hi everyone, i'm new to the board. i have suffered from ibs for about 7 years now. my doctor originally put me on levsin but i didnt see where that helped much so i quit taking it but my symtoms have gotten worse lately and i went to my doc (new doc now) and he said there was a new medicene and that he takes it and it does fairly well. its called 'zelnorm'! has anyone heard of this and does it work for you? i need to start taking it but the side effects scare me.
also i was wondering if anyone has crampy-like pains under their right rib cage. he said it was part of ibs but--- so far up?
thanks for any info!
Lisa

I started taking Zelnorm a few months ago and it had the opposite effect I was looking for. Zelnorm is for constipation predominant IBS and that is what I am, but for me it made me more constipated. It is different for everyone though. I've heard about damage to the gallbladder being done by zelnorm, but I am not sure of the validity of the statements I read. As for me, I would try anything to get rid of the pain.

Have you tried taking Metamucil to help your constipation? If not, then I think you should. If you can sort out your constipation then you may also get rid of your stomach cramps.

Also, IBS pain can affect any part of the stomach. However, if your pain is high up, then it is worth having your GB investigated further.