I Hate Zelnorm - Bowel Disorders Message Board

steckles · 10-05-2006, 06:30 PM

I started zelnorm about 5 days ago for numerous intestinal problems, one being ibs-c.

The first 2 days I felt nothing, the third day I felt like I was going to explode inside

and then both yesterday and today i have had uncontrollable leakage(i know, WAY tooooo much info).

when i try to go, it is still very difficult and sometimes a struggle which is normal for me, but then i will stand up or walk or turn and then it happens. I don't even feel it coming on.

Twice at work i have had the enbarrassing task of running to my car and changing my pants(i learned to keep extras on hand just in case), and my belly feels the gurgglyness of diarrea, but no results like that when i attempt to go.

I just called the pharmacist because it is after hours at the dr and he said "D" was a side effect, but Twice having accidents??

I am going back to one a day versus 2(was on 1 a day for 3 days and then went to 2 a day for the last 4), starting today. I cannot take it.

On top of the pains from going more often and the feeling of unstableness inside and then not being able to get ride of it...except in embarrassing work situations when I didn't even know it was about to happen???

I am an adult and I feel like I am losing control. I have NEVER had any accidents as an adult....

what do i do?

DesertMike · 10-06-2006, 08:51 AM

Hi! I'd talk with your Dr. about stopping the med. Diarrhea is the main side effect of Zelnorm, but is only considered a nuisance side effect unless you become dehydrated or faint. However, in your case, it sounds like a BIG nuisance.
I think you should stop taking it and call your Dr.

DesertMike

steckles · 10-06-2006, 05:56 PM

Thank you very much for your reply!

I just spoke with my Dr. about an hour ago and she wants me to go back to one a day, which seemed to work ok for me and try it for a week. She said if i try it later in the morning, any adverse affects that may happen would happen later that night so I will try going back down to one.

Honestly i do feel like i play pharmacist with myself sometimes, between the zelnorm and the medicine for my pain and then meds for spasms due to the zelnorm, I am either half asleep or writing down my pill schedule much of the day...

Thanks again!

suseque · 10-07-2006, 02:12 AM

Steckles,
I can totally relate to what you are going through right now. I've been on zelnorm "on and off" for about a yr now. When i first started it, for about the first week or so, i couldn't leave the house...(luckily i am not working at this time) I took 6mg twice a day....finally figured out that was just too strong for me, so i just played around with the dose, depending upon my symptoms. We all know how quickly they can change!!

My symptoms seem to keep getting progressivly worse, no matter what I try, it is adversly affecting my life....there's only so much whining my DH can take, who could blame him?

I lucked out after weeks of waiting to see my gastro doc, he had a cancellation, and i was able to have a colonoscopy yesterday. The proceedure was a piece of cake, but the "prep" sucked

Having to drink those little bottles of lemon/lime fleet, and the little pills...ICK! (I am a big baby though

I Kept the first bottle down, thanks goodness and chucked the second one up

Long story short....sorry to babble,... anyway everything came back just fine, which is a relief, but yet frustrating because now I know that it is definetly IBS. He did however put me on an antispasmodic (I alternate between IBS-C & D) and also told me to try glycolax for a bit to see if it will work better for me than the zelnorm. Since my colon currently feels like a train ran over it, I will wait a day or so before trying new meds.

This truely is a frustrating disorder, and I hope you can find a balance with your zelnorm. There were times i had to go down to a 1/4 of a pill twice a day and still have the big D! But then again there are times I take the full pill 2 times daily and am sooo uncomfortably bloated and constipated

Hope you get to feeling better

randyrabe · 10-08-2006, 12:06 AM

2 things you can do which are guarenteed to stop the diarhea. first take 2 tabs of fibrefill twice a day. it will form a soft stool and absorb all that nasty water causing the big d. second take 4 to 8 tabs of immodium spread over the day. experiment as to what dose and when works. i take 2 in the morn and 2 at night. the good news is these are over the counter so no dr script needed. the immodium acts to slow every thing down giving the body time to absorb the excess water.

randy
ps-i have a 3rd med but it requires a sript if the abive doesn't work completely to your satisfaction.