What is IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic noninflammatory disease characterized by abdominal pain, altered bowel habits consisting of diarrhea or constipation or both, and no detectable pathologic change in the intestinal tissue.
What is it like to have IBS?
| Common Symptoms | Patients' Latest Severity | My Current Severity |
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Abdominal bloating | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Abdominal cramps | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Constipation | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Diarrhea | None Mild Moderate Severe |
What do patients take to treat IBS and its symptoms?
Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments
| Treatment name | Efficacy | Overall rating of side effects | # of Evaluations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Psyllium Husk
(Puritan's Pride Psyllium Husk, Vegetable laxative, GNC Psyllium Husk)
|
9 | ||
|
Dicyclomine
(Bentyl)
|
9 | ||
|
Hyoscyamine
(Levsin SL, Cystospaz, Anaspaz, Egazil)
|
8 | ||
|
Loperamide
(Maalox Anti-Diarrheal, Imodium A-D, Imodium)
|
7 |
These charts show data from IBS patients' latest treatment evaluations
Who has IBS at PatientsLikeMe?
- 1,914 patients have this condition
- 102 New patients joined this month
- 149 say IBS is their primary condition
| <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Age | ||||||
| Gender | |
| 92% | Females |
|---|---|
| 8% | Males |
| Age at first symptom | # of patients | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 yrs | 396 | |
| 20-29 yrs | 325 | |
| 30-39 yrs | 280 | |
| 40-49 yrs | 145 | |
| 50-59 yrs | 50 | |
| 60-69 yrs | 1 | |
| 70+ yrs | 0 |
| Diagnosis status | # of patients | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 1281 | |
| Not Officially Diagnosed | 180 |
These charts show data from IBS patients who have completed their condition history