ask your pharmacist

back to: pharmacy | ask your pharmacist

Are there any prescription treatments for irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that affects the muscles and nerves in the stomach and intestines. Symptoms typically occur only during the day and include stomach pain and cramps, bloating, excess gas. Alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea are also quite common. Nondrug therapy, changes in diet, and over-the-counter medicines are usually tried first.

If they don't work, the choice of prescription medicines for IBS depends on the type of symptoms you have. Lomotil (generic name diphenoxylate and atropine) is a prescription medication commonly used to treat diarrhea. For stomach pain and cramping, doctors may prescribe >Levsin (hyoscyamine), >Bentyl (dicyclomine), or belladonna alkaloids, all of which can also help reduce diarrhea.

Your doctor may prescribe low doses of antidepressants such as Elavil (amitriptyline), >Norpramin (desipramine), >Zoloft (sertraline), or >Paxil (paroxetine). Although they may elevate your mood, these antidepressants aren’t prescribed just for depression. It's not clear exactly how these medicines work to improve symptoms of IBS, but they're thought to alter the levels of neurotransmitters in the intestines.

Sources:
Camilleri, M. “Therapeutic Approach to the Patient with Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” The American Journal of Medicine (5A) 1999.
Diseases & Conditions. “Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” http://www.mayoclinic.com. Mayo Clinic Health. Last accessed 11/13/2006. Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs. Applied Therapeutics, 1995.
Lynn, RB. "Current Concepts: Irritable Bowel Syndrome." New England Journal of Medicine. 329 (1993).
Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics. Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1998.
Griffith's 5-Minute Clinical Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., 1999.
Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. W. B. Saunders Company, 1998.
Micromedex® Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2006.
Drug Facts and Comparisons, Facts & Comparisons, 2006.