Questrin

 hi all, this is my first visit here. i have a question for yyou. later today i am starting a new medication called questrin, it is a bile seqquestrant to help lower my cholesteral as i am not able to tolerate the statin drugs for that peurpose.  has anyone had to take questrin? i have IBS and a slight problem with a diverticuli pocket. i know this is going to really back me up so i just wanted to know if anyone has any info  thanks.  DG

All I did was include a Subject for your thread. -- Lil

Post Edited By Moderator (7Lil) : 5/13/2006 11:06:33 AM (GMT-6)

 thanks for responding, yes i am taking something to help hopefully, so far i am (just making a lot of noise) ha ha. agsind thanks for responding. this particular topic gest a lot of hits so i will keep watching.

Questran (in addition to being used as a cholesterol med) is used to treat people who have too much bile in their system, usually from having their gall bladder removed. If your guts are normal, then yes, it can constipate you. I take Welchol, which is also a cholesterol medicine, but I take it for the bile-absorbing properties. When I start to get constipated, I take less of it.

Has your doctor told you you can miss a dose or two of the Questran if you start to get constipated? Obviously you want to try other things first, like prune juice, aloe vera pills, fiber, etc., but if it's bad for you with your diverticulitis to get backed up, then I think you need to be able to stop it if it gets to be more than your laxative aids can compensate for. Definitely call your doctor if you start to get constipated while on it and let him know that you can't be constipated because of your gut problems (I assume it's not a GI putting you on this; other doctors don't usually know so much about what you can and can't do to guts).

Gall stones are supposed to be caused by cholesterol, so I would think that a cholesterol-lowering drug would lessen, not increase your chances of gall stones. I don't know if the Welchol does or not; I don't have a gall bladder so it's a bit of a moot point. :-D I don't know how the Questran works, but the Welchol is not supposed to enter the body; it's supposed to stay right in the guts, kind of like an insoluable fiber. It keeps you from absorbing cholesterol because it soaks up the bile that would otherwise further break down your food for absorbtion--including the cholesterol parts of your food. That's why it can be constipating for normal people but a God-send for people like me who have too much bile. If the Questran doesn't work for you, ask about the Welchol and see if it is any better on your guts. They basically do the same thing in terms of soaking up bile, but, you know, some people do better on one thing and some on another. I don't know if the Welchol is as good a cholesterol medicine, but you may need to split the difference between the cholestrol and the gut problems.

Personally I think cholesterol is a bunch of hooey since I know people with perfect cholesterol and gunked-up arteries and people with perfect arteries and heart problems--the genes will get you everytime; but I'm certainly NOT a doctor nor a scientist. It's kind of a faith, medicine; it works partly because you believe in it. I guess I better not ever need cholestrol medicine because I would have no faith in it and so it probably wouldn't work, LOL. I do have faith in it fixing my post-gall bladder problems, though, and it does work there.

There are some people here who have been on Questran; I think we may have a person or two still on it. A couple of girls who were on it for their post-gall bladder problems got off it because it gave them bad gas cramps; they switched over to the Welchol. I think one of the people still on it says it gives her gas and gas cramps too. If you begin to experience that, you'll know where it's coming from and, again, call your doctor and complain. But, again, those are people without gall bladders; it may affect you differently since you still have one.

My gall bladder was removed years ago, they put me on Colestid for the D which is similar. Helped for a long time but not anymore. Have terrible d and use immodium and Caltrate 600 with D, 2 or 3 a day. You get where you try everything to live a normal life. After drs. have been unable to help me much, I search for something better.

Good Luck to you,
Fluffytwo

Fluffy, I have been on the questran for a month and only take about 3/4 tsp before I eat breakfast. That seems to work for this time. I started with a low amount by using the 1/4 tsp instead of the scoop. I have stopped my diahhreah and have no constipation problems. When I took it before meals it gave me a terrible tummy ache, none now with the before breakfast routine. It is a miracle so far, and I don't have to scout bathrooms.....things are not perfect, but indeed better than when I posted the above posts....any questions, please reply and I will answer. Gall Bladder removal in Oct. due to pancreatitis from gallstone going down the wrong duct. What's sad is that my gallbladder had some stones but was not diseased. I never had a gallbladder attack!

