Since IBS has no single cause, finding the correct treatment can be difficult.  Often you and your doctor will have to go through a trial-and-error period to discover what works and what doesn’t.  Treatments range from dietary and pharmaceutical to psychological and physical.  You may need to use more than one treatment method to find relief from your IBS symptoms.  Often, the treatment for one symptom may conflict with the treatment for another.  Treating IBS takes patience and experimentation, but you can find relief.

Diet. Diet is usually the first suspect when looking for solutions to IBS.  Your doctor will more than likely ask you to keep a food log for a while so you can determine what foods, if any, are triggers. Trigger foods are those foods that, when eaten, cause the onset of symptoms.  You may several trigger foods, or several categories of trigger foods.  Certain foods might trigger diarrhea, while others would trigger excess gas.  See our diet section [link] to learn what common foods trigger, and help you avoid, common symptoms.  Often, if you avoid the foods that set off your illness, you can find yourself symptom-free.

Drugs. There are medicines available, both over-the-counter and prescription that can alleviate the symptoms of IBS.  The most common types of drugs used for IBS are:

• Treatments for diarrhea.  Diarrhea is most commonly treated with loperamide (Imodium®).  Loperamide slows down the muscle contractions in the colon so that stools have a longer time to form solids.  Other treatments for diarrhea include absorbents, like Kaopectate®, that absorb excess liquids in the colon, and bulk-forming laxatives, like FiberCon®.
• Treatments for constipation.  Mild constipation is most commonly treated with over-the-counter laxatives.  For more severe constipation, suppositories, like Dulcolax®, or enemas from brands like Fleet or Colace may be called for.  All treatments for constipation are designed either to loosen hard, dry stools or stimulate the muscles in the colon or rectum.
• Treatments for gas and bloating.  Dozens of over-the-counter remedies exist for gas and bloating, including Beano® and Gas-X®, to name two popular brands.  Another treatment for gas that has become popular is to take probiotics.  Probiotics encourage the normalization of bacteria in the gut so that your food will be digested more completely, causing less gas.
• Psychiatric drugs.  Since 95 percent of the body’s serotonin is located in the gut, it makes sense that low doses of antidepressants are sometimes helpful in the treatment of IBS.  Sufferers with pain that seems unrelated to constipation or diarrhea often benefit from these drugs.
• Anti-spasmodics.  Anti-spasmodics relieve the uncoordinated actions of the muscles in the colon.  Two of the most well-known of these drugs are Levsin® and Bentyl®.

Psychological care. People with IBS often experience more stress and anxiety.  Doctors are not sure if patients’ predisposition to stress worsens IBS, but they are certain that the pain and indignity of IBS cause more stress.  Psychotherapy and other psychological care can help ease some of this burden.

Exercise. Exercise, in general, is good for everyone.  Those who maintain a healthy lifestyle are less prone to any sort of illness.  That said, those with IBS may benefit from exercise primarily as stress reduction.  As with psychological care, whether stress is a cause of, or is caused by, IBS is not relevant when you are suffering.  Meditative forms of exercise like yoga and tai-chi are particularly helpful in reducing stress.  Strength exercises can also enhance muscle function in the abdomen.  IBS patients with diarrhea should be careful, however.  Some forms of cardiovascular exercise are known to make diarrhea worse.  As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before you begin.