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Zelnorm and DA

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 11/3/2005 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi...sorry to bother you all again :) I have yet another question. I thoroughly enjoyed my first week on Zelnorm....it was probably the best I had felt in a long time. Now, unfortunately, I am back to my old self again. It just seems to have stopped working. I have not gone since Sat. :( I've heard many of you talk about digestive advantage so I checked it out on the web and then went to the pharmacy to get some of this amazing stuff! I told the pharmacist that I was taking Zelnorm and she told me to stay away from DA while on the Zelnorm. I purchased it anyway and thought I'd check with my Dr. I called and they told me absolutely not to take it with Zelnorm. I asked why and the response I got was that if the zelnorm isn't working for me, the Dr. can prescribe something else but not to take the DA (not very helpful)....I'm assuming noone else received this info? For some reason, I got the impression that they had never heard of DA. I am thinking about stopping by the office with the box just to be sure...this is a natural thing, isn't it? I am just confused. Anyone out there on both with some advice? Thanks again!!

Shel

Posted 11/3/2005 2:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shel,
I'm going to let Lil answer you on this one because I believe that she is on both of these medications together but I wanted to drop a quick note and tell you that you are not bothering us :) Nobody here is a bother. We are here to help and give support whether you post once a week or 50 times a day. Take Care!!
Posted 11/3/2005 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shel,
It is true, I am on both Zelnorm and D.A. To be honest you kinda scared me when I read your post. I thought you were going to write you heard some disaterous thing would happen. Anyway....
My doctor didn't know about D.A. when I came to her with it. She took the box from me, read all the ingredients and told me I can take it if I want. I quote "Cultures are good for you." It's so discouraging how medical advise is as contradicting as it is.
The combination of Zelnorm and D.A. are working for me so I will keep taking them. I'm not sure you should though.... If my doc told me not to I'm not sure I would keep on. This is a tough one, Shel. I was in the same boat as you, Zelnorm just wasn't cutting it anymore. BUT, it was working better than if I took nothing (just not working as good as it used to).
What was the reason/explanation you were given to not take both?
Posted 11/3/2005 5:13 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Lil~

So sorry to have scared you...It certainly wasn't my intention :) ...I have no horrifying reasons why Zelnorm and DA shouldn't be taken together. That's just it....I really wasn't given a reason as to why I shouldn't take them together. I did ask but the only response was that the Dr. could try something else if the Zelnorm wasn't working. The thing that makes me wonder if they even know what DA is, is that the nurse put me on hold and kept coming back asking me again and again what it was called....I just have a feeling.

Initially, I was so disgusted with having this condition all I would do is cry. I try to keep it in perspective...I know there are alot of people suffering from alot worse but IBS has pretty much taken over my life. Now, I am on a kick to find some sort of relief from this so I can have a life again. I am willing to try anything at this point. I am kind of a quiet person and alot of times I feel like none of these doctors really listen to me...I have been to 4 different doctors for this and this is the first time I was ever prescribed anything. First time any test was done (colonoscopy) My husband kept telling me...you have to speak up and tell them exactly what this is doing to you ( ididn't want to whine to them)...so I did and he did and this is where I am at. I guess they're right when they say the squeaky wheel gets the oil! I am no longer willing to sit back and let IBS ruin my life. I am 28 years old, I have a beautiful 2 year old little girl who needs me to go to the park with her and for walks and to her ballet recitals and to Disney World!! I know she has suffered with me by not being able to do these kinds of things with her. That is just not acceptable to me!!! So I will continue to hound this doctor until we find something that works! I think I will try to stop by his office with the box of DA so that he can tell me himself why he thinks I shouldn't take it. Are there any side effects from taking DA? I was so excited when I read the testimonials on the ganeden website!

Thanks again for all of your help!!

Shel

Posted 11/3/2005 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shel,
You are right, you shouldn't let IBS ruin (and rule) your life.... but that is easier said than done. Most of us here run our lives around it. The best thing you can do you are already doing: demanding you are heard. For too long I went undiagnosed with insinuations that it was all in my head. Don't be brushed off and don't let docs boss you around without any explanation. Go to your doc and ask WHY you shouldn't take both D.A. and Zelnorm. To be honest I don't know of anything else your doctor can try instead of Zelnorm. What else is there??? Please come back and let us know.
I was 17 when IBS started to rear it's ugly head. My mother was frustrated with me and the doctors. I complained to her but never managed to speak up to the docs. I went almost 10 years undiagnosed... finally, almost a year ago I couldn't take it anymore. Back to the docs and this time around I tried not to take too much crap. Every test they asked for I demanded an explanation. My mom especially needed to know why a 26 year old would need a colonoscopy (when she at 50 had never had one).
What I'm trying to get at is that we need to speak up for ourselves. Do lots of research, ask questions, challenge the docs and suggest treatment options if you haven't heard it from them.
That's why I love this site so much. It continues to educate me everyday.
Posted 11/3/2005 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Shel, I also suffer from prodominately IBS-C... unfortunately I was one of the few that didn't respond well to zelnorm. My doctor has prescribed Miralax that I have been taking for a while now and it works for me. I also see more and more news articles that give updates on drug trials and I know that there are more IBS-C medications to come in the very near future. Gives us all hope :)
Posted 11/3/2005 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hello~

