A Little Help Please...

Hi Blairstl, Welcome to the IBS board!  Unfortunately, IBS and IBD have overlapping symptoms.  This is why it is particularly hard to diagnose both.  Unlike IBD, IBS is a functional disorder.  Most of us live life relatively normal with diet adjustments and supplements and/or medication.  Here's a quick little exert I took about IBS from MayoClinic.org: Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by abdominal pain or cramping and changes in bowel function — including bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation... There aren’t too many meds out there specifically for IBS that treats all symptoms.  However, you will find a variety that do different things: Antispasmodics - Levsin, Bentyl, Donnatal, Pamine Antidiarrheals - Immodium, Lomotil, Calcium Fiber supplements - Psyllium, Metamucil, Citrucel, etc. Laxatives - Miralax Anti-Depressants - Elavil, Paxil, Prozac, Effexor, Zoloft Anti-Bile - Questran, Welchol For constipation there is Tegaserod (Zelnorm) that is supposed to keep the bowels functioning properly and regularly.  It treats constipation, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. For diarrhea there is Lotonex.  It reduces cramping, discomfort and urgency. Probiotics - Promotes a health gut flora... it is "good bacteria" that helps push out the bad. Digestive Advantage is for all IBS symptoms: bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal discomfort I'm sure I forgot to mention some things, but those are all I can think of at the moment.  I'm sure others will add to this. The problem is that we're all different and we react differently to meds.  Some may really help 1 and not so much the other.  For instance, Zelnorm worked miracles on me, but didn't fair so well with several other members on this board.  Some antispasmodics work wonders for some, while for others they are like taking a sugar pill.  The thing is that you have to keep trying different options until you find the one(s) that works for you.   To reiterate: Yes, IBS can include horrible cramping and can cause unusual stools.... You are not alone.

Hi Blairstl,
That's the tricky thing about IBS and IBD, they are very difficult to distinguish between symptoms. I actually think there are a couple members on this board who have both. Right now I can only remember pb4.... hopefully she'll be around.
about the flares, they work a bit different. Yes, they can last for months at a time and then go away, but usually you can do something about it to calm it down. For instance, if you change your diet it can help tremendously. Also if you start eating fiber, probiotics, or try relaxation techniques. Meds can even help; like anti-depressants. If I am not mistaken an IBD flare works its course for how ever long it may be and there is no stopping it. Is that right? I'm just guessing...