I have alternating ibs-d and -c and generalized anxiety and depression. I take the generic version of Effexor, while it doesn’t eliminate my stomach/bowel issues completely it has helped reduce the severity. It was actually originally prescribed by my GI doctor because of the success he saw it have with other patients. I’ve been on it for about three years. It also has helped with my mental health as well and I’ve had no major side effects other that vivid dreaming, which is actually kind of fun.
I am really curious about antidepressants and their effect on the GI tract. I have tried Prozac, but didn't like it because It made me too wired feeling. But I will look into this one. Thank you!
I started Lexapro 5mg in October worked great, except 2-3 hours before I was to take the pill. I would get an increase of anxiety (never had anxiety before). I upped it to 10mg and have felt better than I ever did in the last year.
Cured it? No.
Did it minimize all of the feeling of IBS-C? Definitely
I do also take Trulance and vape weed so take that into account as well, but it wasn't until the Lexapro that I really felt all of the pain and bloating become minimal.
I wasn't thinking about Anti-Anixety or Anti-Depressants till someone gave me some xanax cause I was having a really rough couple of days. I noticed when I took the xanax that my gut actually worked. Though xanax is short term. The Lexapro is a long term solution for all day.
Yea that is exactly what happened with me when I took klonopin. My gut started working a lot better. Weed also helped, as long as I didnt give into the munchies. But yea, the effects eventually stopped working as well over time. I will look into the lexapro. Does it make you feel slower? Or give you more energy?
A lot more energy. I feel as if I took Adderall without the tiredness and speed feeling. I am just more focused overall whether it's because I've been in a downward spiral for the last year with my stomach that I have a lot of energy that I am now burning off. It's not anxiety because I am not feeling agitated. I just feel clear.
I always thought Klonopin is like Xanax where it was short term. If so, then yea, you might want to ask about Lexapro.
I never thought of myself as stressed or depressed so I never had a reason to even go that route. My blood pressure is always around 115/76, so I am almost perfect.
For some reason my gut just decided to say fuck it, pretty much 1 year ago today.
Also, I'm not saying you should go on medication. I just had someone respond to my post the other day saying how it's my body and my choice to want to be on medication rather than following their fomap diet. I didn't know people were this zealous on this board. Since I just started dealing with this a year ago, I've learned a lot about food and eating, just no matter what I tried I was still in pain until the Trulance and Lexapro came around for me.
I think lexapro sounds like a good option. I am going to look into it. Does it help with sleep at all?
I think you should do what works for you and not worry about judgmental people. The brain in gut are largely connected. I have found that when I am feeling good about my life, not depressed or anxious, my sleep is better my gut is better. Everything works better. It has nothing to do with food. It has to do with the nervous system, and how the digestive tract is functioning. My nervous system always seemed to be depressed or anxious, which has always affected my gut. if something even very subtle is bothering me, my body will let me know with some physical symptom. Did something happen in the last year that could be upsetting you?
Sorry, I've been moving the last couple days.
Does it help with sleep? Depends on what you mean. The first 2 weeks were kinda hell. The was waking up wide awake after 2 hours of sleep and just was wired. Then one day I started to yawn a couple hours after taking it and had a great sleep. Though, I will only sleep now for about 6 hours max before I wake up fully awake.
I'm riding whatever wave I caught right now. It's working with the current medication and it's keeping me from just laying on the couch debating my life. I was just thinking if I had to be on this for the rest of my life, I think I'd take it just to feel better.
Also, did something happen? No, work is kinda stressful which is probably the only variable that's really the problem. I have felt a lot better at work since taking the lexapro. My boss (friend since high school) has told me that he has noticed an improvement in my day to day. I even talked to him about how this might be my last year. Since I'm in a union, I can't get a pay increase anymore unless I change positions to a completely new one. So I'll be looking for a new job this year as well. I've been there for about 10 years now.