Thanks for all of your help! I actually just got back from my Dr.s office. I stopped by with the DA box so he could see exactly what I was talking about. I got the okay!! he had never heard of it before but like lil said, after reading the ingredients, he said it was alright.....no offense to any office nurses out there but my experience has been that some of them like to play dr. themselves...I think this is what happened when I originally called.
Des, it is funny that you mention miralax. That is what my dr. gave me initially to take with zelnorm if it didn't work. the instructions were to take the zelnorm for 1 week, if nothing happened add the mirallax. A 17g scoop. He said to only take the miralax once a day with the zelnorm until I started to go. Once I started, I should stop the miralax and continue with just the zelnorm. Well, the Zelnorm worked right away for me so I never took the miralax with it. Its only now that it seems to have stopped working. As miserable as I was with C, I had never taken a laxative until my colonoscopy...it was miralax and boy did it work. I was nervous when he prescribed it but like I said, at this point I'm willing to try anything. I think I will try the DA with the Zelnorm and see what happens. Then if necessary I will check on the miralax again. How often do you take the miralax? Daily? Do you need to be chained to the bathroom when taking it or is it much more gentle than that. The only time I ever took it was for the colonoscopy...that was the entire bottle so I''m sure its not a fair comparison!
Thanks!
Posted 11/3/2005 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
No problem Shel... no its 17g that I take with a 12 ounce glass of gatorade daily. The amount you take like you said is no comparison to the amount you take for a colonoscopy prep. I have never taken Miralax for a colonoscopy prep but I do know that is an option that some doctors use. I was kind of scared at first to take the Miralax because it is a laxative however its an osmotic laxative and not a stimulant laxative so it does not damage the function of the colon per the research live overuse of stimulant laxatives do. It has worked wonders for me... I went from a 7 day BM lag to a 2-3 day.
Posted 11/3/2005 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Phew, glad you got the OK from your doc to try D.A. :) I hope it works for you! Give it some time though.
Posted 11/6/2005 5:35 PM (GMT 0)

Shel,

I am on Zelnorm and it has helped a lot but its not perfect.  I am finding a few things combined with zelnorm really makes it more potent.  I take citrucel twice a day (not metamucil which causes gas) but citrucel causes no gas and helps you regulate yourself (remember its a fiber which is CRUCIAL if you have constipation) and secondly, primal defense (probiotic) which makes me feel good inside.  Keeps toxins in check and makes me work a lot better

First thing to remember, when you are asking any doctor about nutrition i.e. supplements, etc they generally aren't too bright.  You may know more than them. 

WHY?

Doctors ONLY receive 4 hours of training in nutrition in med school.  Does this make them qualified to give advice on nutrition.  I don't think it does.  Its sad that so many problems can be helped or solved with the change in a diet or the understanding of the many wonderful things out their that can help in the way of supplements ....

I have literally been to hell and back again with IBS....I know its awful and frustrating.  Hang in there.  One doctor did tell me something that I keep trying to remind myself you have IBS you have to find a way to live with it.  When I get down I try to think of it and then try to rack my brain on how I can improve to make IBS more copeable ie diet....supplementation.

The GOOD thing is they are coming out with new supplements all the time which really help

 

Posted 11/6/2005 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hello jimmypage~

Thanks for all the info. you are absolutely right about finding a way to live with this...I spent too long feeling hopeless..this site has really helped me by knowing that there are others out there going thru the same thing and to learn from their experiences has been a tremendous help to me.
I tired fiber but never had any luck with it. Citrucel was the first I tried and I saw no difference at all. I then tried benefiber and metamucil and I was literally doubled over with pain from gas. I truly didn't believe it was gas pains...I never knew they could be THAT painful. but after I discontinued using them, it went away. I kind of gave up on fiber after that. I do drink LOTS of water. I noticed that it definitely makes a difference for me. If I go without as much water for a few day, I can tell the difference immediately.
The Zelnorm worked exactly one week for me then no more. I did start the DA on Friday and what a difference. I have not had any C since but I have had a stomach ache each day with it. I am continuing to take it, hoping my system is just adjusting to something new.
Why is IBS so difficult to treat? When I met with my Dr. after the colonoscopy, he said that since they had ruled out crohn's and colitis, that it was now the most difficult part for him....to treat me for IBS. He prescribed the zelnorm and I don't see him again until April. With all the medical technology out there, you'd think they'd be able to do something for all of us...its not like its a rare condition! when I was pregnant, I had one of those 4D ultrasounds done...so you mean to tell me that you can show me what my unborn child looks like (it was literally a photograph of her) but you can't do anything about IBS? I just don't get it!
Well, thanks again for all your help and support....I greatly appreciate it. be well!

Shel
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