Irritable bowel syndrome
We’re all in this for good.
- help each other live better and uncover the best ways to manage your health today
- help researchers shorten the path to new treatments tomorrow
How much good can your data do? A whole lot, as co-founder Jamie Heywood explains in this video.
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
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.
Common symptoms reported by people with irritable bowel syndrome
Common symptoms
How bad it is
What people are taking for it
Reports may be affected by other conditions and/or medication side effects. We ask about general symptoms (anxious mood, depressed mood, insomnia, fatigue, and pain) regardless of condition.
Last updated:
Treatments taken by people with irritable bowel syndrome
You’ve tried
Treatment name(s)
Type
How many have tried
Tried for
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
76
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(76)
Diarrhea
(3)
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
75
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
75
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
72
Tried for
Pain
(65)
Anxious mood
(2)
4 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
49
Tried for
Depressed mood
(44)
Pain
(6)
3 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
48
Tried for
Anxious mood
(45)
Insomnia
(4)
1 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Over the Counter Drug
How many have tried
45
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(44)
Diarrhea
(9)
2 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
45
Tried for
Insomnia
(43)
Depressed mood
(3)
2 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
44
Tried for
Pain
(43)
Anxious mood
(1)
1 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
38
Data from patients with irritable bowel syndrome, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
Last updated:
You’ve tried this treatment.
Compare treatments taken by people with irritable bowel syndrome
You’ve tried
Treatment name(s)
Perceived effectiveness
Side effects
Total evaluations
Tried for
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (34 evaluations)
Total evaluations
36
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(76)
Diarrhea
(3)
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Insomnia (58 evaluations)
Total evaluations
79
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (37 evaluations)
Total evaluations
39
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (40 evaluations)
Total evaluations
49
Tried for
Pain
(65)
Anxious mood
(2)
4 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Depressed mood (34 evaluations)
Total evaluations
53
Tried for
Depressed mood
(44)
Pain
(6)
3 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Anxious mood (43 evaluations)
Total evaluations
46
Tried for
Anxious mood
(45)
Insomnia
(4)
1 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (15 evaluations)
Side effects
Constipation
Fear of constipation (Coprastasophobia)
Total evaluations
17
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(44)
Diarrhea
(9)
2 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Insomnia (17 evaluations)
Total evaluations
17
Tried for
Insomnia
(43)
Depressed mood
(3)
2 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (22 evaluations)
Total evaluations
23
Tried for
Pain
(43)
Anxious mood
(1)
1 more
Check to add this treatment to your profile
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (19 evaluations)
Total evaluations
21
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
- Severe
- Moderate
- Mild
- None
Data from patients with irritable bowel syndrome, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
Last updated:
You’ve tried this treatment.
Who has irritable bowel syndrome on PatientsLikeMe?
- 5,822 patients have this condition
- 46 new patients joined this month
- 1,026 say IBS is their primary condition
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 34 | |
| 20s | 477 | |
| 30s | 1,044 | |
| 40s | 1,583 | |
| 50s | 1,557 | |
| 60s | 753 | |
| 70+ | 146 |
| Age at first symptom | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 years | 1,195 | |
| 20-29 years | 932 | |
| 30-39 years | 780 | |
| 40-49 years | 429 | |
| 50-59 years | 168 | |
| 60-69 years | 18 | |
| 70+ years | 10 |
Sex
Distribution of sex
| 89% | Female |
|---|---|
| 11% | Male |
| Condition Types | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| IBS-C (constipation predominant) | 63 | |
| IBS-D (diarrhea predominant) | 66 | |
| IBS-M (mixed diarrhea and constipation) | 89 | |
| IBS-U (unsubtyped) | 7 |
| Diagnosis status | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 3,870 | |
| Not Diagnosed | 436 |
These charts show data from IBS patients who have completed their condition history
Last updated: