It’s important to try to develop a good sense of how your IBS is affected by your diet, stress, and any other factors in your life. By paying attention to these factors, you and your doctor can better determine what might improve your symptoms. Treatments for IBS fall into a few broad categories:
Dietary changesMedicationsPsychotherapy (talk therapy)Complementary approaches/therapies
Depending on your symptoms, any combination of these options may be part of your treatment strategy. You can improve mild cases of IBS if you:
Avoid trigger foods.Increase your fiber intake, which can relieve constipation.Exercise more.Get enough sleep.Drink enough fluids.Avoid and get help to manage stressful situations.
If these simple steps aren’t enough to control your symptoms, a number of dietary changes may be worth considering. Explore a gluten-free diet. If diarrhea is a problem, you may benefit from cutting out foods that contain gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The above guidelines also recommend blood tests to formally rule out celiac disease if you have diarrhea and IBS symptoms.
Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following remedies. Fiber supplements If increasing fiber in your diet isn’t effective, you can take a variety of supplements containing different forms of soluble fiber. This is particularly helpful for people who experience constipation. Smooth muscle relaxants These drugs can help with intestinal cramping, abdominal pain, and bouts of diarrhea, but it’s best to talk to your doctor if you plan to use them frequently or regularly. In some cases, though, they may cause constipation. The guidelines “recommend against the use of antispasmodics currently available in the United States to treat global IBS symptoms.” Pain relievers Certain drugs that act on the brain’s pain sensory mechanisms may help ease severe abdominal pain or bloating while the root causes are explored. Opiate medications like oxycodone, codeine, and others are not recommend for chronic use to manage IBS symptoms and can actually worsen the overall disease.
Antibiotics If your doctor suspects that an imbalance of gut bacteria is responsible for your symptoms, you may take drugs designed to kill off certain strains of bacteria. The goal is to let healthy bacteria flourish, not to wipe out all of them. It’s important to have a discussion with your doctor about how stress might be contributing to your symptoms. If you both agree that stress, anxiety, or depression could be affecting your IBS, you may be referred to a mental health professional. When you see a therapist, the following strategies may be used to improve your symptoms. It could also be beneficial to have a multidisciplinary team to support you, in which your doctor-led care includes a nutritionist and mental health professional, for example. Cognitive behavioral therapy This type of talk therapy focuses on helping you change your patterns of thought and behavior. Years of research support its effectiveness as a treatment for IBS. Additional reporting by Jordan Davidson.