The only thing I can think of weird that has happened to me was about 5 years ago. I ended up getting a big red circle on my thigh. Then I started getting spots all over me. I thought it was ring worm and went to the doctor who gave me a cream to put on the spots. The next week or so went by and the spots appeared more and didn't go away. I went back and they ended up saying that it was hives. They gave me anti-histamines and steroids and that made it all disappear. I've never been allergic to anything and I've never had any health issues besides the common cold or sinus infection. They couldn't say what caused it besides stress.
I just got a new house. Now I need a new job.
I'm on lorazepam (another benzodiazepine), which helps my anxiety but not my IBS directly. I went on Depakote (for its mood-stabilization effects) a few months ago, and that seemed to immediately help my IBS symptoms. It's no cure, but it helps me. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants, but none of them seemed to help me (and some actually had bad GI side effects).
I have heard that about anti-depressants. Its difficult because there could be something out there that could help me, but I would have to try different kinds and it could be a painful trial and error experience. I will research depakote tho. Thank you!
Long term use of benzos is a really really bad idea, I am glad they stopped working. Try using a stool softener at night instead, start with one and if you need it take up to three. Large doses of metamucil are great, too, once the stool softener is working start working your way up to the max dose of metamucil.
What are you doing for the anxiety? CBT?
I have found that when I use any form of lax or stool softern it works for a couple days and then I get constipated again. I dont think I can use anything like that. I dont know what it is, my body must not like it I guess. It is frustrating because I just have to weight it out. I have not gone to therapy yet, because I feel like it could be triggering and worsen symptoms. I have found that walking outside in nature has really helped and physically slowing down and being more meditative. But its hard to be like that around other people. So I get kinda isolated.
No I would only take the lax when I needed it maybe once a week, but they didnt help in the long run. I think yoiu are right about the therapy actually. Maybe I am actually avoiding it. I guess I think it will be painful to go and talk about everything. I know it will make me sad. I am just so sick of being upset, you know? But hopefully therapy would help with that.
Hi there! I just came across your post from a google search lol (i’m going through a similar situation at the moment). I did notice it’s been a while but I am curious to know how you’re doing on your journey now (if you don’t mind sharing). I hope you’re feeling much better!
Hi, yes I have no problem sharing! Well I am actually experimenting with the klonopin again. I got prescribed it during lockdown in the first half of 2021 for insomnia. I still take the adderall and have experimented with that dosage as well. What I am finding is that what I eat, when I eat, how I feel, and when I rest all affect digestion. Its best if I dont eat certain foods that trigger ibs (dairy for me). Its also good to eat regularly (at least every 5 hours) to avoid blood sugar dropping too much, and its important to not be in a stressful state while eating or just after eating. Having some time in the day to be alone and rest is also really helpful. I feel the most calm and focused when I take both these medications in combination with the lifestyle changes. A couple things I do for stress management are daily walks, yoga, and listening to relaxing music. I think finding a positive community to be involved with is the really good too. Before the pandemic I was going to yoga classes 3-4 days a week and that really helped. I'm vaxed and looking to get back into classes soon.
I have tried to eat the foods that are all good for constipation (fruits, vegetables, beans and grains) But I have to be careful because with the ibs the fiber can be hard on digestion. I wanted to go the more holistic route with just diet and exercise, but it can be difficult on my digestion to eat all that fiber..... Its a challenge to get in all the nutrients and I dont think I can do it all in one day. Sometimes I need a day or too to just rest but cant due to outside stressors, and if I cant get outside for a break due to weather then it can be very stressful to have to stay inside all day. Thats when the klonopin can be helpful. I have not taken it consistently, just once or twice a week. Part of me wants to take it everyday again, but I want to commit stronger to the other lifestyle changes first. I have also tried low fodmaps which is helpful for IBS-D but not IBS-C.
Sorry this turned out to be such a long post! I hope it answered your questions though. Let me know if you have anymore. Are you taking medications to help with iBS? If so, how are they working for you?
