What are the main types of treatment for IBS?
The doctor must identify the predominant complaint, and then treatment can begin. For pain, a variety of drugs called antispasmodics might be used. They help prevent muscle spasms in the gut. Another option for pain is a class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants, which at very low doses, they can ease abdominal pain and discomfort. For patients with diarrhea Imodium or Lomotil may be used. For constipation, over-the-counter fiber therapies, such as Milk of Magnesia or the laxative MiraLax are used. There are also prescription medicines available that can treat either the constipation or the diarrhea that the person is experiencing. Why is IBS a syndrome and not a disease? It is called “irritable bowel syndrome” because there is no precise, objective disorder that doctors can identify, but rather a group of symptoms or complaints. IBS really affects the entire gut: the colon, the small intestine and the esophagus, and unlike like other conditions, there is no specific abnormality
