IBS or Parasite? - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

busymommy · 08-29-2002, 11:21 AM

For the past 2 months I've exhibited symptoms of IBS...primarily bad NAUSEA, diarrhea and an all-around feeling of fatigue and feeling rotten! My doctor did many tests and did one specifically for Giardia, which is a parasite. That test came back NEGATIVE (they very often come back negative but are really POSITIVE) but she decided to treat me with Flagyl (an antibiotic for parasites, among other things) anyway because I was SO miserable and she wasn't convinced it was IBS. Well, it's almost one week since I started the medcine and I feel SO much better. The way I explain it is like something took a hold of me two months ago that I couldn't explain. I am ALWAYS stressed so it's hard to tell if it was IBS as the cause.

So, the point to this is that if you are not convinced you have IBS...that is you have had tests and nothing has been found...and maybe you haven't been diagnosed with IBS in the past and know you probably DON'T have it, it may be a parasitic infection causing so many of the same symptoms.

I read an article that said: “so many people were calling suffering with chronic gastro complaints. Most of them had been given a diagnosis of IRB by their physicians. The standard treatment for IBS had not helped them. The majority of them had been found to have intestinal parasites, food intolerance or a lack of healthy intestinal bacteria.”

Hope this helps someone out there!

08-29-2002, 05:02 PM

Hi,

Thanks for sharing. That's great. I also had stomach problems and when I first went to see my doc I had loads of tests, that like yours all came back negative and the doc diagnosed me with IBS and that was it. I did start taking Acidophilis caps though and began to feel better, but I still was not happy so went to see another doc who sent me for food intolerance tests. I have since discovered that I am intolerant to lactose, gluten, wheat and yeast and since cutting these out of my diet, I have had not more stomach problems and have ten times more energy also.

I am really glad now that I didn't just take the diagnosis of IBS as gospel.

breakerfall · 09-14-2002, 11:54 AM

This is EXACTLY the information I was looking for! My first instinct when I first came down with symptoms was that I had some sort of parasitic or viral infection. But neither my gastro or my gp even suggested that could be the problem or suggested antibiotics. Instead I wound up with over $2000 in medical tests that were inconclusive, and I'm still so damn miserable. I'm so glad I came to this site. I'm going to bring up the Giardia with my physician on Tuesday.

thanks -
Amy

busymommy · 09-15-2002, 01:44 PM

Amy-

Please let us all know how it works out for you. The Flagyl prescribed for my parasites (although the tests were "negative") caused many of the same side effects that my original illness presented (nausea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, feeling totally terrible), and a few side effects of its own! It took two weeks after I finished the Flagyl (getting it completely out of my system) to feel normal again. I feel 100% better after having felt totally miserable for the past two months.

My doctor knew something was up and guessed at the parasites. Now, the big question is will they ever come back???

breakerfall · 09-17-2002, 05:55 PM

I went to the doc this morning and she agreed to do testing for Giardia. However, I'm worried that if the tests come back negative, that she won't suggest prescribing the antibiotic even with the possibility that it could be positive. She gave me an rx for Raglin to help with the nausea in the meantime. I also have Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism) and she thinks that the medication that I take for it could be the cause. But I highly doubt it.

Thanks for the info.
Amy