get terrible headaches and now it doesn't even work!! I figure why should I take a medication that not only has side effects that get worse in time but stopped working completely. What's the sense? I will never take another pill again. This medication should not even be FDA approved............
Posted 5/31/2007 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
back in october of 2006 i started taking amitiza and zelnorm when i got so constipated and soooooo distended; after i initially got going - had to use something elese at first , but they thought i may have an ileus, i was really bad; even enemas didn't work it was up too high; anyway it did work for me, but the side effect of the nasusea is horriffic...
i am primarily ibs-d anyway, but now i seem to flip flop horribly, but it does work pretty good for constipation if you can put up with the side effects in my opinion. i only take it now as needed though.
Posted 6/3/2007 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Amitiza stopped working for me. It worked better if I was on a complete veggie juice diet but then it stopped working altogether. I cannot handle 2 a day because of the side effects. You might want to consider 1 at bedtime. My side effects were nausia, headache, increased heartburn, cramping, bloating and dehydration. I went to the hospital 4 times but I'm sure it was because I no longer have Zelnorm. I would just try it - everyone is different.
Posted 8/26/2007 2:59 AM (GMT 0)
This has been a miracle drug for me-It took about one month for the great results but I have no side effects at all-I go regularly and with no pain  or cramping-I have not done this for at least 30 years and for me it haws been a miracle drug-I do try and take it with food twice a day but everything about it for me has been natural-I have never felt so good in my life

Posted 10/4/2007 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
Amitiza caused nausea and many, many bowel movements the first pill that I took.  I hated the nausea but was happy that bowel distention went away because of the bowel movements.  Since that time, I have used it once a day without any nausea, and it seems to help with bowel movements and distention, although I still take metamucil in the am before I go to work.  One side effect that I experienced is a significant sleepiness in the PM after eating and taking the drug.  (I don't advise taking it during the work day.)  My intention now is to take it at bedtime and see if it still helps the next day. 

At this time, I do not notice any other side effects but I don't like to take drugs that have only been on the market for a short period of time, so eventually I just might use it on a PRN basis.

Will post again after using it for a longer period of time.

Posted 10/5/2007 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome jazzkool... thank you for sharing your experience.

Take Care
Posted 10/10/2007 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor just gave me some samples to try. I will keep you posted how it goes. I only have about 8 boxes worth, 4 pills per box so I don't know if that is long enough to try it. If I feel it is helping I guess I could ask for a prescription. I have read about the bad side effects & my doctor warned me about nausea, he also mentioned that he had no had much success with this.

I also was on Zelnorm before the recall & it worked alot of the time, but not always.

I would love to start a thread about the things I am taking & what I think may be helping or not.

I have to get colonic sometimes, I get so bloated & everything stops.

So I have been getting a ton of dietary advice, etc. I am going to Whole Foods & tryingstuff, resarching like I am sure alot of you are. I feel like my IBS is a mystery.

I am going to see a naturopath soon.

I have recently added yoga & I think that is helping too. I have always had trouble relaxing.
Posted 10/11/2007 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Dear bloated, I think amitiza works but I am experiencing lots of side effects that are giving me cause for concern--sleepiness, dizziness, and fluid retention. If you look at the clinical trial results, there are lots of side effects that takers of amitiza were having that placebo takers weren't. I will give it another week and if the side effects continue, I will discontinue amitiza, no matter how well it makes my colon feel. Let me know if you experience similar side effects.

Thanks,

Jazz
Posted 10/13/2007 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reply. I have not tried the Amitiza yet but will soon. I am kinda afraid of the side effects. My doctor did agree this time that I should have a colonoscopy but in the meantime I have the pills to try.
Posted 10/13/2007 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
I've been using it,it has worked wonders for me,it mainly helps me with the constipation that's all,I still get the excessive gas,the cramping,dhiarrea,so it does not eliminate all the other symtoms of ibs.I'm hoping to find a new medication that will work as well as Amitiza for the constipation and will eliminate all the other symtoms to.But I got to worn you,you will get dhiarrea a couple of times cause that's one of the side effects,cause your body needs to adjust to it. I wish you all the luck. love- jtaurus p.s it has different effects for each person
Posted 10/16/2007 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
I know everyone is different but I am so curious how long it took to start working on you?

