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pepto and lialda
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pepto and lialda
does anyone know if taking pepto with lialda can make things worse? i started taking 6 pills of pepto the other day....to see if it will help....and the past couple of days have not been as good.....can it get worse before it gets better as some people say??? has anyone been to an allergist to get food testing done? if so, were the tests pretty accurate?
Well, as Gloria pointed out, it certainly can make things worse if you're intolerant of bismuth subsalicylate, but usually, if Pepto is a problem, it will cause symptoms other than D. I don't see any reason why it would make symptoms worse before helping, (I would think that the symptoms would just continue to get worse), but I suppose anything can happen in individual cases. 
An adverse reaction to bismuth subsalicylate usually involves a headache, virtigo, and/other neurological symptoms, (and usually not D, but I'm sure that it's possible that it could cause worse D in some cases).
The only tests of any value for determining food sensitivities for people with MC, are the stool tests offered by Enterolab, and mediator release testing, (MRT), in conjunction with the LEAP diet program.
The testing offered by most allergists, (either skin tests, or blood tests), are only of value for detecting histamine-based reactions, (which involve IgE antibodies). IgE-based reactions are those which present with the classic allergy symptoms, including hives or rash, and in severe cases, throat constriction, dangerously low blood pressure, and other symptoms of anaphylaxis. Yes, for true allergies, (not intolerances), those test are accurate. They are useless, however, for detecting food intolerances in the gut.
Food allergy reactions, (to peanuts, shellfish, soy, etc.), also involve IgE reactions and anaphylactic symptoms, and allergists are familiar with diagnosing and treating allergies to ingested food. Classic food allergy symptoms begin as soon as the food touches the lips, for someone who is allergic to a food. People with MC are rarely allergic to food, however - instead, we're intolerant to certain foods by a different mechanism which delays reactions, and which does not rely on IgE-based antibodies.
The type of food-sensitivity reactions in the intestines that cause our symptoms, involve IgA antibodies, and most allergists are totally unfamiliar with these reactions, and usually they are unable to properly diagnose them. Some of us do also have mast cell involvement, but those mast cells are primarily in the intestines, and most allergists are not trained to deal with them, and probably are not even aware of the issue.
Tex
An adverse reaction to bismuth subsalicylate usually involves a headache, virtigo, and/other neurological symptoms, (and usually not D, but I'm sure that it's possible that it could cause worse D in some cases).The only tests of any value for determining food sensitivities for people with MC, are the stool tests offered by Enterolab, and mediator release testing, (MRT), in conjunction with the LEAP diet program.
The testing offered by most allergists, (either skin tests, or blood tests), are only of value for detecting histamine-based reactions, (which involve IgE antibodies). IgE-based reactions are those which present with the classic allergy symptoms, including hives or rash, and in severe cases, throat constriction, dangerously low blood pressure, and other symptoms of anaphylaxis. Yes, for true allergies, (not intolerances), those test are accurate. They are useless, however, for detecting food intolerances in the gut.
Food allergy reactions, (to peanuts, shellfish, soy, etc.), also involve IgE reactions and anaphylactic symptoms, and allergists are familiar with diagnosing and treating allergies to ingested food. Classic food allergy symptoms begin as soon as the food touches the lips, for someone who is allergic to a food. People with MC are rarely allergic to food, however - instead, we're intolerant to certain foods by a different mechanism which delays reactions, and which does not rely on IgE-based antibodies.
The type of food-sensitivity reactions in the intestines that cause our symptoms, involve IgA antibodies, and most allergists are totally unfamiliar with these reactions, and usually they are unable to properly diagnose them. Some of us do also have mast cell involvement, but those mast cells are primarily in the intestines, and most allergists are not trained to deal with them, and probably are not even aware of the issue.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Willabec,
If it is getting worse, maybe there's something in your diet that was starting to overwhelm the powers of Lialda to relieve your symptoms. Maybe feeling not-so-great is the reason why you wanted to add the Pepto Bismol. Does that seem right, or did you start taking pepto for another reason?
Or did you add something new to either what you're eating, or a supplement? I definitely had to drop some supplements.
Good luck,
Sara
If it is getting worse, maybe there's something in your diet that was starting to overwhelm the powers of Lialda to relieve your symptoms. Maybe feeling not-so-great is the reason why you wanted to add the Pepto Bismol. Does that seem right, or did you start taking pepto for another reason?
Or did you add something new to either what you're eating, or a supplement? I definitely had to drop some supplements.
Good luck,
Sara
i was feeling ok....bm's ok but not as good as they had been, so i thought taking pepto may help....yesterday i went 4x - have been going 2x on most days and today, just a little while ago, i went and it was brown water!! i also feel nauseous right now....so i don't know. i usually don't feel like this.....i am stopping the pepto just in case it is it. i just don't know....i feel like i am taking so much stuff that i want to stop all together - give my body a rest- and start from scratch.....i am going to call the dr. tomorrow and see what he says.
That makes sense, Willabec.
It sounds as though something changed before the Pepto. Pepto mayb didn't hurt you, but it didn't help either.
Remind us of your regimen - what are you taking besides Lialda, and what's in your diet? I generally agree with stopping as many things as possible (obviously not prescriptions, without talking to your doctor). The less you put in your system, the easier it is to figure out what's wrong, and the lower the odds of things cross-reacting, or just being an irritant in themselves.
So - how long have you been on the Lialda, and what else are you taking?
It sounds as though something changed before the Pepto. Pepto mayb didn't hurt you, but it didn't help either.
Remind us of your regimen - what are you taking besides Lialda, and what's in your diet? I generally agree with stopping as many things as possible (obviously not prescriptions, without talking to your doctor). The less you put in your system, the easier it is to figure out what's wrong, and the lower the odds of things cross-reacting, or just being an irritant in themselves.
So - how long have you been on the Lialda, and what else are you taking?
i am on lialda 2 pills a day have been on it for about 8 weeks- 9 weeks i think. also taking vit. d, digestive enzymes which i have been taking all along (since lialda and possibly before) and that is it. i just don't get it! the only other thing i can think of is that my naturopath did a blood test and it came back showing i was "allergic" to milk, etc. i had a cheeseburger on sat. and monday and also a piece of gf blueberry cake that has vanilla pudding on it 2x as well...think that could be it? i have had milk products before all of this and never felt like this though, so i don't know.
You might try a dairy-free few days (or a week). Maybe your body's saying "phew, no gluten" and then went - HEY. whoa, what about this milk stuff?" That is very common. Even people without 'digestive' issues usually avoid dairy when they have a tummy bug.
Almost all of us with gluten intolerance also cannot tolerate the protein in all dairy (even if "lactose free." I don't know what method your naturopath used, but it sounds as though you have good reason to avoid dairy at least temporarily. My dairy symptoms can be even worse than the gluten ones (not that it's a contest!).
Hope you feel better soon.
Sara
Almost all of us with gluten intolerance also cannot tolerate the protein in all dairy (even if "lactose free." I don't know what method your naturopath used, but it sounds as though you have good reason to avoid dairy at least temporarily. My dairy symptoms can be even worse than the gluten ones (not that it's a contest!).
Hope you feel better soon.
Sara