Lexapro as a Treatment for IBS - My Experience

Can an Antidepressant Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

I have suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or IBS) for 20 years, though I've only been officially diagnosed for about a year. Over the last two decades I have seen many family practitioners and gastroenterologists in an attempt to find the cause of my awful symptoms, to no avail. Finally a year ago I went to a new family practitioner, who immediately recognized my symptoms as those of IBS. He advised me to take extra fiber and use Immodium for those times when cramping and diarrhea struck.

After unsuccessfully trying his recommendations for a couple of months, I began to research IBS causes and treatments on my own. One striking fact that I learned is that IBS can often be caused by an imbalance of serotonin in the digestive system. I began to do research on whether or not anti-depressants had ever been used to successfully treat IBS. There isn't much information out there. I found a few message boards where people said various anti-depressants helped, and I found a few message boards where people gave drastic warnings on the reasons to stay away from anti-depressants. I decided to ask my doctor.

I love my doctor, because he always listens to my concerns and ideas, and he's often willing to give unconventional treatment a try. I asked him about using an anti-depressant as a treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. His idea was that it might very well help with the anxiety which can trigger IBS, but he was skeptical as to whether or not an anti-depressant would really help with the symptoms. He agreed that there had been a little research done on the effects of SSRI drugs on IBS, and though the findings weren't promising, he was willing to give me a trial prescription of Lexapro.