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Question for all you fiber users

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 5/6/2006 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
hey everyone

well my latest venture is to try adding soluble fibre supplements to my diet to try and sort out my ibs. I have been taking 2 teaspoons of isogel (made from physlium? husk) in the morning before breakfast and again before dinner.

I havn't really noticed much of a diffrence yet - if anything i seem to be worse. My symptoms are usually a generally upset stomach and thin/loose bowel movements although i only usually go between 1-3 times a day. I suppose i'm not as urgent but i'm still loose and i feel even more 'incomplete' when i go then usual.

I guess i just wanna know how long this stuff should take to work - i know for C it can take weeks, but i thought that for D (which is nearest to my symptoms) it clears up quicker. Also i know that some people get upset when the add fiber - but i haven't really had any more gas or wind which is supposed to be a sign of this. I'm thinking that maybe fiber isn't the answer beacuse my symptoms are not extreme D or C either way?

any views/experiences on this would be appreciated!

roadtrip :-)

Posted 5/6/2006 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi roadtrip,

Psyllium is supposed to help bulk up the stool by drawing water and creating a gel like consistency to make your stool easier to pass, it is supposed to help both C and D. Do you think that maybe you started out too quickly with it? Fiber is one of those things where you have to add it slowly into your diet. Taken too fast will also cause the cramping that you are talking about. Your dosage does seem like a lot for a beginner with fiber. Maybe try taking a different kind of supplement also may work. Some people have stated that they have problems with product A and not product B and vice versa. Methylcellulose is a type of fiber supplement that has been known to be less likely to cause gas (& possible cramping) than psyllium. Popular brand name of supplement with methylcellulose is Citrucel (not sure if thats available in UK).

Personally I take the psyllium however I have been taking fiber for a very long time. I will never go off of fiber because of my diverticulosis and the fact that fiber is good for more than just your digestive system.

I would definitely experiment but take things slow and give the products time. Hope this helps you a little.

Take Care
Posted 5/7/2006 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
Just keep in mind that it can take months before your body adjusts, it took me 3 months to adjust to prodiem stool bulker with mild softner....even for healthy peeps their system may need to adjust to fibre increase in their diet...stick with it, not too many things can do wonders over night, although for me I did notice that bee propolis and probiotics did help fairly quickly with my CD and suspected IBS...but everyone is different.
Posted 5/7/2006 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
okay thanx guys, i think my problem is that i'm just too impatient - i just want a magic pill which i could swallow to make me 'normal'!

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