please help sumone i cant stick it anymore

[helpme7]

i am really sick but no one knows whats wrong i have irritable bowel, headaches, horrible stomach pain and nausea im underweight and i always get dizzy and light headed and feel weak and tired cud my adhd meds concerta be making me like this im considering goin off them cos i tink they mite be causing it i have done many tests such as barium swallow,the camera test,ultrasound blood tests please help im only 18 but im living my life in pain

[missdipsy]

Hi, I just wanted to add a few comments as I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome too (mine started while I was pregnant & didn't go away afterwards). I found the doctors absolutely useless with the condition. First they gave me fibre supplements (the psyllium husk mentioned above by 24hourapartments) which had no effect whatsoever. If they'd actually asked me about my diet they would have realised I have no problem with my fibre intake at all; I eat reasonably healthily, including plenty of fresh fruit & veg, wholegrains etc. When that didn't work they prescribed medication (Mebeverine), which I think helped a tiny bit, but because my symptoms came & went apparently randomly it was hard to know when to take the pills and whether the symptoms would have gone away by themselves or not.

After doing a lot of reading, I realised the most obvious thing to try was altering my diet (something that the doctors never once mentioned!!). When I looked at what I was eating I realised there was an awful lot of wheat; I'd frequently have a significant amount of wheat in every meal of the day (e.g. wholewheat breakfast cereal, bread at lunchtime, pasta for tea). I managed to completely get rid of my symptoms by reducing the amount of wheat a lot, although I haven't had to cut it out altogether. I can still eat pasta and bread etc, as long as I don't have large portions and I don't have much wheat in my other meals that day. Once in a while I forget and accidentally eat too much wheat and my symptoms come back, but generally they're under control now.

When making changes to your diet, don't do anything drastic without medical supervision. Cutting whole food groups out of your diet completely can be very unhealthy, so it's best to just start by reducing your intake of certain types of food to see if it provides some relief. Two of the main culprits in things like IBS tend to be wheat and dairy, although some people react to other food types. It might be worth keeping a food & symptom diary, where you make a note of what you ate and how you felt. Use this to see if there are patterns in when your symptoms are at their worst. If you notice that you seem to have the worst symptoms on days when you've had a lot of dairy, for instance, start to cut down your intake of dairy products and see if you feel any better. Keep reducing it until either your symptoms are reduced or you've almost cut it out of your diet altogether, then try reintroducing it to see if you get worse again.

With reference to mwp714's comment about the link between Anxiety Disorder and IBS:
Believe it or not, but the same neurotransmitters involved in mood and anxiety are involved in the functioning of your intestines! Effexor is an SNRI, which means it acts on serotonin & norepinephrine. Both are involved in anxiety disorders, and both are thought to be involved in IBS; high levels of serotonin can lead to diarrhoea and high levels of norepinephrine can lead to constipation. So, in theory, an SNRI might help to balance out these neurotransmitters, as well as reducing overall levels of stress (which can make IBS worse).

[helpme7]

thank u all so much 4 ur help i greatly appreciate it

[mwp714]

When I was your age I went through the same thing. My stomach pains, nausea, gas diarrhea were all so sever that I simply stopped eating and dropped weight drastically. I went to every specialist I could find, I was scoped, enimaed, scraped, poked, I did everything. After 2 years of hell and no diagnosis, ONE doctor finally said to me "have you ever had your head checked out?" I had no idea what she meant but she sent me to my first psychiatrist who, after some tests and talking, diagnosed me with acute anxiety disorder and put me on Effexor XR. After being on the pills for 1 week EVERY SINGLE ONE of my stomach symptoms were GONE. The mind is terrifyingly powerful and for me it manifested itself in my bowls and convinced me, and 2 years worth of doctors, that I had something like chrones, irritable bowl or colitis. It is seven years later and I am still on Effexor XR and my stomach symptoms have never returned.

[Sandman2]

Irritable bowel will cause many if not all of those conditions.  That is what you need information on.  Your doctor should be able to help, but I would also check the IBS forum on this site.  There is a ton of info there.  Good luck.

[24hourapartments]

Several years ago I had a nasty bout with what the doctors termed irritable bowel syndrom.

Alas, I concluded this was a term doctors used when they don't know the answer.

Drink fiber(psyllum husk) at least three times a week, drink plenty of water--shy away from breads(esp. white bread), cheeses, pizza, hard nuts. Not a panacea, but it will help.

Have your gallbladder checked, though it's probably fine.

Get some powder calcium, drink it with luke warm water before bedtime. In the morning, you will probably have a bowel movement, and it will relax your colon.

These are tips that work for me.

[margypops]

I am sorry you are feeling so bad , it could well be your Meds and I suggest you visit your Doctor and ask him what you can do about it and if there is something else you can take , dont go off them till you see the Doctor as weaning off is the best way and he will tell you how.Do this as soon as you can tell him what you have said here and hopefully he will help you, Think positively and realise even if it takes a while there will come a day soon when you will be pain free, fill your thoughts at this moment with positive ones and concentate on something you like doing, , Come back and let us know how you are getting on..