Does anyone have this? It's very random and other then a few seconds before it happens, I get no warning. If I'm sitting I can usually hold it but as soon as I stand up, it comes rushing out and there is no stopping it.

I'm getting very depressed about it. I've had all kinds of tests and all they can say is take Immodium. I can't take that too much because then I am horribly constipated for days.

Carol

I have IBS, but without any constipation. I get the uncontrollable diahrea due to stress and the doctor prescribed Hyoscyamine Sub to help with the diahrea (I can put it under the tongue on chew it). So I have to watch stress carefully. Sometimes I have to go to stressful doctor's appointments without eating in the morning to try to avoid the diahrea.

Oh, I wish I had an answer for you. I wanted to let you know thought that you're not alone. I went through about 5 years of uncontrollable diarrhea - no notice whatsoever. HORRIBLE, I know.

I have Fibro, so needed to start taking pain medication. - of course I wouldn't recommend that, but WOW..suddenly I was normal. Something that normally constipates others, made me normal.

Your Dr. had nothing else to offer you except Immodium? I'd think there would be other things out by now that were helpful. Ask your pharmacist what they would recommend.

I fully understand as I too have been in that situation many times. Immodium doenst work for me in fact it makes me worse!

Google drugs for IBS I take lomotril ...there are others too to try but, remember we must be our own advocates with dr's!!!

Have you watched your diet? I found out that caffine, soda,fats of any kind trigger IBS.

Also, I cant eat wheat or too high a fiber anything.

good luck

I would keep a diary logging in incidents, time, date. Also log in foods & beverages consumed, stressors, and hormonal status if you are not menopausal.

It's possible that through careful observation you will be able to find a pattern that will allow you to make adjustments, or at the least, be prepared for these incidents.

The gut is exquisitely sensitive to stress & hormones. Some people do very well with a sort of SSRI for the gut, if stress is part or all of the trigger for the incidents.

Caffeine can increase peristalsis rather quickly. If that is the problem you would notice the incidents within minutes to a few hours.

Fats tend to work a bit more slowly, but in some people will cause uncontrollable dumping fairly rapidly. If fat is the problem, it's usually not required to exclude all fat from the diet, but rather to find a tolerable amt of fat that can be consumed, small amts several times per day. And of course being particularly aware of the issue when there could be social embarrassment related to incidents.

Excess bile secretion can cause these sorts of problems. Some people are helped by having a little metamucil with every meal. The fiber helps to absorb the bile & decrease the diarrhea. Counterintuitive perhaps, but a thicker bulkier stool is often easier to control.

Have you tried the coconut macaroon cure? The Graedons (Ph.D. pharmacists) who write the People's Pharmacy column that appears weekly in many newspapers, have posted a number of times about the helpfulness of coconut for diarrhea that was unresponsive to all medical interventions -- in one case, an individual was in hospice, literally dying of constant diarrhea & food malabsorption. It's a simple enough thing to try, assuming you're not allergic to coconut.

Have you been seeing a gastroenterologist for your testing, or just a GP? Have you had a complete celiac panel run? (4 tests) Upper & lower endoscopy? If other measures fail, & these tests have not been run, you would be cheating yourself not to look into celiac.

Then again, there are people with gluten sensitivity who do not test positive yet who do respond to gluten-free diet. Other food intolerances or food allergies could also be to blame. There are tests available.

Best wishes.

[This Message was Edited on 04/24/2009]

hi all,
im not now having the uncontrollable diahrrea,and i believe its because i stopped eating foods that have artificial colours,flavourings and preservatives in them.

and also i was given nortriptyline 25mg to ease the muscle spasms that i get with the fibro/CFS.

but my sister is still suffering from the uncontrollable diahrrea.her doctor wanted her to go on antidepressents,but she says no,as she cant function at work when on them.

she tried prozak many years ago, and she hasnt forgotten what it did to her,she said it made her feel unconected to the world.she works on a check out in a supermarket.

she does get very upset in herself, as she had to wash herself down with the hosepipe after messing herself while out doors.

she looks very tired and the whites of her eyes seem yellow.

she doesnt smoke,but likes chocolate and pick n mix sweets,but is extremely slim.

ive advised her to stop having chocolate and the sweets,as those are full of aditives and the rest of the stuff that i found myself to have sensitivities too.but she wont give them up.

she thinks cows milk is giving her problems,but says she cant tolerate goats milk, and soya milk made her have diahrrea too.

its just so sad to see her suffer like this, as in my opinion she,s wasting away.

she does try to defy her condition..the irritable bowel syndrome,but in my heart i just wish she would cut out the sweets and see if it makes a difference to her bowels.she,s very stubborn though,so i feel helpless.

take care,love fran

I'm so sorry this is happening to you - believe me I understand TOTALLY.

Please consider being checked for Celiac...I was mis-diagnosed with IBS for years. If you don't want to go thru the testing (although a simple blood test would be a good start before doing the scope) you might try eliminating gluten from your diet.

Gluten is in most prepared foods so it's a challenege to eliminate it completely but it's worth a try.

Good luck...And consider buying a package of Depends to protect you from accidents, and save on underware. I've learned that false pride isn't nearly as important as I once thought.

Nancy

There have been different times I've had it. Most recently, the past few weeks. But I think I picked up worms. I'm waiting for my deworming med to be delivered tomorrow. I had eaten at a chinese restaurant and didn't think they cooked my shrimp enough. I ended up with vomiting and then the diarrhea for the last two weeks. It has not been fun.

When I was on Xithromax, that gave me uncontrollable diarrhea for the entire four months I was on it. I was getting dehydrated from it and had no other choice but to stop the drug. I couldn't leave the house because of the diarrhea. It was awful.

I've gotten it from certain foods. Sweeteners like sorbitol will do it. That right there, if you are getting it, make sure you are not eating anything with sorbitol or mannitol in it. Those two can definitely bring it on.

Meds like Prilosec can do it, too.

Things that help:
Bilberry
Blackberry leaves tea
Plain White Rice
Bananas
Potatoes

Whenever I have stomach problems, I make plain white rice with just salt and maybe some soysauce on it. Blackberry leaves tea. And if I have to have anything else, a banana. I do this for the whole week and it usually helps. I will also take Pepto if I need it. I've never liked Immodium.

Bilberry has helped me all week. Bilberry contains a germ fighting pigment that really kills bad stuff in your intestines. It really, really works. Nothing else was helping me. The Pepto was only slowing it down. When I finally got the Bilberry, that worked.