Posted by Larry Hoover on May 15, 2005, at 11:47:12
In reply to HELP! Enteric endocrine problems from psych meds?, posted by Krumcake on May 13, 2005, at 15:58:52
>His food often comes through totally undigested and his has spasming in what might be considered to be the liver, small intestinal area.Can you expand on this idea? In what way is his food undigested? Is the spasmic activity relieved (temporarily) by a bowel movement, but then it returns a short time later?
Have you tried enzyme supplements? Digestion requires enzymes. Period.
There are prescription enzyme replacements, but the best product I've ever discovered is Kirkman Laboratories Enzym-Complete/DPP-IV www.kirkmanlabs.com
> He has had the million dollar medical work up and to date, we know little more than we did when we started - though he is now without a Gallbladder and Appendix!
Automatic surgical behaviour. They think we don't need these organs, but I'm not so certain. At least we can rule them out, now. Unfortunately, we might be ruling out some of the enzymes supplied in bile.
> Of course, his labs always come back "normal" with occasional fluctuations of liver enzymes. Nothing seems to account for this pain!
You don't say where in the world you are. That might have some bearing on recommendations. For example, the enteric anti-spasmodic called Dicetel (pinaverium bromide) is not available in the States, but I get it in Canada. It is my special treatment for acute effects. I try to manage my triggers, but sometimes errrr sh*t happens.
Speaking of triggers, have you tried elimination diets? No gluten, or no dairy?
> He did have Lyme Disease 12 yrs ago (and what a can of worms that is).
Then he had massive antibiotic treatments, for an extended period, right? He could have a total disturbance in intestinal biota, the little critters that actually do 80% of your digestion for you.
You ought to try probiotic treatments, which are essentially the recolonization of his bowel with health-promoting organisms. Again, I recommend Kirkman Labs Pro-Bio Gold.
The other thing about Lyme's Disease is that some people *never* get rid of it. It can be chronic, despite the best treatment. Still, I think your hubby needs to focus on getting his gut back in shape.
> Assuming this problem is functional, and pertaining to the digestive system, I have started studying the enteric endocrine/nervous system in a desparate attempt to understand what might be going on here. One of the Doc's recently suggested that due to the complexity of the Enteric Nervous System, his Psych Meds might be suspect for the cause of this pain. Has anyone had any severe digestive disturbances of this or a similar nature as a result of various psych meds? I'll await any feed back - we are feeling very desparate and alone. Many Thanks!
It could be psych meds, or he could be having psych symptoms because of his bowel disorder. There is no clear line that says "this is causing that". It could be a vicious circle.
There are also some new serotonin-targetting bowel drugs. There are unique serotonin receptors in the gut which control peristalsis, the supposedly rhythmic and controlled contraction of the enteric smooth muscle, that propels food from the stomach to the anus.
Lots of things to consider, but it's hard to know which ones are most appropriate to try first.
Best of luck. You may have to become experts on self-treatment, to learn how to manage this. Doctors don't always know what they're doing.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:497418
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050510/msgs/498009.html