What is the pharmacologic approach in treating IBS?
- Pharmacologic treatment of IBS has traditionally been aimed at treating and preventing the predominant symptoms, such as diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.
- Pharmacologic treatment options for patients who report diarrhea as their predominant symptom include antidiarrheals, such as loperamide, diphenoxylate, cholestyramine, or alosetron.
- For patients who report constipation as their predominant symptom, treatment options include fiber, osmotic laxatives (i.e., sorbitol and lactulose), polyethylene glycol, lubiprostone, or linaclotide.
- For patients who report pain as the predominant symptom, treatment options include antispasmodics (i.e., dicyclomine), hyoscyamine, antidepressants (i.e., a tricyclic antidepressant [TCA] or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI])