Post Edited (Sheree) : 1/21/2007 2:23:00 PM (GMT-7)

Now I am in trouble, as the Questan is interfering with the thyroid hormone I have to take in the AM. I followed directions in the literature and waited one hour after med to take questran. I am now HYPO thyroid due to the absorption problem. I cannot take the Synthroid at night, so I am up a tree. I am trying waitng 2 hours after Thyroid meds to take the Questran. If this doesn't work than I don't know what to do. I went to the girls room times yesterday without the questran and cannot go through that.......what to do??? The Doctor says Welchol has the same properties as Questran. In other words I would still have the problem......any suggestions would be appreciated. Is anyone else taking other meds they need to space with the questran????

I had been thinking of calcium as I read that post of Linda's. I went out to by the caltrate in fact, but I read some more on the Synthroid and it says calcium, iron, fiber, questran, Welchol all bind the Synthroid so it doesn't work. Also, it blocks many beta blockers, all kinds of drugs... I am now waiting for three weeks and on the dose of Immodium, Synthroid, one hour later oatmeal, and then wating two more hours to Questran. I will retest in three weeks to see if I am absorbing more thyroid this way. It is a real problem when you have to take other meds, as the WAIT ONE HOUR BEFORE OR FOUR TO FIVE HOURS AFTER QUESTRAN does not work.... The head pharmacist for the company called me Friday because of my complaint and it was to late to call back. I will do that now and let everyone know. I cannot tell you how much it helps to have all of you, as one can get despondent with the difficulities of controlling this dumping and cramping syndrome all day....

Hi, I just read your reply and can completely sympathise with you and your husband. I know that you must have thyroid if you need it. He is obviously in a hypo state or it would not have been precribed. There is synthetic thyroid and natural which is called armor. It is made from pigs and many people do well on it. It can get quite complicated as balancing your numbers can change from time to time. I understand the natural has a stablility problem, so I am hesitant to change over. Also, being that I have been on it since 1989, to change would be a real shock to my system. In answer to the statement below,

<"I don't know how bad your symptoms are when you're not on your thyroid medicine, but they certainly don't seem very good while you're on it.">

you cannot live being hypo thyroid as it can cause all your bodily functions to shut down eventually. We all must have thyroid. They probably are not checking it enough and you might ask that they check those levels everytime you go in? Also, being that he is diabetic, that also effects everything. I know my boyfriend is diabetic and he is on a million pills. I think the main mistake is that we don't check drug inner reactions, so therfore many things we mix, we should not. It is important to know these things as it can make a world of difference in how they work. And yes, I think Doctors overmedicate instead of suggesting other alternatives. But, you have to do a lot of research to find out what you think is right for you. Don't take him off of all meds, as it could be a disaster, you might look for another Doctor and also write down your questions before you see the endo.. don't stop any meds until you consult the physician of your choice. Also, diabetes and high BP can cause strokes, so important to continue therapy at the present. I don't take everything they suggest, I am very conservative and listen to my inner voice a lot. Right now it is telling me to find something else instead of Questran. I probably will start the calcium at dinner tonight. Hope this helps!!! I so understand how you feel... Thankyou so much for your input, it all helps so much. I am so sorry about the mess your husband is in right now and hope he gets better soon. They do OD all of us on meds that should not be taken together, or sometimes to more harm than good!!!

Post Edited (Sheree) : 1/30/2007 6:24:41 PM (GMT-7)

Sheree, are you sure it is the thyroid doing that? It would seem that that would be the time most people have to go anyway. Have you tried it earlier to see if it is the thyroid med. I keep my thyroid on the nightstand and when I get up to go to bathroom in the AM and am going back to bed I take it then. Then I can eat and take other meds when I get up. I did find that I could not take it with a BP med or I got very sick to stomach. It may be that another kind may be better. Synthroid doesn't agree with me so I take Levoxyl. I know you are not supposed to just switch because I guess they are somewhat different. The only one I was told not to try was Levothyroine generic.