I would have started it already but am feeling okay again on magnesium 500 in am & 500 mg at night. I am also taking acidopholus, bifidus, flax oil pills, a pill called Cleanse More. I am juicing & doing yoga & just got back from the gym.

I am so confused cause I also take BC pills for many years now & think that may be messing me up somehow. I am also on anti-depressants due to stress & this problem.

I know the side effects of some of them are constipation.

I had this problem long before I ever took them though.
Posted 11/5/2007 1:27 PM (GMT 0)

Folks, I continued to have the dizzy spells and my gastroenterologist said to stop taking them--another $40 down the drain. 

I don't know where to go from here.  Can't take penicillin for my excessive colonic bacteria, which I believe is contributing to the constipation problem.  Over the weekend, I took dulcolax and mass quantities of metamucil.  However, dulcolax, while effective, makes me feel lousy so I hate to take whether it is habit forming or not. 

Just thought I would let the other posters to this thread know what that I can't take amitiza anymore.

Hope you all get well soon.

Jazzkool

Posted 11/7/2007 5:14 PM (GMT 0)

Yes, I've tried Amitiza - and finally - something works!  I am age 71 and I had gotten into a somewhat depressed state because of dealing with this situation for so long (mostly for several decades- but getting increasingly worse).  

I use it in conjuction with Glycolax and for the first time in many exhausting, frustrating and painful years, I feel like I can know complete relief.  I seem to need both medications for this to work for me. 

Recently I had to go off of iron pills for chronic anemia because it was thought that they contributed to the constipation problem.  So I had been taking a treatment where you take Iron in an IV form (over a period of 2+ hours).  But now I'm wondering if the iron pills were really affecting my constipation problems, because after getting off the pills and going the IV route, I still had the same big problem.       

The only side effects I've had are some occasional rumbling and grumbling, especially in the lower left side, some gassiness and urgency when I do need to go, but I would take that over what I was dealing with anytime.  I've had no headaches, nausea or heartburn so far and I've been on Amitiza for about a month or so.  I had tried it briefly several months ago, but it didn't work for me then.  I don't think they "try" was long enough and I had stopped using my other helps for my severe constipation. I was down to the possibilty of having to go to the ER with my problem, and I was so dreading having to do that - so I somehow managed to take care of it at home, with some bleeding from hemorrhoids, much frustration, crying and disgust about it all.  If I had gone to the ER it would have been a regular thing, because as soon as I got myself emptied, the whole problem just started all over again, and I was in the same mess in a couple of days.   I have had a stent installed in a heart artery and thought all that extreme straining could not possibly be good for my heart.

So far, I am very pleased with the relief that this medication has given me and I can plan my life better around this problem that just wouldn't give an inch.   Some people seem to think that the effectiveness reduces after a while, but I will take what I can get for now, and hope it continues. 

Posted 11/18/2007 3:52 PM (GMT 0)
i started amitiza Nov. 6. The side affects are bit annoying; mine are mostly nassea, and headache.But it only last a short while, and they are not severe.I dod also notice the heart burn, but I didn't think it was from the medication, i suffer from that as well anyway. I take 2 a day with food. i do find the one I take at night seems to have lower side affects. however, the benifits far out weigh the side affects, at least for now. I have suffered cronic constipation for 11 years. I never used laxitives often. They are very painful, unpreddicatable, and I know your body will rely on them. I would go 3-5 days, then use a supository or an enema to evacuate. I had suffered severe hemmorhoids over the years, went on high fiber diets, and my body would just get immune to it. I was up to 30 grams of fiber a day. I was miserable all the time!! it would work for a while, then stop. This drug has been great. I feel normal. Well, excpet for the side effects. I will see how long I can last, and hope that I can become immune to the effects, and NOT the activity!! I am now going all most everyday, no straining, no diarea either. I will post again in about a month to see if things have changed.

Posted 11/25/2007 1:39 AM (GMT 0)

I have been on Amitiza for the past week for my IBS-C and thus far am very pleased with the results.  I've experienced no major side effects and the severe gas, bloating and abdominal pain I had along with the constipation are gone.  The only complaint I have is that sometimes the stools seem a little loose--but I'd much prefer that to the opposite problem that I struggled constantly with before.  I had previously suspected that I had some kind of food intolerance that was contributing to my extreme gas and bloating problems, but since all my symptoms improved with the Amitiza, I am wondering if the gas and bloating issues were simply caused by the chronic constipation.   

