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IBS medication can be used in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and can help, but they should only be thought of as an adjunct in the management of the condition. IBS drugs are not a cure, but can help to improve symptoms in conjunction with the other options available in the navigation bar. This is often a disappointment to patients that come to see me looking for a cure, sadly there isn't one at present and you should be very wary of anyone quoting a cure for the condition. If there was then your doctor would have treated you already and you wouldn't be reading this!
The choice of irritable bowel syndrome medication depends on the predominant symptoms you suffer. They can broadly be divided into antispasmodics, laxatives, antidiarrheals, bulking agents and miscellaneous drugs. They are particularly useful when symptoms are severe, but should only be used when symptoms are not tolerated, or when more conservative measures such as diet and lifestyle is ineffective alone.
Antispasmodics are used for pain relief and have widespread use in IBS. They work to reduce spasm symptoms that can be seen in all forms or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. You can click on the most commonly used ones to find out more information:
Mebeverine,
hyoscine butylbromide (Buscopan)
and
Peppermint Oil Capsules (Mintec, Colpermin).
Antidiarrhoeals are used in diarrhoea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These work by reducing gut contractility, but should be used with caution as they can increase spasm symptoms.The common ones used are Loperamide , Co-Phenotrope and Codeine Phosphate. Bulking agents work by bulking up the stool and help aid passage of stool through the GI tract. The commonly used bulking agents include , Ispaghula Husk (Buscopan) , Sterculia and Methylcellulose .They can be used in all forms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Miscellaneous IBS medication include antidepressants( Amitriptyline ), 5-HT3 antagonists ( Alosetron )and 5-HT4 antagonists( Tegaserod ).
Click on each of the drug names to take you to the IBS drugs information pages including indications, doses and common side effects.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome medication can help some sufferers, although sadly, they don't cure the syndrome.
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