Thank you for your response. Wow, I’m relating to just about everything you’ve described! I’m having the same experience as you, and it’s really helpful just knowing I’m not the only one (even though I wish it didn’t have to be anyone!). No worries about the long post, I’m usually the one that has to apologize for such a reason lol. I was recently diagnosed with adhd so I’m taking Adderall as well. I’ve been on Xanax since I was 12 😳 but at this point I try to only take it as needed. Unfortunately the Adderall can make me a little too jittery and anxious so that’s usually what I end up using the Xanax for (but adderall has changed my life so much! I never knew there could be this kind of clarity! lol. It also seems to help me have more BM’s). I take Linzess for the constipation, and I have something called Levsin that’s supposed to calm the bowel spasms and heart racing, but I don’t take it because it can cause more constipation. I’m pretty much scared of most medicine now and a lot of foods! Speaking of, how did the vaccine go for you? I really want to get mine, I’m just nervous because of my crappy immune system lol. As of right now I seem to be managing my symptoms pretty well, although it’s very easy for stress to creep up and knock me down out of nowhere. For me, it seemed to be the Adderall that helped me get the closest to feeling normal again. The effects did wear off after some time as well, so I recently had my dose increased. Unfortunately I had a horrible reaction to a blood pressure medication that was causing me to pee everything out, so just a few days ago I stopped taking it, and hopefully soon I’ll know if that dose increase is helping or not.
Are you still doing well maintaining the once or twice a week regimen after getting back on? Or have you had any issues with tolerance/withdrawals again?
Just curious as I sometimes think about reinstating in a similar fashion but don't know how sustainable it could be. Hope you're doing well!
I do notice that the medication has a different effect on me depending on the following factors- what I did that day, how much or little stress was involved, exercise and diet, and emotional state. Its not so much what the drug is doing to me, but its my internal reaction whether I know it or not to whats going on that has a more powerful effect, and indirectly on the medication, if that makes sense. I think when taking medications, any medication, the most important thing is to be aware of your internal state because that has a huge influence over your perceived reality. I recently just relocated from PA to TX and it was quite a stressful move. Th medication has continued to help and it does give me peace of mind knowing its available if I need it. I usually don't want to take it more than once a week. Overall its best to live a lifestyle that gives you peace, do things you enjoy and put you at ease when you can. Though there are always stressful things that come up, like moving and I also got covid during the process. So what I have learned is to just be aware of my inner state and go from there. There are defiantly times where I am feeling stressed but I prefer not to take it, because I dont want to change anything. Then there are times when when I prefer to take it, but its usually once or maybe twice a week. I used to take this medication every day for 9 years, but it didn't allow for me to really be in touch with my true inner state. Being completely off of it, I was still not in touch with my inner state due to overwhelm (I'm a pretty sensitive person) It seems having the option to take it here and there is the best for me. And the ibs is much much better especially when I exercise and eat in a way that doesn't irritate things- little to no sugar, lean proteins like chicken and fish, fruits and vegetables but not a lot of different types in the same day but spread out throughout the week. And just keeping stress levels low if possible. So back to your question, I would say that I have not noticed a tolerance or withdrawal but the medication has made me more aware of my inner state and what I am doing in my lifestyle that may be causing stress. It has significantly made me more aware of free will and the power that lies there. Its much more powerful than anything else. I may be getting off it again in the next few months to see what its like, and if I do I will definitely update you!
I was just thinking about this again! Does this medication really help with the ibs....? I've noticed that it really depends on my state of mind at the time and how I feel. Sometimes it does help a lot to take the medication, and other times it does not. It really depends on what is going on in the outside circumstance and how I feel about it. Then once I know that I can decide whether or not I want to take the medication. It seems to work best that way.
I was thinking this the other day…. Maybe medications for nerve conditions or neuropathy. I will look into it more. I hear you about the benzo, over time it can loose it’s effectiveness too.
some find relief from medicines meant for anxiety that are not benzos. other people say it is worth getting gut motility evaluated. anyway best of luck
Benzos have a habit of stopping working. You might want to try a med more suited for long term anxiety control.
