Citalopram For IBS

Thank you for your helpful message. I am fairly new to this site and forum altogether and have been reading many of the messages on this forum.

I find them very interesting and insightful indeed.

I recently after taking Colpermin and finding it pretty useless have been prescribed Citalopram 10 mg.

I have been taking it for 2 weeks now and know it takes a while to start having the desired effect.

Many years ago I took Citalopram, which was prescribed for a bad episode of depression. I found it worked for me as I did not suffer from unpleasant side effects. So my doctor suggested that maybe I should try them again for the treatment of IBS.

I wanted to ask what dosage you were put on, and how they went for you?

My doctor said that often depression, anxiety and depression are the cause of IBS, so that is why she suggested them for me.

I have suffered a lot, in the past and even now from these problems. So in theory the anti-depressant should work for me.

Thank you.

Thanks. Well I started off on 20mg then I went on 40mg and in the end I was on 60mg, to be honest they stopped working after about 8 months, I just stopped taking them in December 09. Nah, yeah, Colpermin are useless, Merbentyl and Colofac are still good though

Thanks for replying to my message.

So why did you have the dose increased from 20mg to 40mg then 60?

Did you not say above that they really helped?

I am confused.

:roll:

The dose was increased as over time it's good effects wore off. Yes at first it did work very well but long term I felt that my Gut had become immune to it

Okay, so how long were you on them altogether?

What did your doctor say about it all?

Was it not suggested for you to try another type of anti-depressant?

I was on them about 13 months, my Doctor said take more, nah I don't want to try any other varieties :D

Did your Doctor say why the anti-depressants may have stopped working?

He said it's the worst case of IBS he's ever seen :shock: :lol: :oops: but no, no explanation, taking them was more a I'll try anything kind of thing :oops:

Hello.

What I mean is did he not explain before he put you on Citalopram(anti-depressant), why he chose to use an anti-depressant?

I mean why do you think they were really helpful, then suddenly ineffective?

Thanks

The use of an antidepressant for IBS is a standard thing nowadays, that is when it doesn't respond to anything else, it was just the next thing on the list of things to try, he offered Citalopram because it's the usual one he prescribes but I suppose he would have tried others if I'd asked. As for why it gradually stopped working, my GP just acknowledged that he hasn't been able to help me much and he was a bit useless :lol: Some people it works for and others it doesn't, maybe me feeling better was all in the mind and it just broke through regardless as it was getting worse :?

I now know why it / he was useless, it's not his fault, I've only just found out about it myself. It was a eureka moment :wink:

It is interesting what you were saying about Anti-depressants being offered as being common practise now.

What do you mean, at the end of your message? Something about a Eureka moment?

Thanks

Trying an antidepressant for IBS is to do with the 'Brain-Gut Axis' theory / research, the gut has so many nerve endings it can be imagined as a 'second brain', whether it's that simple or not remains to be seen but if it (antidepressants) shuts up patients it's all good :D

Unfortunately I don't think my eureka moment is going to help you much,, I've recently found out that when I was a baby I had what's called a strangulated umbilical hernia (a loop of intestine pops through a birth defect / weakness in the belly button area cutting off it's blood supply) so I've had my intestine resected (cut and rejoined), sooo, I'm obviously having some trouble in this joined together area of my intestine that's also causing the whole thing to be groaningly terrible feeling, my moneys on crohns disease not stinking IBS :? I'm yet to tell my Doctor about this as, umm, I hate my GP practice, last time I was there the (some random) Doctor threw me out :oops: :shock: :lol:

Stuff 'um, I can get all the medicines I need in the community with no hassle :D

I have never heard of the 'Brain-Gut Axis' theory, maybe I will try and read up on it.

Sounds quite interesting.

Not sure exactly what you mean about the \"shutting\" up patients bit?

I think I do, but not totally sure.

Sorry, shutting up should have read alleviates the patients symptoms

Okay, now it is starting to fit into place.

Why did a doctor throw you out of your GP practice?

I have never heard of that happening before.