r/ibs

Hi there,

I’ve been struggling with constipation for as long as I can remember. I just turned 31 and from about 13, I’ve been having problems. I had a colonoscopy/endoscopy at around age 15, found nothing, and they just said I have ibs. So, they put me on MiraLAX and I took it daily until like age 29. So like, 14 years straight. I decided I wanted to try and get off of it, but still struggled with constipation. I had another colonoscopy/endoscopy at age 29 with biopsies and pretty much all normal, but they said maybe a start of a gluten sensitivity. So, I started a gluten free, diary free diet and still in that for about a year and a half. Just using MiraLAX as needed. At the beginning I felt pretty good, lost some weight, but back to constipation, gas, bloating.

So then I turned to motility. They want me to start with Linzess, but I’ve heard horror stories. I decided I wanted to try and take it, so on Friday I decided to do a clean out before I started so I did a MiraLAX colonoscopy prep clean out with four Ducolax. I started to eat Saturday, and I took my first dose of Linzess Monday morning. I had a ton of cramping but hard to tell if it was just from the clean out. Finally, I was able to have a little bowel movement Monday and a little bit on Tuesday… today, being Wednesday, I had a lot of gurgling and wasn’t able to go so I decided to do an enema. I am now in a world of pain, stomach, bloating, and just pure pain no gas and not really able to have a good bowel movement.

I’m kind of at a loss now… super depressed, tired and feeling like I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like not eating anymore, but I know that’s not good for motility reasons and just general health reasons but I generally don’t wanna eat. It’s ruining my self image, have to cancel plans, dating is very difficult.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Insane pain after laxative use. Using laxatives, but still not going to the restroom. What do you do? Sometimes the pain even radiates into my chest. I’ve gone to plenty of doctors… food allergists, talked to dietitians. My next move. Will be a pelvic floor therapy, potentially thinking of talking to an endocrinologist if I can get in. I’d like to try and eat dairy again because it’s not really a food allergy but just a sensitivity and if I can tolerate, my life would be so much easier. Not to mention the depression that’s come from a very restrictive gluten-free, dairy free diet.

I’m really feeling horrible. I’m just looking for some support and advice from the community. If anyone else has dealt with these things, I’d love some guidance and support. The pain is taking over and the only way to escape it is sleep.

I know about the brain, gut connection. I understand all that. I know meditation can help. I also think I might try and find a GI Psychologist. But, I am just exhausted and desperate for help.

Thank you

I'm not going to say I cured my IBS, because I am a bit superstitious, but my symptoms are about 95% gone. As in 95% of the time my digestion is totally normal - something that blows my mind every day.

I was diagnosed with IBS about 23 years ago after I started having persistent diarrhea, especially in the mornings. At the time I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the doctor told me I had damage consistent with celiac. Blood test for celiac came back negative and I was told I was safe to consume gluten and try giving up dairy.

Since then I basically suffered through it, but the last few years I decided to fight it, so I tried a bunch of stuff basically from suggestions on Reddit and Hashimoto's groups (turns out I have Hashimoto's).

Things I did that helped.

Went plant based. Made me feel a lot worse in first few weeks, then a lot better. I stopped taking fiber in those first few weeks because I realized I was getting a ton of fiber in my diet and that seemed to help.

Stopped drinking coffee. Now that things are more stable, I can have an oat latte about once a week without symptoms. But for every day morning caffeine I drink green tea.

Quit gluten. I really didn't want to do this especially because I'd been told by numerous doctors I'm fine to eat it. Saw this suggestion on the Hashimoto's groups and after I went off it strictly with no exceptions I started noticing a marked improvement in the way I felt and my digestion. Recovery had been slow but the longer I go without gluten, the more settled my stomach feels. Looking back on it now, I think this was the main culprit for my issues to begin with. Some undetectable form of celiac? Non celiac gluten sensitivity?