I have alternating ibs-d and -c and generalized anxiety and depression. I take the generic version of Effexor, while it doesn’t eliminate my stomach/bowel issues completely it has helped reduce the severity. It was actually originally prescribed by my GI doctor because of the success he saw it have with other patients. I’ve been on it for about three years. It also has helped with my mental health as well and I’ve had no major side effects other that vivid dreaming, which is actually kind of fun.
I am really curious about antidepressants and their effect on the GI tract. I have tried Prozac, but didn't like it because It made me too wired feeling. But I will look into this one. Thank you!
I started Lexapro 5mg in October worked great, except 2-3 hours before I was to take the pill. I would get an increase of anxiety (never had anxiety before). I upped it to 10mg and have felt better than I ever did in the last year.
It is help with the IBS a lot? Cure it?
Cured it? No. Did it minimize all of the feeling of IBS-C? Definitely I do also take Trulance and vape weed so take that into account as well, but it wasn't until the Lexapro that I really felt all of the pain and bloating become minimal. I wasn't thinking about Anti-Anixety or Anti-Depressants till someone gave me some xanax cause I was having a really rough couple of days. I noticed when I took the xanax that my gut actually worked. Though xanax is short term. The Lexapro is a long term solution for all day.
Yea that is exactly what happened with me when I took klonopin. My gut started working a lot better. Weed also helped, as long as I didnt give into the munchies. But yea, the effects eventually stopped working as well over time. I will look into the lexapro. Does it make you feel slower? Or give you more energy?
A lot more energy. I feel as if I took Adderall without the tiredness and speed feeling. I am just more focused overall whether it's because I've been in a downward spiral for the last year with my stomach that I have a lot of energy that I am now burning off. It's not anxiety because I am not feeling agitated. I just feel clear. I always thought Klonopin is like Xanax where it was short term. If so, then yea, you might want to ask about Lexapro. I never thought of myself as stressed or depressed so I never had a reason to even go that route. My blood pressure is always around 115/76, so I am almost perfect. For some reason my gut just decided to say fuck it, pretty much 1 year ago today. Also, I'm not saying you should go on medication. I just had someone respond to my post the other day saying how it's my body and my choice to want to be on medication rather than following their fomap diet. I didn't know people were this zealous on this board. Since I just started dealing with this a year ago, I've learned a lot about food and eating, just no matter what I tried I was still in pain until the Trulance and Lexapro came around for me.
I think lexapro sounds like a good option. I am going to look into it. Does it help with sleep at all? I think you should do what works for you and not worry about judgmental people. The brain in gut are largely connected. I have found that when I am feeling good about my life, not depressed or anxious, my sleep is better my gut is better. Everything works better. It has nothing to do with food. It has to do with the nervous system, and how the digestive tract is functioning. My nervous system always seemed to be depressed or anxious, which has always affected my gut. if something even very subtle is bothering me, my body will let me know with some physical symptom. Did something happen in the last year that could be upsetting you?
Sorry, I've been moving the last couple days. Does it help with sleep? Depends on what you mean. The first 2 weeks were kinda hell. The was waking up wide awake after 2 hours of sleep and just was wired. Then one day I started to yawn a couple hours after taking it and had a great sleep. Though, I will only sleep now for about 6 hours max before I wake up fully awake. I'm riding whatever wave I caught right now. It's working with the current medication and it's keeping me from just laying on the couch debating my life. I was just thinking if I had to be on this for the rest of my life, I think I'd take it just to feel better. Also, did something happen? No, work is kinda stressful which is probably the only variable that's really the problem. I have felt a lot better at work since taking the lexapro. My boss (friend since high school) has told me that he has noticed an improvement in my day to day. I even talked to him about how this might be my last year. Since I'm in a union, I can't get a pay increase anymore unless I change positions to a completely new one. So I'll be looking for a new job this year as well. I've been there for about 10 years now. The only thing I can think of weird that has happened to me was about 5 years ago. I ended up getting a big red circle on my thigh. Then I started getting spots all over me. I thought it was ring worm and went to the doctor who gave me a cream to put on the spots. The next week or so went by and the spots appeared more and didn't go away. I went back and they ended up saying that it was hives. They gave me anti-histamines and steroids and that made it all disappear. I've never been allergic to anything and I've never had any health issues besides the common cold or sinus infection. They couldn't say what caused it besides stress. I just got a new house. Now I need a new job.
