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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 1/16/2007 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hi... it's been awhile.

I need help. You see, about one year ago, I discovered Imodium... which has been very kind to me. However, last summer... 6 months ago... I also discovered that if I drink alcohol before and during my dinner, I was 99% for sure not going to have D that night. I don't know why.. I have medical knowledge as a background, and all info indicates this should not be so. The only reasonable answer I can derive is that my intestines are slowed down by it, as it is a depressant. I could be very wrong.

Anyways, so in the last 6 months I have not gone more than 2 nights in a row without drinking. Not enough to get drunk, but a few glasses of red wine, or 2 beers, and I'm set to be D-free for the night. The thing is, I do not want to drink. I am so sick of it. Tonight, I started to write this post and then was struck by D with a force I've not seen in months. I went to the bathroom, got it over with, drank 2 beer, and now I sit before you, a D-free woman. It kills me though. My liver is going to suffer so my intestines can leave me alone. I'm not addicted to the alcohol, yet I'm addicted to not needing pills to get me through the day. I'm addicted to knowing that if I just have 2 drinks, I'll be able to breathe easy all night. I hate this. So very much.

Please help me. I need something supportive. I went 2 days last week without alcohol and it was great. I really don't want to drink at all, but am I being doomed to a life where I either take 2 Imodium every few days, and then deal with C for a week; or do I continue drinking 2 drinks a night to survive this terrible disorder?

Worst post ever. I didn't want to write it, but it's driving me mad.  I don't even drink enough to get drunk, yet I know within myself that this is terrible. Why is it working this way for me? Then... is Imodium any better for my body than a few drinks?

Thanks for listening.

~ Jade

Posted 1/16/2007 6:32 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know what the answer is. Obviously the alcohol relaxes something in your system. My husband was the same way. He never had D when he drank with a meal or before but always had if he didn't like with lunch or breakfast. I don't think a couple glasses of wine are going to affect your liver. Actually considered good for the heart especially red wine. Unless you give into the pills I don't see an alternative. As long as you don't increase the amount I don't see a problem
Posted 1/16/2007 6:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jade,
I agree that this is no way for you to live. Have you tried calcium and probiotics? The calcium will soothe inflammation and soak up excess water that adds to D. The probiotics will help balance out your gut flora that will in turn help with digestion and your D.
I know you have been here before so please excuse me for my redundancy if you've already heard this.
The Imodium is great, but should be reserverd for special occasions. Maybe a night on the town or a special event or party you cannot miss. You may also want to try taking 1/2 the recommended dose. For preventative measures I take anywhere from 1/2 to 1 Imodium before I head out on important nights/days/whatever. Usually by cutting the dosage into a fraction it keeps me from having C for the next couple days.
I hope you can find something (else) to help you.
Posted 1/16/2007 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
The French supposedly drink a couple of glasses of red wine a night, and they live longer than Americans, on average, so I agree with Canyon that a couple of glasses of red wine a night isn't going to hurt you, and may be beneificial to your heart. I'd certainly rather have the wine than the imodium. Beer does not have the additional benefits of red wine, so you might want to stay away from it unless you're just totally burned out on red wine. But there are so many red wines out there, you should be able to experiment for a long time before you become bored. White wines don't have nearly as many benefits, and blushes have a reduced amount, although more than white alone.

You're not the first person to come on here who says that alcohol has helped their D or cramping or both. For most of those people, though, it's hard liquor that helps, not beer and wine. Although most people with IBS can't tolerate any alcohol at all. It just goes to prove that while many have "IBS", it's not caused by the the same thing(s), nor treatable in the same ways.

If the calcium and probiotics do the same thing for you as the alcohol, then they are a good substitute, but if they don't work, you're left to the imodium and/or antidepressants, and, personally, I'd rather take the wine. Two glasses of wine certainly have less side affects than the antidepressants and are, as I said, beneficial to boot. You have to be cautious of using the imodium for really long term use as you can build up a dependency on it. Using it every few days isn't going to hurt you, but using it daily for months will.
Posted 1/18/2007 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks a lot for the replies.

I've been without a drink for 2 nights now... it's not loving my body, but I'm doing ok. I think I'll limit the alcohol and the Imodium as much as I can, and just use whichever makes sense based on the situation.

~ Jade
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