Posted by medlib on June 21, 2001, at 18:01:49
In reply to AD's for IBS??, posted by tina on June 21, 2001, at 11:43:20
Tina--
I took Elavil for depression back when tricyclics and MAOIs were the only drugs available. It pooped out quickly for me, too--don't know why, but I have the impression that early poop-out is common. My best guess would be that its mechanism of action leads to downregulation of seratonin receptors, but I haven't investigated it. Some meds will have renewed effectiveness after a "hiatus," but I didn't find restarting Elavil helpful. It might be worthwhile to try other tricyclics.
Don't know how comfortable you are with medspeak, but I found a lit review (May, 2001) on the subject on Medscape. Basically, it said that the only *good* studies on ADs for IBS were on tricyclics (such as Elavil), but it did mention one study using citalopram (Celexa) and another using Paxil, among the SSRIs. Have you tried either of those?
I'd be happy to supply the URL, but Medscape is one of those sites that requires registration and I wasn't sure you'd want to hassle with that. As you're no doubt aware, there's beaucoup stuff out there on IBS; this review only briefly mentioned the psych connection to anxiety and early childhood traumas.
Ain't life just a pain in the ..(rear),sometimes?
Well wishes---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:67378
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67408.html