Daily supplementation with L Glutamine and B infantis. I saw a post on this subreddit saying the probiotic b infantis is clinically proven to reduce IBS symptoms. Read studies to confirm then started taking it. It's been a complete game changer.

Low dose naltrexone. This is a weird one. I started taking it for something else but have seen folks report online it helps their autoimmune symptoms. Since I started taking it 2 months ago, my digestive symptoms are basically gone. I can count on the fingers of one hand how often I've had them since. It's not clear to me if the improvement is from my gut healing from being off the gluten or if the naltrexone itself is helping. But whatever it is. I'll take it.

I am so so grateful for how I feel and sharing experience in the hope it helps someone else too.

I wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else dealing with IBS-D and/or bile acid malabsorption.

I was prescribed about 2.5 years ago for prediabetes after trying first. Metformin made my IBS-D absolutely unbearable. Ozempic, on the other hand, ended up being genuinely life-changing for me in ways I never expected.

Within a few weeks of starting Ozempic, my IBS-D dramatically improved. Not just “a little better.” Truly life-changing better.

For years, I had to plan my entire life around bathroom access. I work outdoors in a physically demanding job where bathrooms often are not available. I would avoid eating because I knew there was a high chance I’d urgently need a bathroom within 20 minutes. Even simple things like walking my dog after dinner or driving home from a restaurant were stressful because I often had to rush home and sometimes would not make it in time.

On Ozempic, for the first time in years, I felt normal.

I developed a regular morning BM schedule. I could eat without panic. My energy improved because I honestly think I was finally absorbing nutrition better instead of everything racing through me. I lost about 10 pounds, my blood sugar improved, and mentally I felt so much more functional and less anxious about daily life.

The biggest thing for me was starting LOW and titrating slowly. I absolutely do not think my body would have tolerated jumping straight to a high dose. I started at 0.25 mg and slowly worked upward. Even at 0.5 mg I noticed a huge difference. As the dose increased, I could feel my digestion slowing down some, but within a couple weeks my body would adjust. It never became painful or severe constipation as long as I stayed hydrated.

Fast forward to now: I changed jobs and my new insurance will not cover Ozempic. They wanted almost $3,000 for my refill, so I had to stop taking it about 6 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, the IBS-D has come roaring back.

It is affecting my work, my quality of life, my mental health, and honestly just my ability to function normally. I am now looking into compounded semaglutide through a pharmacy for around $225/month because despite the cost, I truly do not want to go back to living like this long term.

I know GLP-1 medications are not right for everyone, and I know some people actually get diarrhea from them. But in my case, this medication helped my IBS-D more than anything else I have ever tried, and I really think there needs to be more research into GLP-1s for IBS-D and bile acid malabsorption patients.

If anyone knows of any clinical trials involving GLP-1 medications and IBS-D, I would genuinely appreciate the information.

And honestly, after living this firsthand, I would love to see the FDA seriously research this because for some of us, this should not just be considered an “off-label” side benefit. It has been genuinely life-changing medical treatment.

Anyway, just sharing in case anyone else has had a similar experience. I would honestly love to hear from others who noticed GI improvement on GLP-1 medications because I feel like this is not talked about enough.

I'm always surprised that people who come to the sub don't know what Imodium is. Imodium is available without a prescription in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland. (I didn't check for other countries). The generic name in the U.S. is "loperamide". It is a safe and effective treatment for diarrhea. It is a wonder drug and has saved countless lives. It is a relatively inexpensive medication. I got the generic at the supermarket for $11 for 25 pills. The pills are tiny and easy to swallow. If you take other medications, ask your pharmacist about any interactions. If you use it daily (like I do), ask your doctor is that is ok for you.

i’m only a 20 year old girl & this all started in november
& i got diagnosed officially by my gi doctor in april for IBS.
at first i thought i was lactose intolerant back in 2024 because i used to have bad gas & loud abdominal sounds
& i could never figure out why & this all started after i drank liquid chlorophyll for like two weeks back in 2023.

anyway i was fine in 2025 other than the occasional gas & weird abdominal sounds but nothing life interfering or even noticeable but at the end of october 2025 i started to get lots of gas but once november 2025 started the LEFT SIDE of my abdomen started to feel weird everyday & i had no stool changes until january 2026 oh boy. i was having urgency first thing in the morning & one time on my period
i was on the toilet for THREE hours…that has never happened to me. now i don’t have diarrhea at all but i do have soft stool.

november & december when i was dealing with this i had no stool changes but stool was fine but after january & until now it’s different. my stool NEVER used to have an odor &
i never even had to wipe more than once i always used to be confused why i never saw little or anything when i wiped but i wish so badly to go back to that time. i also pretty much never had gas either before specifically november 2025.

this has taken over my LIFE. since november 2025 till now
EVERY.SINGLE.DAY i can’t get on the call with my partner without lying on my stomach to muffle the ridiculous abrupt sudden sounds of whatever the flip is going on. i can’t do anything not even walk around my room while on the phone without being paranoid my abdomen is going to make some strange sound mimicking passing gas. this has been going on for SEVEN MONTHS. is this just life now forever? if so i cannot live this this no way. i take bentyl & i think it works but theres still sounds & weird feelings all in the left abdomen only & i just don’t know what to do anymore.

if anyone can relate or has any advice please share, i’m suppose to be starting my life i can’t even apply to certain jobs because i think they would think i’m farting the whole time because of my abdomen noises i can’t do anything.
i want to start college soon but i don’t even think i can do that either with this. i also want to just hangout with my partner but i can’t even do that i’m considering no longer being with my partner solely because of this illness.

i’m in urgency to either ask my gi doctor to prescribe me elevil which she recommended not sure that would do anything or i might start taking probiotics or i read buscopan tea or something i dont want to suppress this i want to get rid of it.

I am afraid it was so random... I drank two ollipop sodas and couldn't clench. It was horrible. I don't want to go in public again

Lately I’ve been trying some different things to try to get myself to poop on my own without needing laxatives or anything anymore. I’ve mainly been focusing on hydration and trying different foods, especially vegetables. It’s been trial and error, I’ve had some luck, but other times all it’s done is make me bloated and gassy.

Just now I had an actual big solid normal poop though. Not with extreme discomfort or pain like usual either. The last time I had one like this was 4-5 months ago, and even then that was the first time I had a normal one in almost 2 years (I’m still not 100% sure what I did differently then, though). The only things I can think of that I did differently this week were eating cultured yogurt and being on my birth control again. I don’t know if it was actually either of those that did it this time, but overall my bowel habits have been a bit improved in general lately. For many months I was only going about once a week, now for the past few weeks I’ve been going a little bit every couple days. Still definitely not great, but it means something I’ve been doing is helping.

I actually had a realization recently that my bowel issues didn’t start happening until right after I had antibiotics for strep throat 2 years ago. I had diarrhea for months after them, and then it turned into a mix of chronic diarrhea and constipation (mostly constipation). I can’t say anything for sure until I can see my doctor again, but I have a feeling my bowel issues really may just be some kind of overgrowth or imbalance that can be traced back to those antibiotics. I never had any bowel problems my whole life until after I was on those meds, so I’ve been really wondering lately if there’s some kind of connection there.

Also my immune system in general has just been very out of wack since that period of time anyway. I got really sick with some kind of flu right after them, I’ve had chronic swollen lymph nodes in my neck since I was sick, got a weird fungal infection that year, and more. I have a feeling there’s some kind of connection there. I really have hope that this realization will help my doctor get to the bottom of things now.

Went to loo and my feces got stuck in middle due to constipation which was hard constipation neither it was going out just stuck in middle.

So used my hand to pull out the solid stool and relieved myself. Has someone done this . Let me know thank you .

CONSTIPATION HARD STOOLS !!!

