No Improvement With Dicetel For Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Cramping, Should I Wait?

Posted on Mon, 6 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 5 Jan 2014 Answered on

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Good day I have been diagnosed with IBS. Iget severe cramping in morning for a few hours. Slowly goes away by noon. Do not have D or C--have about 3 bowel movements in the morning. Started on Buscopan--this makes me sleepy and a little dizzy. So try not to take these--stopped cramps when I took them. Started on Dicetel 3 days ago--3x per day at 50mg. I am not seeing any improvement yet How long does dicete take to work??? I am looking for help on all fronts--started 6 months ago as mild pain and loose stools--now this XXXXXXX XXXX I am following an IBS diet for about 2 months--no improvements.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer: Dicetel will take days to weeks before improvement Detailed Answer: Hi, Dicetel is an calcium-antagonist drug which relaxes the muscles of the GI tract, helping you to improve the symptoms of IBS and other abdominal discomfort you might have. Usually, dicetel will take some time before improvement (days to weeks). The action will depend on many factors including: - your body weight - how regularly you take the meds without skipping any dose Besides what you are currently taking, I'd like to have other medical data of yours: - have you been checked for possible bowel infection (ova/parasites, candida, bacterial infection)? - have you run any test for malapsorption or intolerance? - is your diet containing greasy or fresh foods? - are you work overloaded or stressed out recently (within these 2 months)? - are you having other medical problems (prostate, UTI, sexual problems)? Looking forward to have the requested data in! Thank you! Dr.Klerida

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (2 hours later)

Hello Hi Klerida (pretty name) I have been checked for -celiac,parasites,bacteria at the top end of the gut, barium enema x ray, CT scan. All normal Diet--follow a low FODMAP diet for quite a while. No lactose, gluten and very little soy (yogurt and milk) Lots of veggies/ quick steam or lite fry in olive oil, some blueberries and bananas. Some seeds--no legumes,--some rice, almond milk, buckwheat porridge XXXXXXX and spinach and red peppers--lightly fried(not raw), chicken,salmon quinoa,pumpkin, sweet potato. Bananas--used to eat 2-3 per day (for years) now 1/2 banana gives me upset stomach--will cut these out--starting today. Should I up the dicetel to 100mg 3 times per day???--[resently at 50X3per day or wait a little longer?? Any suggestions on meds,food etc would be greatly appreciated. Up until 4 months ago I could eat almost anything without problem. Coffee and tea---like 1-2 cups of coffee per day--should I eliminate this and black tea--chamomille sits nicely on my stomach Yours truly--and thx for your helpful advice XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (16 hours later)

Brief Answer: IBS symptoms related to your emotional state too.. Detailed Answer: Hi Lain, Thank you for following up. I am glad to come to know that you have done all the necessary tests and are following the right diet for you. You have been taking Dicetel only for 3 days, so, I'd suggest to wait for another 2 weeks until the dose should increase to 100 mgX3 times/daily. If the FODMAP diet you are following is advised by your doctor, I'd suggest to discuss with him/her about the sugar content in this diet. If I was your caring doctor would advise not to follow strict diets, but to make basic changes to your diet menu: - drink plenty of water - eat often and small portions, slowly - keep on avoiding legumes, less seeds or fats - increase your physical activity I'd also suggest to keep observing which foods are doing bad to your intestines causing motion problems as you are facing. Furthermore, please bare in mind that IBS is strongly associated with your emotional status: the more down and stressful you'd be, the more aggravating the symptoms of IBS would be. The very best thing to do in such cases is to have patience, follow doctor's advice accordingly until you see improvement. All the best! Dr. Klerida

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj