Cholestyramine/ Questran questions...

OK I'm hoping that Kiriamon is here...

Can I go off Questran whenever I want to?

You see, I've started taking iron and have developed a (blush) hemmroid. I think I got a little constipated when I first started taking it. I've swapped from the Drs iron to a gentle one which is great and my BMs seem to be OK now. I am wondering if I can take questran every second day becasue I seem to have firmed up a little.

I have cut my dosage down. I was taking 4g sachet but now only take about a third of a sachet each night.

Gee, this is so complicated.

I don't see why you can't take less of it. Like Lil says, you're taking it just to control your poop (not your cholesterol), so you need to take what's appropriate to control your poop. When I went on a low-fat diet and developed constipation from it, I didn't take the Welchol for months. I'd have been in real bad trouble if I had continued to take it! I don't see why you can't treat Questran the same way and lower (or up) the amount as you need it. But, if you're not constipated now, I would not cut back on it. It sounds like you may have found a good balance for right now, and if you cut back on it, thinking you are now normal, you may find that you go right back to having D. Sometimes it's a little bit easier to be a tiny bit constipated than to cut back, as once I get D, it can take a couple of days to really get back to normal. Don't forget that diarrhea can be just as hard on a hemmroid as constipation can (namely because you spend so much longer sitting on the toilet, which puts pressure on it, and you are working the muscles in that area more).

hawkeye, I am not sure what to tell you, have you asked your doctor about why that could happen as I don't know enough about it all. Its good your not having d though. :)