Posted 11/27/2007 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
I was wondering if anyone taking Amitiza have experienced shorteness of breath or chest discomfort and hands swelling while taking it?
Posted 12/12/2007 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
I took my first dose of amitiza last night and thought I was going to die. Headache, nausea, chest hurts when I breath in and causes a cough. It became better after approx 2 hours. Hopefully this will improve. I have a ferritin level of 5 and need to start taking iron. I have ibs-c and without iron won't go without abx, zelnorm or help for up to 3 weeks.

Do the side effects improve over time?

Thanks
e
Posted 12/16/2007 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
I posted a while ago on what I thought was a positive experience with Amitiza, but now I am not so sure.  For a while Amitiza worked great, but after about 3 weeks the results levelled off to the point that the drug just seemed to be just barely keeping my C in check.  Then 3 days or so ago I started getting a weird mild chest "cramping" pain every so often near my heart that would last for only about thirty seconds to a minute, and an occasional sense of chest tightness.  I also got a piercing headache that also lasted for a very short duration but left me feeling a bit woozy.  These symptoms freaked me out and I discontinued the Amitiza.  The symptoms subsequently seem to have gone away.  Hmmmmm...

Posted 12/28/2007 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
I have been to three gastrointestinal specialists, currently on my third, not to mention gone through numerous tests and put on a variety of different medications for my extreme bloating, stomach aches and constipation. This is the first prescription to work, EVER. I do get nauseated almost every time I take it, if I do not take it before/during eating. If you take it after or alone it's a sure thing that you'll be nauseated by it. But other than that side effect there isn't anything bad I have to say about it. No Diarrhea contrary to what others have said, nor headaches or stomach pains, it has gotten rid of the pain for me. It's paired with Miralax for me, since I have such a sever constipation. Miralax alone did not work, even doubling the dose didn't help.

If you feel that one of your doctor's isn't listening, go to someone else!!!!! It took me a long time to do it and I wish I had done it sooner, even though Amitiza is new, I am still glad I didnt' give up!!!
Posted 12/30/2007 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
I am giddy about Amitiza. I was ready but not willing to go to E.R. after 8 days of no results to 'everything' I could think of. My Doc knows me all too well and called in the rx. Thank God. Now, sure diarrhea is an issue, but after 25 yrs. of pain and strain and praying for 'God to take me now', this is heaven. My first try, I went 7 times. Hip hip hooray! I've had hemhorroid surgery, this nausea stuff is "cake". Just want to let some of you know, I would sit several times a week, crying, bargaining with God, scaring the __ out of my family. Now all I gotta do is 'run' (and don't get in my way) This is Great. They just move out of the way and smile, cuz mom has found relief!
I hope it continues... and I hope others find the same kind of relief as me (and appreciate it). Way to go Dee Dee. I'm only 44 but felt like 80 on most days. Also have asthsma, diabetes, chronic fatigue, ibs c-d, need I go on. yeah
ps. will try the food thing more seriously, so far if I eat a little yields little nausea, a larger meal yields more...
Posted 1/4/2008 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
I have slow transit constipation having to have a colectomy, havent decided if total or partial yet. But yes Ive taken amitiza I took for months, didnt help. but in my case nothing does, haha I was taking miralx 4 xs a day and then id go maybe once a week. Hence the need for surgery. The side effects in my case were sooo annoying and increased because didnt even do its job. I was soo nauseated. I usually am anyway but not like chronic nausea. That was too much to take. And I got really bad headache. I have 5 kids so I was sooo moody because I just felt awful was tired head aches I was on two a day then had to take 4 nausea pills a day to help and was taking exedrine and stuff to help the headaches, not to mention tramadol for the abdomine pain. I also take Misoprostol 4xday why I am still taking stuff that doesnt work I have no clue they just keep telling me to keep taking it?
I wouldnt take it if I were you find a drug that wont make you want to kill anything that makes a noise around you. Just my opinion. I dont like hugging the toliet all day and taking 5 medicines to combatt the ones side effects.
Posted 1/4/2008 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
I am scheduled to have a total colectomy in March...
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