I have ibs and want to start taking fiber supplements. there are many names and ways available. Which way is the best pill or liquid? Which name brand? metimucil or benefiber? and what could happen if i take too much? what exactly does fiber work?
2007-01-12 07:57:23 · 3 answers · asked by owned by a siberian husky 4 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
It depends. Some suppliments work well with other people while others don't. Try one and see. If it doesn't work change to another brand but give it ample time before changing to another brand. Taking too much fiber may cause you to have diarrhea. Fibers are not absorbed by you body so you eventually pass them out with your stools. It works by absorbing fluids making you stools softer and easier to pass out.
2007-01-12 08:23:06 · answer #1 · answered by KarlYKT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard benefiber works good. I take a supplement called tri-fiber once a day and I have added almonds or walnuts to my cereal and that ha helped too.
Have you been tested for hypothyroidism? That was the cause of my IBS with constipation. On occassio I may still have an episode of constipation, but not since I added the nuts to my cereal and have been taking the trifiber supplement.
2007-01-12 08:08:14 · answer #2 · answered by DNA 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're starting to recommend that people with IBS, or IBS-like symptoms be tested for celiac disease, which is an intolerance to gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats). A lot of people with celiac were misdiagnosed as having IBS for years. (18 years for me). It takes an average of 11 years for a person with celiac to be diagnosed.
Here's a webpage by the National Institutes of Health on celiac -
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
And another from the Mayo Clinic -
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319
If that starts sounding familiar here are a couple of message boards for people with celiac and other gluten intolerances.
http://www.glutenfreeforum.com
http://www.celiacforums.com
You can also be intolerant to other common foods and get IBS-type symptoms. Soy, corn, eggs, yeast, dairy, etc. can all cause major issues. You may want to think about keeping a food/symptoms journal and see if you can identify the culprit(s).
I hope you feel better soon.
Nancy
2007-01-13 16:47:15 · answer #3 · answered by Nancy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