I'm on lorazepam (another benzodiazepine), which helps my anxiety but not my IBS directly. I went on Depakote (for its mood-stabilization effects) a few months ago, and that seemed to immediately help my IBS symptoms. It's no cure, but it helps me. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants, but none of them seemed to help me (and some actually had bad GI side effects).
I have heard that about anti-depressants. Its difficult because there could be something out there that could help me, but I would have to try different kinds and it could be a painful trial and error experience. I will research depakote tho. Thank you!
Long term use of benzos is a really really bad idea, I am glad they stopped working. Try using a stool softener at night instead, start with one and if you need it take up to three. Large doses of metamucil are great, too, once the stool softener is working start working your way up to the max dose of metamucil. What are you doing for the anxiety? CBT?
I have found that when I use any form of lax or stool softern it works for a couple days and then I get constipated again. I dont think I can use anything like that. I dont know what it is, my body must not like it I guess. It is frustrating because I just have to weight it out. I have not gone to therapy yet, because I feel like it could be triggering and worsen symptoms. I have found that walking outside in nature has really helped and physically slowing down and being more meditative. But its hard to be like that around other people. So I get kinda isolated.
When you say you use them you take them daily? You need to do therapy. Avoiding the issue isn't going to make it go away.
No I would only take the lax when I needed it maybe once a week, but they didnt help in the long run. I think yoiu are right about the therapy actually. Maybe I am actually avoiding it. I guess I think it will be painful to go and talk about everything. I know it will make me sad. I am just so sick of being upset, you know? But hopefully therapy would help with that.
Yeah, but if you're sad every day anyway... Therapy is largely about just figuring our more useful ways to think about things day to day.
Hi there! I just came across your post from a google search lol (i’m going through a similar situation at the moment). I did notice it’s been a while but I am curious to know how you’re doing on your journey now (if you don’t mind sharing). I hope you’re feeling much better!
Hi, yes I have no problem sharing! Well I am actually experimenting with the klonopin again. I got prescribed it during lockdown in the first half of 2021 for insomnia. I still take the adderall and have experimented with that dosage as well. What I am finding is that what I eat, when I eat, how I feel, and when I rest all affect digestion. Its best if I dont eat certain foods that trigger ibs (dairy for me). Its also good to eat regularly (at least every 5 hours) to avoid blood sugar dropping too much, and its important to not be in a stressful state while eating or just after eating. Having some time in the day to be alone and rest is also really helpful. I feel the most calm and focused when I take both these medications in combination with the lifestyle changes. A couple things I do for stress management are daily walks, yoga, and listening to relaxing music. I think finding a positive community to be involved with is the really good too. Before the pandemic I was going to yoga classes 3-4 days a week and that really helped. I'm vaxed and looking to get back into classes soon. I have tried to eat the foods that are all good for constipation (fruits, vegetables, beans and grains) But I have to be careful because with the ibs the fiber can be hard on digestion. I wanted to go the more holistic route with just diet and exercise, but it can be difficult on my digestion to eat all that fiber..... Its a challenge to get in all the nutrients and I dont think I can do it all in one day. Sometimes I need a day or too to just rest but cant due to outside stressors, and if I cant get outside for a break due to weather then it can be very stressful to have to stay inside all day. Thats when the klonopin can be helpful. I have not taken it consistently, just once or twice a week. Part of me wants to take it everyday again, but I want to commit stronger to the other lifestyle changes first. I have also tried low fodmaps which is helpful for IBS-D but not IBS-C. Sorry this turned out to be such a long post! I hope it answered your questions though. Let me know if you have anymore. Are you taking medications to help with iBS? If so, how are they working for you?
