More on Bile Acids (an important piece of the MC puzzle?)

christinakay · Post by **christinakay** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:59 pm

I started taking one packet per day of cholestyramine (lite) about 3 weeks ago. I took it in the evening with
great success. This last week I started back to my same routine, great BM in the morning, second BM, not as formed
and the third BM in the evening very fast motility and barely formed.

Any one have any suggestions or solutions?

Christina

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:04 pm

I took Cholestyramine for 8 days, and sadly today I had to stop, as I don't seem to tolerate it. Perhaps there is something in the inactive ingredients I'm reacting to. At first I had mild nausea, then bloating with lots of gas, and finally explosive D. My trial with this drug was very similar to my trial with antihistamines. At first my stools seemed to firm up, but then things started to fall apart. I don't seem to tolerate any "chemical" substance in pill, powder or liquid form, whether a prescription or over the counter. I have not even been able to add D-3 (have tried the purest forms). So, basically, I don't take any supplements or meds of any kind, other than Synthroid (30 years now) and occasionally imodium.

It seems that whenever I attempt to "control" the quality of my BM's I have a set-back. The more relaxed I manage to be about my digestive system in general, and the less attention I pay to the inevitable ups and downs, the better I feel. Generally, I feel healthy and strong and have 1-3 BM's a day of varying degrees of soft consistency. Normalizing my stools seems as difficult to achieve as a trip to Mars:(. I'm hoping that over time, with my diligent diet, I will wear the MC down, and when I least expect it, there comes Norman??? The truth is that I do feel like I'm moving forward in terms of my digestive health, albeit seemingly in micro steps.

Love,
Kari

Post by **tex** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:32 pm

Christina,

Look at the ingredient list in that product. If it contains these ingredients:

aspartame, citric acid, colloidal silicon dioxide, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Red No.40, flavor (natural and artificial Orange), maltodextrin, propylene glycol alginate and xanthan gum.

That may be the problem. Ingredients such as citric acid, various dyes, aspartame, maltodextrin (usually made from corn), and xanthan gum can be a problem for some of us, especially the aspartame, which seems to cause virtually all of us to react. And since aspertame is the first inactive ingredient listed, that means that the product contains more aspertame than anything else.

Tex

Post by **tex** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:39 pm

Kari,

I'm sorry to see that another option didn't work.

But I agree with you that persistence and dedication may eventually bring enough healing that you'll be able to overcome the MC despite it's tenacious resistance.

Love,
Tex

crervin · Post by **crervin** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 8:33 pm

Kari,
I'm right there with you. The more I try, the worse it becomes. I think stress takes over then. Trying welchol right now.

So hope we both can find remission! You take care!

Christina,

That "lite" sequestrant caused me major D after a good day 3 and 4. I'm trying welchol now, but don't know how much to take yet. Histamine intolerance right now is causing me problems (i believe???). My face has been flushed all day....

Good luck, maybe you can try another one!

christinakay · Post by **christinakay** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:26 am

Tex,

Thank you so much for answering so quickly. I was thinking that aspartame might be the problem.
I will see if I can get the aspartame free cholestyramine and try again.

Christina

Post by **tex** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:40 am

You're very welcome.

Good luck,
Tex

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 10:00 am

Christina,

I agree with Tex....it may well be one of the inert ingredients. I know I would not be able to tolerate the "lite". Try the Sandoz regular cholestyramine (not lite) if you can get it.....I believe it is the prep best tolerated. If that doesn't work, you might try Welchol. Another thought: could it be that you need a higher dose? They recommend waiting a week or two before increasing the dose. Perhaps you need to take it twice a day? In any case, I would recommend trying to get the Sandoz regular.

Kari,

Disappointing, I know.

But at least you tried it. I hear you about the stress.....it has always been a major factor with me, too.

Martha,

Good luck with the Welchol. Hopefully the histamine issue is seasonal and will improve soon.

Polly

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:41 pm

Hi all,
Sorry to be joining the party so late... I'm in the midst of a horrible flare, after a dizzying number of changes in my health and dietary regimens. The D is orange, watery, explosive, and often burns. Unlike prior painless flares of MC, this time I'm feeling a lot rawness in my stomach, as if I'm lacking a protective layer of something. Many foods hurt going down or just don't sit well. This is new to me. So I'm wondering if I have BAD.

