I've had ibs-d since I was 13. I'm 28 now and sometimes my attacks are so bad that I go to the E.R and they give me demerol 75mg or morphine. My G.I doesn't know what to do with me anymore. I'm still waiting for cilansetron to come to canada or I will go get it in Italy. I dont know if they have it in the u.s but... I even tried zelnorm for ibs-c with no results!!! I would like to know if any of these 2 medication ( colestid or Cholestyramine) would help me or i would be spending money for nothing once again.... I would like to try Lotronex and see what it would do to me... I'm out of hope!!!

I've had ibs-d since I was 13. I'm 28 now and sometimes my attacks are so bad that I go to the E.R and they give me demerol 75mg or morphine. My G.I doesn't know what to do with me anymore. I'm still waiting for cilansetron to come to canada or I will go get it in Italy. I dont know if they have it in the u.s but... I even tried zelnorm for ibs-c with no results!!! I would like to know if any of these 2 medication ( colestid or Cholestyramine) would help me or i would be spending money for nothing once again.... I would like to try Lotronex and see what it would do to me... I'm out of hope!!!


Hi Ricky - so sorry for your troubles. I don't know if Colestid will help you, but I can tell you what it did for me. You need to research a disorder called bile salt diarrhea or Habba syndrome, and see if your symptoms fit. Basically bile salt diarrhea occurs in about 5-10% of gall bladder surgery patients, and results in uncontrolled explosive diarrhea during or shortly after eating. The act of eating stimulates the liver to dump bile directly into the small intestine acting like a laxative for some people. I had GB surgery in '97 and went for 5 years of suffering, avoiding public places, wearing maxi pads for protection, etc. until I found this board and Colestid. I have had formed stools for the last 2 years (except when I have a intestinal virus and then the diarrhea returns for a few days). Colestid absorbs the bile secreted by the liver and enables a person with bile salt diarrhea related to GB removal or Habba syndrome (those who have this condition but still have a gall bladder) to have formed stools. However, the biggest side effect of Colestid is constipation and/or bowel impaction, so you cannot take it if you ever have constipation. For me that was not an issue.

Another way to know if you have bile salt diarrhea is if your stools are watery or soupy, uncontrollable, the urge to go is NOW (and not always accompanied by cramps or other body signal), explosive diarrhea, and yellow or very light brown stools. If you don't have these symptoms, you may have another digestive disorder, and you need to have tests to rule out other medical conditions.

Hope you find relief,
Katie G

Ricky, I've used both of those meds plus what I'm on now, Welchol. They all work great, except the two meds you mentioned gave me some funny side affects after about a year. May be I developed a sensitivity to them I don't know. All I know is my life was awful prior to medication. Good luck

Thank you Katie G i'm gonna look it up and i will see if the symptoms are the same as the ones i have!!! I'll let you know...

Hi. I'm on Welchol for Bile Salts Diahhrea. I have LOTS of questions. Can I ask them here? Thanks. Nancy

I am on carafate and am in the USA. Is that the same al colestid? I have had cholestyramine(questran?) but the carafate works so well I have not had to try it. My IBS was caused from too much bile salts.

I am on carafate and am in the USA. Is that the same al colestid? I have had cholestyramine(questran?) but the carafate works so well I have not had to try it. My IBS was caused from too much bile salts.


Hi there - carafate is not the same as Colestid. Colestid is similar to cholestyramine (Questran), but in pill form vs. powder. I can't remember the name of Colestid, but I know it's not carafate. I'm glad you get relief from the carafate.

Katie G

Katie G gave you some excellent advice, but I wanted to let you know what I do in these situations where nothing seems to work or slow the bathroom trips down. First of all, I take 180 mgs. of Methadone daily for the pain I have all the time. Some days better, some days worse. I also have Lomotil which I can take on the bad days, but if this doesn't slow things down, I take Cholestyramine. It works great, but you do need to be careful you don't take too much or you have problems the opposite way.

For the most part the Methadone slows the bowels and gives me pain relief, but I have episodes, about six or seven times a month when I have to use the other meds.

I hope this helps and gives you a little insight as far as how I handle IBS-D. I wish you luck in being able to get it and see if you get some relief from it.

undefinedundefined[COLOR=Black]
I have just started Lotronex. I was curious about the gall bladder thing. I had mine removed about 12 years ago at age 30. I was told that if I would have trouble with diarrhea the sypmtoms would occur right away. I had always had IBS but about 1 1/2 after the GB was out I did suffer from basically severe ibs-D. Any thoughts?