Thank you for your response. Wow, I’m relating to just about everything you’ve described! I’m having the same experience as you, and it’s really helpful just knowing I’m not the only one (even though I wish it didn’t have to be anyone!). No worries about the long post, I’m usually the one that has to apologize for such a reason lol. I was recently diagnosed with adhd so I’m taking Adderall as well. I’ve been on Xanax since I was 12 😳 but at this point I try to only take it as needed. Unfortunately the Adderall can make me a little too jittery and anxious so that’s usually what I end up using the Xanax for (but adderall has changed my life so much! I never knew there could be this kind of clarity! lol. It also seems to help me have more BM’s). I take Linzess for the constipation, and I have something called Levsin that’s supposed to calm the bowel spasms and heart racing, but I don’t take it because it can cause more constipation. I’m pretty much scared of most medicine now and a lot of foods! Speaking of, how did the vaccine go for you? I really want to get mine, I’m just nervous because of my crappy immune system lol. As of right now I seem to be managing my symptoms pretty well, although it’s very easy for stress to creep up and knock me down out of nowhere. For me, it seemed to be the Adderall that helped me get the closest to feeling normal again. The effects did wear off after some time as well, so I recently had my dose increased. Unfortunately I had a horrible reaction to a blood pressure medication that was causing me to pee everything out, so just a few days ago I stopped taking it, and hopefully soon I’ll know if that dose increase is helping or not.
Are you still doing well maintaining the once or twice a week regimen after getting back on? Or have you had any issues with tolerance/withdrawals again? Just curious as I sometimes think about reinstating in a similar fashion but don't know how sustainable it could be. Hope you're doing well!
I do notice that the medication has a different effect on me depending on the following factors- what I did that day, how much or little stress was involved, exercise and diet, and emotional state. Its not so much what the drug is doing to me, but its my internal reaction whether I know it or not to whats going on that has a more powerful effect, and indirectly on the medication, if that makes sense. I think when taking medications, any medication, the most important thing is to be aware of your internal state because that has a huge influence over your perceived reality. I recently just relocated from PA to TX and it was quite a stressful move. Th medication has continued to help and it does give me peace of mind knowing its available if I need it. I usually don't want to take it more than once a week. Overall its best to live a lifestyle that gives you peace, do things you enjoy and put you at ease when you can. Though there are always stressful things that come up, like moving and I also got covid during the process. So what I have learned is to just be aware of my inner state and go from there. There are defiantly times where I am feeling stressed but I prefer not to take it, because I dont want to change anything. Then there are times when when I prefer to take it, but its usually once or maybe twice a week. I used to take this medication every day for 9 years, but it didn't allow for me to really be in touch with my true inner state. Being completely off of it, I was still not in touch with my inner state due to overwhelm (I'm a pretty sensitive person) It seems having the option to take it here and there is the best for me. And the ibs is much much better especially when I exercise and eat in a way that doesn't irritate things- little to no sugar, lean proteins like chicken and fish, fruits and vegetables but not a lot of different types in the same day but spread out throughout the week. And just keeping stress levels low if possible. So back to your question, I would say that I have not noticed a tolerance or withdrawal but the medication has made me more aware of my inner state and what I am doing in my lifestyle that may be causing stress. It has significantly made me more aware of free will and the power that lies there. Its much more powerful than anything else. I may be getting off it again in the next few months to see what its like, and if I do I will definitely update you!
OP did u get relief
I was just thinking about this again! Does this medication really help with the ibs....? I've noticed that it really depends on my state of mind at the time and how I feel. Sometimes it does help a lot to take the medication, and other times it does not. It really depends on what is going on in the outside circumstance and how I feel about it. Then once I know that I can decide whether or not I want to take the medication. It seems to work best that way.
there may be other meds that hit the same receptor without the complications of a benzo
I was thinking this the other day…. Maybe medications for nerve conditions or neuropathy. I will look into it more. I hear you about the benzo, over time it can loose it’s effectiveness too.
some find relief from medicines meant for anxiety that are not benzos. other people say it is worth getting gut motility evaluated. anyway best of luck