Could It Be Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Wednesday April 1, 2009
Some thyroid patients experience diarrhea or constipation as symptoms of thyroid problems. But some of the thyroid patients who are suffering from diarrhea or constipation, or other gastrointestinal symptoms such as urgency, straining, gas, bloating, may actually have Irritable Bowel Syndrome -- also known as IBS. April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, and Barbara Bradley Bolen, About's guide to IBS, has put together some informative articles to help you learn more about this common but misunderstood condition.
What is IBS?
Symptoms of IBS
Treatment of IBS
Photo: clipart.com
Comments
“IBS” is not a diagnosis – its a catch-all syndrome that doctors say you have when they have no real explanation.
I have been told countless time that I have IBS, but coincidentally the so-called “IBS” became worse on thyroxine and has now all but disappeared on Armour Thyroid.
It’s my opinon that noone diagnosed with hypothyroidism should accept to be told they have syndromes like IBS, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (with identical symptoms to hypothyroidism) just because thyroxine doesnt work in most cases.
I actually went to the doctor for persistent GI symptoms. My doctor added a thyroid antibody test with the IBS-related tests, and it turned out my problem was Hashimoto’s all along.
First SV has a few inaccuracy in her comments:
Chronic fatigue is a symptom of over 30 different diseases. Perhaps she was referring to ME/CFS which is a brain disease. Extreme fatigue is but one characteristic defined as pathophysiological exhaustion unrelieved by rest and worsened by exercise which is not recovered from in within 48 hours. And because it is a brain disease many different body systems can be affected. Much more specific clinical guidelines for diagnosis can be accessed here beginning on page 7
http://www.mefmaction.net/documents/journal.pdf
Back to IBS, researchers find it may be a post infectious response or possibly symptoms of orthostatic intolerance which if treated should cause the symptoms to subsided. Although psychiatrists invested in the psychosomatic model may consider it primarily psychological the emerging scientific evidence says otherwise.
As SV notes, be sure to check more than one possibility.
I didnt write out “syndrome” since I thought it was obvious: Fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. So yes I was referring to CFS.
I have never seen anything called “brain disease” defined, but hypothyroidism affects the brain so if that is the definition then CFS is a brain disease.
No researcher has found a credible explanation or treatment for CFS or fibromyalgia except for hypothyroidism.
There is a complete overlap in symptoms, including exercise intolerance which is classical hypothyroidism.
Studies show that around 40-50% of people with fibromyalgia and CFS have primary hypothyroidism with antibodies against the thyroid or abnormal FNA and no good test exists for hypothyroidism type 2 at tissue level…
You make a good point when you say researchers are invested in different models: reumatologists are unfortunately invested in fibromyalgia and a whole body of psychiatrists and likeminded doctors/companies wishing to get research grants and own the patent of an expensive cure, are invested in CFS.
Thyroid hormone is just to cheap to be the explanation, and the TSH-test is too perfect.
When it comes to IBS, I dont claim that all people with IBS have hypothyroidism, just that people with bowel-symptoms and hypothyroidism should not be told they have IBS since there is a very good explanation for their symptoms.
The way I understand it, is that it have become accepted with enlightened doctors, that IBS is due to bacterial overgrowth in the intestine.
The question is what causes it: in hypothyroidism digestion and bowel movements slow down, creating the perfect environment.
SV,
Actually, there are many explanations under consideration for fibromyalgia & ME/CFS that aren’t related to hypothyroidism and that are showing a lot more promise in research. It’s clear there’s a connection between all of these conditions because of the high comorbidity, but FMS & ME/CFS actually have a lot of symptoms that can’t be explained by hypothyroidism.
Both FMS & ME/CFS are linked to neurotransmitter dysregulation, cranial blood flow irregularities, abnormal stress response and irregular immune system activity as well as endocrine problems.
Also, we can’t really use “chronic fatigue” and “chronic fatigue syndome” interchangably. “Chronic fatigue” is a symptom that could be attributable to any number of illnesses, nutritional deficiencies, lifestyle factors, etc. The fatigue (exhaustion, more accurately) of ME/CFS is not linked to any identifiable cause and brings with it a host of other symptoms not associated with chronic fatigue.
THANK YOU TO THIS PERSON:
““IBS” is not a diagnosis – its a catch-all syndrome that doctors say you have when they have no real explanation.
I have been told countless time that I have IBS, but coincidentally the so-called “IBS” became worse on thyroxine and has now all but disappeared on Armour Thyroid.
It’s my opinon that noone diagnosed with hypothyroidism should accept to be told they have syndromes like IBS, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (with identical symptoms to hypothyroidism) just because thyroxine doesnt work in most cases.”
I FEEL THAT IBS IS A MYTH. It is a cop out to blame YOU for being sick, due to medical ignorance. Thyroid needs to be checked, TSH levels and not general thyroid testing, bacterial overgrowth has to be eliminated as a potential cause for IBS, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, and other GI diseases have to be eliminated. If they are, then it is likely your thyroid. EVEN if your thyroid levels are in range, you may need more T3. Refer to Dr. Kenneth Blanchard who has practiced 37 years in Endocrinology with special attention to thyroid diseases. That is MY opinion.
SV, wow, you are so dead on about everything you said. I agree 100% with you. Finally someone who agrees with me and cuts through all the business side of doctors (a.k.a. the BS) and the pharmaceutical companies. Keep spreading the word because endocrinologists are still ignorant of the connections b/w health problems and their relation to thyroid issues.