I’m pretty emotional scarred from my IBS. When my first symptoms came up it was pretty traumatic and since then I have been extremely anxious, like scared to even leave the house. Now I’m getting better, and I am more able to handle it, but I fell like my mind is the same as it was when my IBS was at its peak.
When I am asked to do things that are out of what I know, I instantly feel like I know all the bad things that will happen from my past experiences. I got asked to go on a trip for three days where everybody is very caring, but I am too uncomfortable to go and honestly it feels like a really big step. Plus, I genuinely did not want to go from the start, I just don’t feel valid because I know I could suffer through it for my friends’ sakes but I really don’t want to. Any advice?

has anyone else noticed their IBS flares get worse around their period??

ive been tracking my symptoms for a few months and its like clockwork - 2 days before i get my period my bloating gets 10x worse and im running to the bathroom constantly.

its like my gut is extra sensitive during that time of the month. anyone else experience this??

ive tried adjusting my diet during that week but nothing seems to help. wondering if this is normal or if i should bring it up with my doctor

I know there's others who have posted this before. But I just have to say my piece. And I wouldn't say I'm 100% cured by any means. But I do want to say digestive enzymes have seriously changed my life. I take over the counter digest Gold by enzymedica. One before every meal. If I don't take them, I definitely feel like I used to. I no longer have brain fog, depression, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and pain in my stomach is gone.

There are no more aches or pains in my body.

For years, I struggled with depression but knowing how I feel now, I really believe it was my gut health. I truly believe my gut was so bad it was affecting my entire system from head to toe. I don't believe that I am able to produce the enzymes necessary to digest food properly. My lipase and amylase have historically been on the low end but not officially epi. I just wanted to let people know that there may be hope for them and not to give up. Try different remedies. Try different enzymes. There is a vast array of supplements available. Talk to your doctor. Request the test necessary. I can't believe what a difference this has made in my life

I have had severe GERD. At that time I had IBS like symptoms. Had surgery and now much better but still once in a while it happens.

Was thinking of creating an app to manage stomach/gut issues but want to see if anybody has had success using any existing apps. Any suggestions?

My main symptom is pain when I get flare-ups. Often, even just the feeling of needing to go to the bathroom causes pretty bad abdominal pain, or at least bad enough to stop what I'm doing and focus on it, take Tylenol and stuff. And then when I get bad flare-ups, I get BAD flare-ups, and I have to use an enema, and sometimes call 911. I've been to the hospital several times because of it, sometimes blacking out from the pain. Usually it goes away with a BM, but sometimes I can't manage to go, or even after I go the pain continues. It is truly debilitating, and even though I've experienced it many, many times, I still panic because of how horrible it feels, like I'm going to die.

Like right now I took all my medicine, antispasmodics, Tylenol, enema. Had multiple BMs, threw up some stomach acid. Still in pain. I feel abdominal pain, nausea, overall feeling of fatigue, doom, faintness, can't think straight. It comes in waves, but it's still bad. Idk how to deal with this, I've tried all of the stuff I have. Been to a pain clinic before but they just prescribed me Lyrica, which didn't help.

hi guys i Actually don't know if i have ibs or whatever lol but i haven't eaten bananas for like a week and a half and my stomach was completely fine. but before last week i ate bananas like everyday and I'd always get this bloating grouching feeling and it feels like i wanna poop or something, also it gets pretty constipated most of those days that i ate bananas. now after a week or a week and a half i Haven't eaten any bananas but now we have new bananas here my grandma recently bought and i ate like a half yesterday, seemed fine to me. but today i feel that wanting to shit, bloating feeling again.. can bananas do this?

When I am able to see my GI specialist again, I will ask her, but im the meantime, I am curious about what advice yall have.

I took a probiotic for the first time yesterday with dinner. My GI specialist had said she thinks they would be helpful for me. But last night (starting at like 2 am) I was waking up every hour with bad diarrhea. I didn't puke, so I was confident it wasn't a bug (I puke easily when sick). I am still in the diagnosis period, but its very likely IBS-M.