Her are the recent changes:

1. I took 2 weeks of Diflucan for candida overgrowth, which ended 2 weeks ago. D had already started while on it, but seems to be getting worse the longer I'm off. Is it possible it killed off some yeasts and left other, more sinister ones intact to reproduce and cause worse trouble?

2. I switched from 10 mcg Cytomel/T3 to one grain Armour Thyroid. Doc suspects I have trouble converting T4 to T3, so I was exhausted and sore the first week. I added 5 mcg Cytomel to the Armour dose a few days ago and am feeling much better in the thyroid dept.

3. I started an aggressive chiropractic regimen to deal with my life-long spinal issues I've been ignoring, until an insane upper back spasm left me unable to function. I have mild scoliosis which my parents never dealt with, which makes one hip sit higher than the other, which causes leg length discrepancies, which causes constant buttock pain on one side. My cervical spine is also starting to curve the wrong way (knew this since high school car accidents). Muscles and nerves feel a little sore after these adjustments.

4. I was eating lots of GF oats (INCLUDING CHEERIOS!!), and occasional organic corn, thinking I was OK with them. I've been off them for several days now, but still no relief.

I'm back on Pepto Bismol 3-4/day, which helps with the burning and explosiveness. I now have black D...

I read that calcium carbonate can help with BAD, so I bought some "natural" Tums to try.

I'm also wondering whether Bentonite Clay might help mop things up the way bile acid sequestrants do? Any opinions on this?

I'm calling my integrative medicine doc tomorrow and asking for a Cholestyramine RX.

I need relief!!

UPDATE: I'm doing much better now. No more Pepto required, although I still have D. I'm pretty sure I was glutened over several days while trying the new GF Cheerios!! Damn you General Mills!!! Never again!

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 5:27 pm

Oh my, Z!

You are going through a rough patch, for sure. No fun.

It makes sense to give the sequestrant a trial run. Your description of orange, watery, explosive, and burning D sounds as if it could be BAD. Try to get the Sandoz regular (not lite) cholestyramine, since it seems to be better tolerated. I would recommend trying the cholestyramine before the clay. It also sounds as if you could have some GERD.....I had it for the first time with the flare I had some months ago. It responded very well to Zantac, 150 mg. twice a day (the 75 mg dose did not touch it). And good luck! Keep us posted.

Polly

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 8:40 am

Here's a recent study on bile acid diversion as a way to lose weight. Can anyone interpret whether this has any relevance to BAD?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26197299

Bile diversion to the distal small intestine has comparable metabolic benefits to bariatric surgery.

Post by **tex** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:57 am

Zizzle,

As far as I can see, all the researchers did was to divert the bile flow from the common bile duct in the duodenum to the ileum. IOW, they bypassed the duodenum and the jejunum, so that bile was not available to assist in the digestion of fats in the duodenum and jejunum.

Normally, unused bile is reabsorbed in the terminal ileum for recycling, so if the terminal ileum is absorbing bile salts normally, then the downstream digestive effects will be unaffected (IOW, the bile salts would be removed from the fecal stream in the terminal ileium). With BAM of course, the absorption of bile salts in the terminal ileum is corrupt, so that the bile continues on into the colon, typically causing bile acid D.

The bottom line is that the subject of this research has nothing to do with BAM, and the procedure described would have no effect on BAM (if BAM is present).

Tex

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:03 am

Zizzle ,

Have you read this article?

http://thelowhistaminechef.com/herbs-tr ... tibiotics/

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:17 am

Linda,
Thanks for the link. I've tested negative for SIBO twice, and I suspect people like me with fast motility all around are less likely to develop SIBO. But now that my post-Cheerios reactions are finally abating, I plan to re-start the thyme/oregano oil and berberine regimen my doctor prescribed. I'm also re-starting my one drop lemongrass oil in water every morning.

mcardle3 · Post by **mcardle3** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:24 am

I bloated badly while on Cholestyramine. I am now wondering (as I was on a regimen of Cholestyramine while diagnosed with IBS all those years) if it may not have been the gluten bloating me and I blamed it on the drug?