Natural Alternatives For..ahhem...immodium<Giggle>

[k&ajsmom]

sorry so many posts today again...Im feeling inspired to change some things, one being getting off as many of these chemically derived drugs as poss.

I am dependent on immodium...sorry tmi...but it is what it is....even with the immodium I have a hard time holding onto food long enough to digest it, even when all I ate for 2 weeks was a brat diet....again sorry lol

my question...... is there a natural supplement, essential oils or herbs that helps slow digestion and relax the digestive tract?? I haven't been able to find anything onlin.e..thx - sarah

[Guest Alex]

peppermint tea ...

my grandmother used it successfully for years. It's supposed to help with all sorts of digestive issues: IBS, constipation, diarrhea, stomach aches, or nausea.

give it a try, maybe it will help

I enjoy the taste, that's certain.

Alex

[Katybug]

Try papaya puree or pumpkin puree. No guarantee but it does help some people. A lot has to do with why you are having this problem in the first place.

[k&ajsmom]

Thx Alex...its worth a try...and like u, I love pepperment tea and haven't had a mug of it in ages...gonna get some soon!

Papaya and Pumpkin, Thx katybug never would have come up with those...def. worth a try. So far these sound much more appetizing than immodium lol and I am a little clueless why I have such severe gi issues until I get to my spceialist...in June <sigh>. Doc said it could be too much blood at times in the stomach and gi tract and other times not enough.......or basically he just has no clue. lol

[Katybug]

They were convinced my GI issues were IBS, then part of the POTS. I had GERD, nausea, projectile vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. All of it so severe that it left me spending nights on my bathroom floor in the fetal position. And (sorry if this is tmi) the vomit and diarrhea were so acidic it would leave me with chemical burns for days. I took acid blockers and phenergan and Donatal. They all gave relief for exactly the amount of time a dose was supposed to 4-6 hrs. Then I was back to sick. Then I was put on Divalproex Sodium (generic for Depakote) as a migraine profilactic (I was having 3-6 migraines a week). This medicine also halted my GI issues . Based on this my neurologist said it could be a rare case of adult abdominal migraine but that dx is iffy so he won't put it in my records. But my gastroenterologist said he totally believes that's what it must be because Depakote isn't used to or known to treat GI issues. I know you're trying to get off the meds but I see you have migraines so it worth trying to see if they are related. I do occasionally still have moderate GI issues and they always correlate with a migraine (within 24 hrs before, during, or after the headache itself.)

[Dizzysillyak]

Even tho you didn't ask I thought I'd mention that gluten intolerance is known for causing the runs. Just go to a celiac support group meeting and look at all the people who raise their hands when asked if they had this symptom ... lol ...

Mine was so bad sometimes that I couldn't leave the house if I'd eating anything that day. And I could have explosive d at any minute.

I finally reached a point where I couldn't keep any food at all in and my GP recommended the elimination diet. WALLAH !! At 50 years old my 15 year old problem was solved ... I've never had it since. FWIW, I'd seen a gastroenterologist for about 6 months who didn't find celiac disease. I have no idea if he even looked during my endoscopy tho. He was a moron .. tc ... D

[Katybug]

Dizzy brings up a good point about gluten. And, for that matter, food triggers on general. I have MCAD too (lucky me) and have developed food triggers that will cause an acute isolated bout of abdominal pain and diarrhea. For example, I never had issues eating grapes before but now I refer to them as "the grapes of wrath " because of how sick they make me (and how quickly) . If the docs can't work it out, an elimination diet might help you get some relief. Now that I have identified some foods that set me off, plus the Depakote, things have been so much better for my poor tummy. (Wish I could say the same for POTS and joint pain.)

[abbyw]

(Sorry too, for the TMI) I also had d-prominent IBS prior to my POTS. Awful. Lost about 20 lbs. Knew every rest stop in the city. What worked for me was an antispasmodic. The gastro who helped me (after several told me that I was healthy even thought I was having d 6-8 times daily, with pre-syncope each time) felt that my system needed to slow down. I was on something called Colotal. They don't sell it in the US, but it saved my life. I believe there are alternatives in the US.

FWIW, I have heard that pomegranates are helpful. I found hot baths to calm down the muscle spasms. And I only ate toast and tea, which didn't help much, but it was better than anything else.

Good Luck!

[Katybug]

Donnatal is an anticholinergic/antispasmodic here in the US.

[songcanary]

I had Dizzy's same experience. When I stopped gluten the diarrhea disappeared in 48 hrs. I've been fine since June and that's the only change I made.

[k&ajsmom]

wow, the one thing I keep hearing and reading for sure is gluten is a problem for a lot of u guys. I tried going gluten free and made it 3 weeks until I was hospitalized and they wouldnt comply with my gluten free requests. I had to have a colonscopy doen and after I was so hungry I devoured hospital spaghetti like it was a lobster dinner lol ironically it settled with no problem at all and after the antibody test and biopsys came back negative I continued eating gluten since I didnt notice any improvement. Maybe I didnt stick with it long enough.

I am lactose intolerant, which runs in my family. My sister passed when she was 2 with no definitive cause, however they "think" it was due to hemolytic urheumic syndrome cause by e-coli although she tested negative to ecoli, she had severe intestinal damage upon her autopsy. My brother and I had started devoloping similiar symptoms and were diagnosed lactose intolerant and adviced to go gluten and sucrolse free as well, by the time we were 10 we were on a normal diet though and seemed fine. My autonaumic issues started to get better as well. I would also wake up at night with horrific histamine issues, eyes glued shut and so dizzy I couldnt walk.