Someone mentioned thyroid med as being expensive. I dont think they are too expensive except the Armour. As far as I know they all require an empty stomach. Mine says an hour before or 2 to 3 hours after a meal. Maybe after would work better. I don't see any difference either except I am not as constipated but my numbers are more in line.

Lil, I try to time it so that it does not block my thyroid meds in the AM..I know that the Questran said take your meds just one hour before, or 4 hours after your Questran, as it blocks the meds. As I mentioned above, I became severly hypo thyroid as the Questran was blocking the absorption of the meds even following the directions. I know the calcium does the same thing, only in a different way. I might try to take it after the Questran. I now wait 2 hours after Synthroid to take Questran, and am waiting to see if I get back to my normal thyroid levels. Perhaps I can take the Calcium sometime in the day that won;t interfere with the others meds I have to take all day..thankyou so much for the suggestion!! Any suggestions are sooooooooo welcome..

Canyon
I am about ready to change to Levoxyl, but my pharmacist says it is the same main ingredient as Synthroid. I know Levoxyl melts very quickly in the mouth as Synthroid takes awhile to absorb. I "KNOW" it is the Synthroid that starts out the D in the AM..it didn't in the begining, however through the years, it started to speed up everything. Then the gall bladder finished me off.. I am going to see my endo in two weeks and will discuss the transition again. I tried a few years ago to change to Unthyroid and it was worse.. They have taken it off the market..thankyou for your interest and suggestion, what a wonderful group of people here..

Post Edited (Sheree) : 3/4/2007 11:27:15 PM (GMT-7)

I seem to recall that my husband was complaining of having D when he first started on his thyroid medicine (not sure which one). He got over it, but then, he's got a pretty normal gut to start with. Things that bother normal people bother IBS people 100 times more.

Get the whole thyroid panel. Different meds we take for other things can affect the TSH. it is just a screening test but for the anyone that has a ongoing problem with the thyroid I find the whole test is more accurate. They wouldn't need the other parts of the test if the TSH told the whole story. An endo can explain it more but I have gotten that I ask for it all.

Just a follow up for those of us struggling after GB removal with D. I have tried darn near everything and am post surgery since OCT. I am grateful to all of you for your suggestions about handling this problem. I wanted to comment that my assumption about the Questran and Welcahol was correct. If you read the posts above you will see the struggle with those issues. I stopped the Questran and within 6 weeks my Synthroid worked and was not blocked anymore by the Questran. I went back and had my thyroid numbers checked again last week, my TSH went down to normal range. My reason to share this is that ANYONE taking medications and Questran together will have absorption problems with their meds. Please be careful, as you may need the other medications as much as the Questran. It interferes with them. If your just Questran and nothing else, than I imagine it is OK. Or if you wait a good 6 hours or so between mixing Questran and other medications it might be allright.

However, the bright side is that the calcium seems to be helping enormously in controlling the BMs. They are not completely under control but better. I also wait 2 hours after calcium to take any other meds or 2 hours before. I am taking it after dinner, and have now started in the early afternoon within 2 hours of taking my Synthroid. Anyway, it is trial and error. By the way, the metamusil blew me up and made me miserable, I could not handle the fiber in that. It was awful, and I went promptly off of it. My message is that we are all different and some things work for some and not for others. Keep trying the suggestions on this form, you are all wonderful supportive people. I am so glad to have found this! I hope in the near future my bowel adjusts in some way, as my life is very limited at this point in what I can do. Forget going out to dinner, or being out more than 4 hours without cramps and D. I was offered a job designing costumes for a film and am unable to work at all. My career is down the tubes right now. Yes, this is a great struggle but I keep hoping for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sheree

Post Edited (Sheree) : 5/22/2007 11:04:38 AM (GMT-6)