My question is, do i keep taking the probiotic? Will my body adjust and it will balance out? Or is this a sign that this is not what my body needs after all. I can also try different types of probiotics, obviously. I'd rather not spend 2 weeks with constant diarrhea. But if it's likely just going to be a few days, I will try again.

Thanks, fam.

I have been struggling with diarrhoea since 2020, all I have ever been told is they believe it could be IBS I have no formal diagnosis, zero that I could show my employer. Back in 2020 it was so bad I was house bound pretty much ate just crackers, toast and soup for so long woke up everyday in so much pain I felt like I was going to die every morning. It continued this way until 3 years later when it felt like miraculously things were improving( I was having a lot of therapy at this time but I feel like things just coincidentally calmed down, I know it sounds insane but I genuinely think it was just luck that things got better ,the therapy was not great).Anyway I managed to get a job and I’d been doing ok for a long time but fast forward to now where things have gotten pretty bad again. I can’t eat at work anymore if I eat a single thing I end up with diarrhoea so bad I have to go home, no matter what I eat. The only chance I get to eat a substantial meal is the evening since it allows me plenty of time to shit. Now my employer is threatening to move people onto night shifts which would take away my only opportunity to eat because of my stomach but I have zero absolutely zero proof of anything. I am genuinely scared what that could do to my health but unless I can prove anything I have no chance but I don’t even know how to go about it. My GP surgery just gives me blood tests and gets me to do a stool sample every time I go complaining of how bad things are and nothing ever comes back (other than most recently vitamin d deficiency and blood count being abnormal but expected which was never explained) and they sort of just go well there’s nothing to be alarmed about and that’s it. What can I do? (I’m the UK).

Every time I poop, even if it's an easy poop, I use the bidet and it feels painful, like the water is hitting some kind of open wound. I go to wipe--no blood. Why?

Context: My normal IBS symptoms are frequent, urgent, uncomfortable BMS. I'm rarely bothered at night.

For the past couple weeks, I've been having this intermittent problem where I wake up in the middle of the night with stomach pain. It feels like it's more in my stomach than my intestines, but also feels like it's around my belly button. Kind of hard to describe. It's similar to the painful stomach feeling you get when you're hungry and haven't eaten in a while, kind of like that burning hungry pang feeling, but it's worse.

Usually I have to sit up, and it kind of slowly drains away. It almost seems to be positional. If I'm on my back, I might get this panging, burning pain, and then it eases if I get on my side. I've had acid reflux and GERD over the years in a lot of different forms, and although while this could be related, its never presented in this way before.

The only thing I can think that's been different lately that could be causing this is that I've been taking metamucil for about a month and a half. I take it before bed (just half a tsp of the sugar free kind for now). This has only started happening the past couple weeks though and doesn't happen every night.

Anyway, I will tell my gastro doc about this but it takes forever to get in there and I'm currently on the cancelation list. I just wanted to see if this sounded familiar to anyone and what it might be.

Am (25M) went to visit a doctor after having minor symptoms compared to the disasters people with ibs go through. For instance, i didn't have abdominal pain or diarrhea. My symptoms were basically:

1. stomach bloating

2. Continuous burping

3. These symptoms would be present almost 24/7 accompanied by a brain fog which would come with all this bloating.

Once i visited the doctor he told me i have an IBS and then started teaching myself about this whole Fodmap thing. After weeks of trying low fodmap diet i got tired of having to watch every small and big bite that goes into my mouth.

One day, i got frustrated to the point i went out and ordered a big glass of mango juice, huge sandwich full of meat-spices and onions, some ice cream and a big glass of random fizzy drink i found. Once i jogged all of this and woke up the next day i barely felt any pain or the need to visit the toilet!! Perhaps a bit more gasses running inside my stomach

So I am figuring this isn't IBS anymore....

Lemme know what you guys think 🤔🤔