Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Question by Jamie: Prozac’s size effects are really bothering me. Is there another antidepressant I might tolerate better?
I’m on fluoxetine (the generic name for Prozac) for dysthymia with occasional episodes of major depression, various phobias, and irritable bowel syndrome. I’ve been taking 10mg a day for three weeks, and even at that low dose, the side effects are quite bothersome. I haven’t been able to have a complete bowel movement without the use of a laxative for two weeks. I have a history of constipation (mostly in childhood), but I haven’t had anything this bad for years, and since my digestive problems when I went on this medicine were the exact opposite of what I’m experiencing now (constant, and I mean CONSTANT diarrhea), I’m fairly sure that this is the drug’s fault. I also get nauseous often, but I haven’t actually vomited since I started the drug.

The medicine also makes me very drowsy, and I’ve been sleeping a lot more and a lot more deeply than I usually do. Before I went on fluoxetine, I was sleeping 3-5 hours a night, with no naps during the day. Now, I average on about 10 hours of sleep a night with a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and I still feel exhausted. I also fall asleep at random times. I’ve fallen asleep watching TV, eating, on the computer, on the bathroom floor after taking a shower, even in the middle of a conversation. Also, I sleep so soundly that it’s pretty likely that I could sleep soundly through a bomb going off on my street. This past week, I have slept through three alarms almost every day: one on my clock radio, a timer on my TV in case I sleep through the clock radio, and an alarm on my cell phone to remind me to take my medication (because of this, I’ve taken a couple of doses late). To make sure that I woke up on time this morning, I asked one of my friends to come over and wake me up. He tells me that he came into my room and shook me while I was asleep, and even though I stayed in bed with my head under the covers, I had a conversation with him and he assumed that I was awake. I have absolutely no memory of this. In fact, I slept in three hours later than I intended to, despite setting three alarms and having someone “wake me up”.

I’ve also been having frequent nosebleeds. I’m not sure if this is related to the medication or to the cold weather, but starting this past week, I had a nosebleed nearly every other day, and on Friday, I had three separate nosebleeds. I remember reading that SSRIs can cause bleeding problems, so I’m a little concerned about this. I also feel a bit jittery; I’m constantly fidgeting, itching myself, and biting my nails, something that’s never really been a problem before. I’ve also had more of an appetite, but, paradoxically, I’ve lost five pounds since starting the medication.

It may be a bit early yet, but I haven’t noticed any change in mood at all, and these side effects are really annoying me, the constipation being the worst. I’m seeing my shrink tomorrow, and I’m wondering if I should tell her that I want to go off the medication or if I should ust wait and see if these side effects go away. I know that SSRIs generally have the fewest side effects, but do all SSRIs have the same side effects? Could going on a different SSRI get rid of the constipation and sleep problems? Is there another class of antidepressants that has less digestive side effects? I realize that I’m probably going to have side effects with any drug, but there are plenty that I can tolerate, like sexual side effects (totally celibate), weird dreams or nightmares (I’ve had those my whole life; I doubt I’d even notice if I experienced this side effect), or weight gain (I’m skinny anyway, so I could stand to gain a few pounds).

Sorry this is so long, and thanks in advance.

Best answer:

Answer by Dee R
Try Ativan. Worked wonders for me.

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request palyn P : kombucha bottles, often small colony size of probiotics quarter …? Sometimes it seems like a little jelly it is. If you want the masses to drink along with everyone else? Strands of probiotics do not bother me at all, but the table makes me raise an eyebrow. best answer:

response Honest Abe
Kombucha fermented tea, produced from a single colony of bacteria and yeast, sugar and black or green tea . The resulting fermented liquid containing vinegar, vitamins and many other chemical compounds. In the “floaties” as a “mother” (the remnants of the colony, which will begin in the fermentation), and healthy to consume is essentially tasteless and in my experience. Enjoy!

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