April is IBS Awareness Month. This presentation provides education on IBS symptoms, potential causes, medications and laboratory testing to determine if IBS is the issue.

1. Senior Healthstance:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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2. Welcome to Senior Healthstance -
a developing health and wellness library from
ARCpoint Labs of Schaumburg
Presentations to educate, motivate and inform on health
messages, health interventions, and health behaviors.
AWARE – Just Clinical© DISCLAIMER:This module is intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice.

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4. What is IBS?
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder
in which abdominal pain is associated with a
range of symptoms.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to
10–15% of adults.
• Studies have shown that IBS patients have
an increased number of outpatient health
care visits, diagnostic tests, and surgeries.
• IBS is second only to the common cold as a
cause of absenteeism from work.
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April is IBS
Awareness Month

5. • Abdominal pain is the key symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and is
associated with a change in bowel habits.This change in bowel habits may
be diarrhea and/or constipation.
• Symptoms can be mostly one type, or both (mixed) including:
• Bloating (a sensation of fullness in the belly)
• Urgency (the need to use a restroom in a hurry)
• Mucus (white or yellow liquid) in the stool
• Sensation of incompletely passing stools
Symptoms of IBS
*
*Adapted from IFFGD Publication #101 revised and updated by Douglas A. Drossman, MD, Drossman Gastroenterology PLLC, Chapel Hill, NC.
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6. What Causes IBS?
Possible factors:
• Genetics
• disturbances in colonic motility (muscle contractions) due to increased sensitivity
to food; emotional stress; GI infections; menstrual period; or gaseous distension.
Brain-gut interactions:
• Communication interactions between the brain and gut become altered which
leads to changes in motility and sensation within the bowel.
Bowel Bacteria:
• Normally trillions of bacteria exist in the bowel. It may be that alteration in the
number or kind of bacteria contributes to IBS in some people.
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7. Medications Used in IBS
• Anything you take for a therapeutic effect
counts as a medicine. It can be readily
available over-the-counter or limited by
prescription only.
• All medicines have potential side effects.
Before taking any medication, whether over-
the-counter or prescription, talk to your
healthcare provider or pharmacist about
dosage, other medicines you are taking, or
any other questions you might have about
the treatment.
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• Laxatives
• Bulking agents - (bran, psyllium)
– may ease stool passage
• Anticholinergics/Antispasmodics -
(Bentyl, Levsin)
• Anti-diarrheal agents - (Imodium,
Lomotil)
• Anti-anxiety medications – may
be helpful for IBS caused by
emotional stress
• Anti-depressants – in low doses,
may reduce the intensity of pain
signals going from gut to brain

8. Newer Prescription Medicines
Drugs used to treat overall symptoms of IBS, including pain, are
prescribed based on the dominant bowel symptom being experienced.
Dominant Symptom Possible Prescribed Medication
Constipation (IBS-C) Amitiza (Lubiprostone) – may reduce overall IBS symptoms including pain,
especially in women
Constipation Linzess (Linactlotide) – may improve multiple symptoms including discomfort
bloating, bowel function.
Diarrhea (IBS-D) Lotronex (Alosetron) - currently available to women only through a special
Prescribing Program because of potential side effects
Diarrhea Xifaxan (Rifaximin) – an antibiotic FDA approved for treatment of IBS-D in
adults
Diarrhea (IBS-D) Viberzi (Eluxadoline) – works by decreasing bowel activity – prescribed for
adult men & women. [Note: On March 15, 2017, the FDA issued a warning that
due to increased risk for serious, potentially life-threatening, pancreatitis
eluxadoline (Viberzi) should not be used in patients who do not have a
gallbladder.]
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9. IBS Diet*
• The influence of diet is unique to each
person. There is no generalized dietary
advice that will work for everyone.
• Foods most likely to cause problems:
• Foods high in fat
• Some milk products
• Drinks with alcohol, caffeine
• Add foods with fiber a little at a time to
let your body get used to them
• *IFFGD, the International Foundation for FunctionalGastrointestinal Disorders, is a Public Charity designated under the U.S. IRS code 501(c)(3).
• https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome/eating-diet-nutrition
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• Eat smaller meals, more often,
spread throughout your day
• Slow down; don't rush through meals
• Avoid large meals or high fat foods
• If you are constipated, make time for
breakfast, as this meal is most likely
to stimulate the colon and give you a
bowel movement
Tips for an
IBS-Friendly Diet

10. • Start by getting a definite diagnosis from your doctor.
• Take an active role in learning all you can about IBS so you understand the
nature of the disorder and different management and treatment options.
Visit http://www.aboutibs.org/living-with-ibs.html
Guidelines for Living with IBS
AWARE – Just Clinical©
• Investigate non-medication treatments to help reduce
symptoms: diet, relaxation training or hypnosis.
• Use over-the-counter medications to relieve or avoid
symptoms.
• Tell your doctor about anything you take to treat your IBS.
Find a health care provider who will work with you over the
long term to help you manage and treat your IBS.

11. IBS LaboratoryTesting Offered at Schaumburg
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• C-reactive protein (CRP) test
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• IBSchek
• Food & Chemical SensitivityTesting
• The Celiac, IBS, and Crohn’s Array (CICA)
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12. AWARE – Just Clinical©
@ARCpointSchaumburg
Join the conversation using hashtags:
#arcpointawareness
#healthstancearcpoint
Follow us on Facebook at
ARCpoint-Labs-of-Schaumburg
ARCpoint Schaumburg
• Anne Kurilich, President/Owner
847.306.6011
ARCpoint Schaumburg
1375 Remington Rd
Suite A
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Contact Us