Lynda B.

I had surgery in April 2004 for Crohn's disease. I had about 12 inches at the end of the small bowel removed. This is where the body re-absorbs bile salts. So I cam down with diarrhea. I started taking Questran last week. It worked great for 4 day. I started by taking about 1/2 the recommended dosage. After the 4th day, my problem returned. So starting today I upped my dose to a full 4 grams before each meal. Don't know how I'll feel tomorrow but I am desperate. This is ruining my life. I'm afraid to leave the house and have to pre plan every trip. The surgery has pretty much destroyed my happiness. But I had to have it or risk a bowel blockage. Can anybody help me? I thought the Questran ( brand name for cholestyramine) was my miracle drug but it only lasted for 4 days. Can anyone who has taken this drug tell me if the effect is intermittant at first? Thanks...I need some positive news. Sorry for being such a downer........Jerry

Hi there Jerry - I can't speak from the experience of having Crohn's so don't know exactly how Questran may or may not help you. I can only speak from the experience of IBS-D prior to GB surgery, and then uncontrollable D after GB surgery, and then even worse after Nissan fundoplication. I guess digestive surgeries in general just do a number on my overall system.

I went for 5 years of IBS-D and uncontrolled bouts of the big "D" until I found out about Questran/Colestid on this board. I noticed improvement within 48 hours of starting it. I will still have occasional episodes of uncontrolled "D", but only if I have an intestinal virus/flu, which usually lasts 24-48 hours. The reason I know it's a virus is I always get the body aches, chills, fatigue, and joint pain along with the diarrhea. I continue to take my Colestid anyway and usually feel fine again within 48 hours, and then the Colestid works like a charm. So in the 1.5 years I've been taking Colestid, I've had maybe 4 episodes of breakthrough, uncontrollable diarrhea versus every day, multiple times per day prior to Colestid.

Hang in there Jerry - maybe a fluctuating dose of Questran is needed. Or a change to Colestid or Welchol?

Keep us posted,
Katie G

Lynda B.

Look up "bile salt diarrhea" on the web and see if the symptoms fit you. Basically, my bile salt diarrhea (from GB removal) was different from just my usual IBS-D, by the fact that it came on during or shortly after eating/drinking something, was uncontrollable, explosive, soupy or watery and caused many "accidents" requiring clothing changes. I did not always have cramping/pain before the BMs like I would from IBS-D. Sometimes, it just came on, and was out of me before I could react. Another symptom of my bile salt diarrhea was the fact that it was bright yellow or light tan in color, instead of brown. Sorry to be so gross/graphic. Do these symptoms fit you? If so, you might have bile salt diarrhea in addition to IBS.

Katie G

My husband was just dx with IBS and has been given WelChol. His symptoms basically consisted of almost daily episodes of diarrhea. He usually made it to a bathroom (or a bush) so it sounds like he was luckier than some. For about the last year, he has had no energy and has caught every virus the kids have brought home from school. It culminated in two weeks flat on his back with a combination of diarrhea and a severe cold. He finally decided it was time to see the dr. After colonoscopy and blood tests to rule out other causes, we are left with IBS. The dr said the constant D could be the cause of his run down state. Has anyone else had similar problems? How expensive is the WelChol? (We have samples right now.)

My husband was just dx with IBS and has been given WelChol. His symptoms basically consisted of almost daily episodes of diarrhea. He usually made it to a bathroom (or a bush) so it sounds like he was luckier than some. For about the last year, he has had no energy and has caught every virus the kids have brought home from school. It culminated in two weeks flat on his back with a combination of diarrhea and a severe cold. He finally decided it was time to see the dr. After colonoscopy and blood tests to rule out other causes, we are left with IBS. The dr said the constant D could be the cause of his run down state. Has anyone else had similar problems? How expensive is the WelChol? (We have samples right now.)


I don't know about the cost of Welchol - my insurance pays all but $5 for my Colestid. Being run down does create less immunity to viruses, but also suffering diarrhea constantly can create a negative situation too for his health.

Do some web searches on bile salt diarrhea (gall bladder removed) and Habba syndrome (gall bladder still in) and see if the symptoms fit your husband. Make sure he's taking multivitamins and acidophilus to build up his system too.

Good luck to you.

Katie G