Posted , 3 users are following.
I've read in a number of places that fibre supplements can be good for both ibs-c and -D but have never tried them for fear of getting even more symptoms. Has anyone tried? If so what type of fibre and what results did you get?
0 likes, 4 replies
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looloo43 leeniepie
Posted
Hi leeniepie. I have ibs-d, & was told by my gastro dietician that ibs sufferers particularly ibs-d, can have trouble breaking down fibre. She recommended cutting out fibre as many of my ibs attacks were brought on after eating fibre foods, including brown bread, porridge, leafy salad (would come out undigested) vegetables with skins like tomatoes, peppers(would come out undigested). so in a nutshell, most veg goes through me coming out looking like it went in, & promotes more diarrea. i now only eat "anything" if i go out for an occasional meal if i take 2 loperamide before i eat (to give me an enjoyable meal) but not a good practise to use everyday. everything white, & no fruit for me either (can have similar effect as veg if skinned fruit) plus i have fructose malabsorption too so 2 reasons i cant have fruit. with the ibs-d, the above diet adjustments, plus generally eating as low fat as poss & nothing fried generally keeps my ibs-d under control. I have also been taking a quality liquid probiotic for a year which has made a difference to stabalising it & reducing severity of symptoms. the only other things that seem to trigger symptoms are eating too big a meal at once, eating too quickly, or too much chocolate. i dont eat alot of choc - probably 2 or 3 times a week, but if i eat more than 8 chunks at a time my bowels start to get a bit spasmy/twisty about an hour later. i find the milkier the chocolate the less symtpoms, the more cocoa-iy the chocolate - the worse symptoms are. hope this helps. if you want me to let you know what probiotic i use, i can pm you. it comes recommended/tested by kings college hospital in helping patients with bowel conditions like ibs, crohns, & colitis. ( i also have colitis). xxx
leeniepie looloo43
Posted
Thankyou for replying. I know that insoluble fibre often results in exactly how you described ( wheat bran, nuts or seeds and leafy veg don't suit me either) Most recommended supplements are therefore soluble fibre.
I would like to know about the probiotics. I have a feeling I may know which one you mean but if you could please pm me anyway that would be great. They are another thing I have wondered about but when I tried them before I got worse. (However this was before I knew the ones I took were dairy based and before I was low fodmap )
looloo43 leeniepie
Posted
Hi leeniepie. I've pm'd you about the probiotic. the probiotics in yoghurt/dairy products don't really do enough as they trigger digestion which kills off alot of the good bacteria on the way to the gut. the "proper" probiotics are more effective as they are taken before any food/drink before digestion is triggered, so an effective dose is delivered to the gut.
emily_92420 leeniepie
Posted
I think like many other things with IBS its trial and error. I have read some personal stories where Fibre supplements have worked really well but many of these where used with IBS C rather than D. I suppose if your body is flushing out fibre rather than digesting it then a supplement could make it worse in regards to the D side. But then im sure some people use it and have no issues. Best thing to do is research and try it yourself! Good luck.