Anyways, I think there is def something there with intolerneces and allergies and mcas I just cant put my finger on it the triggers.

Ive kept a journal lately and nothing....but pancakes.....stands out to me. Im just sick with ...everything all the time even a glass of water.

Im not fimiliar with donnatal, I have tried lamotil, which I hated thx to the atropine, I wonder if donnatal is similiar. Ill have to look into that one. I really hate to think I will have to keep taking immodium forever, especially since it only helps mildly and doesnt stop it.

Thx for the tips and advice, I am gonna try them ALL and poss. try going gluten free again. =))

[Katybug]

Donnatal is Belladonna Alkoloid, Phenobarbitol, Scopalamine, and Atropine mixed. It is not a drug I would suggest taking daily due to its addictive nature but I did notice over time that when I would take it, its effects would last longer and longer. I actually wouldn't even feel POTSie for about 24 hours after a dose of it. I think it calmed my whole body...gi, but also nerves and therefore cardiac system. But, again its not a permanent fix, but it was a Godsend on days I wasn't able to leave the bathroom.

I'm sorry that I can't remember this, but have you been fully evaluated for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Based on your profile information and what you describe about your family history, that could be a pretty important piece of the puzzle to know. Many of us have found that we have this triad - POTS, MCAS, EDS. Here's a great website to get some info on this: http://ednf.org/ . They also have a forum similar to this that has been helpful to me since I received my EDS dx in November (I knew before I got to the doc that I had it but we have to make these things "official", right?)

P.S. I might be off on my spelling of some of the Donnatal ingredients but I a too lazy to look them up jus tthis minute.

[k&ajsmom]

Never apologize in regards to spelling, I am the worst when Im sick..just dont have the motivation to edit or spellcheck myself lol ironic since I excelled in english comp and lit. in college <those were the days>

Eds is something I only looked into briefly online because I dont think I have many traits, if any. I dont have thin skin, and I am stiff and inflexiable instead of hypermobile. I also have mild pooling but not severe unless im really hot. I do however have some joint issues, nothing truly siginificant though. My neck is very affected with sublexation and arthritis and my hip can be slipped out of socket very easily. My kids say I can never sneak up on them cause I click so loud. I bruise easily but only on my legs. SO Its something I will def. rule out when I get a doctor that has a clue lol but Im not sure if its tangible for me...but I am really only geussing here. It would be nice to atleast have a doctor rule it out. Im really getting tired of my current doc not caring about finding a "reason" for pots. Its gonna be a long 6 months till my specialists appointment.

Donnatal I think is similiar to Lomotil then, with dirivatives of bella donna and a mixture with atropine. These meds tend to crash my system too much. I feel like I am constantly overstimulated yet I cant handle anything that calms me....figures lol

[FarmerAmy]

I don't have GI issues, so I don't know if this will help. I have been on a very restrictive diet for a few months. It hasn't improved my POTS symptoms, but my digestion seems much better. I have gf steel-cut oatmeal with nuts, seeds, apples, and honey in the morning. I have a huge salad every night with greens (kale, arugula, whatever), carrots, pumpkin seeds, and hardboiled egg. Like I said, my digestion feels so much better when I eat these things.

Also, have you looked into fungal dysbiosis? There is a lab called Metametrix that will do the testing. They will also help you find a practitioner in your area.

[Frugalmama]

Have you looked at all at the MCAS/Mastocytosis info posted throughout the forum? For 15+ years I lived on Immodium, and had constant diarrhea. Like, all the time, everything I ate.... When I finally started looking into MCAS because of this forum and got to a good immunologist (who later discovered I actually have indolent systemic mastocytosis), we figured out that the "episodes" I was having were anaphylaxis. Benadryl now gets rid of the diarrhea almost immediately. I wish I had known that for the last decade

[k&ajsmom]

Amy,

Thanks for your feedback, when I first got sick I thought for sure I had some kind of gi bacteria or parasite along the lines of fungal dysbiosis. But the doctors assure me I don not after many studies and an colonoscopy I was deemed "healthy" So I dont know?? However vinegar does help me when I get nauseated so I htink something is out of whack.

I didnt even know they made gluten free oatmeal, Ill have to try it. It doesnt seem to matter what I eat though, it just seems everything is my enemy at one momnet or another.=( but cutting gluten is probaly a good way to go regardless being that its hard to digest.

Frugal,

I think u may have hit the nail on the head. I highly suspect I have mcas and/or similiar issues. It certainly feels like a whole body experience when I get "sicK". I have added zantac 2xs a day and today started nasalcrom and already on antihistimines. I did not know however analphlaxis could be occuring. I always associated it with the steriotypical anaphylaxis one has from a peanut allergy or shellfish with the swelling of the throat etc... This is interesting. I just posted another topic today in regards to a reaction I think I had to gatorade, of all things.

The immodium def. helps but not enough for me to stay out of the bathroom very long =(

Do u find benedryl helps differently than another antihistimines??

I havent taken it for years cause it use to make me wired and jittery but Id be willing to give a try if its different than the claritan Im already on and may help.

Thx so much everyone =))