How to Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Video Transcript

"My name is Christine Marquette, and I'm a registered dietitian with The Austin Regional Clinic, and I'm going to talk to you about how to treat irritable bowel syndrome. The most common methods of treatment for irritable bowel depend on whether you have diarrhea dominant, constipation dominant, or cyclic irritable bowel syndrome. With diarrhea dominant usually medications are tried, and there's a couple of different types; anti-spasmodics and anti-cholergenics, such as bentyl will often be tried. Anti-diarrheals will also be tried, things such as Imodium. And then, the third line of medication that can be tried is anti-depressants. Oftentimes, this can happen because the person with IBS does become anxious, and they may also develop symptoms of depression, and if they take an anti-depressant often this will calm their anxiety or the depression, and actually will help alleviate some of the symptoms of diarrhea. In somebody who has IBS constipation dominant they will often be prescribed fiber or a high fiber diet. For somebody who is cyclic they will usually do a combination of all three. They will be prescribed medications, and then, they will also be put on a high fiber diet, and possibly also given a fiber supplement. Many times counseling is also encouraged. Again, because of the fact that there is a depression or anxiety component, often comorbid with IBS, so this can be beneficial as well. There has been some research into using things such as biofeedback in treating IBS, or cognitive behavioral therapy, and this can also be beneficial in treating a person with IBS. It can be quite a bit more time intensive, but if the patient is willing and able, and has the time available it can be a very good way for actually treating IBS."