Cholestyramine for Irritable Bowel Syndrome User Reviews (Page 4)

• Ter...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2023

"I have had IBS issues most of my life, especially after my gallbladder was removed 20 years ago. Like most, I know every bathroom in town. This medicine has changed my life. Truly a miracle, and I only take half the recommended dose. Highly recommend. I mix mine in applesauce and eat it every day!"

• MAK...
• September 3, 2021

"I had excessive bile acid, which caused diarrhea that could not be stopped by any other way, except to take cholestyramine powder before two meals a day. I was told that I would be on this the rest of my life. When my hair started falling out, I felt weak and needed B12 shots, I knew there had to be a better way. I tried 3 capsules of ashwagandha 2100 mg, once a day, within two days, I was back to normal, no diarrhea, no loose stools, no burning, just normal. This works and is only $15 a month."

• Mkk...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 22, 2022

"It has been like a miracle drug to treat my diarrhea. The chronic diarrhea was making my life incredibly miserable. Worried every time I had to leave the house and desperate to find a bathroom wherever I went. Since being on this drug for the last couple of years, I have been healthier than ever. However, I can never get over the horrible taste of this product. I mix it in orange juice in a blender and still have to drink it down as quickly as possible. But it works, so the constant inconvenience of having to mix this every day and suffering through the horrible taste in the end has improved my life more than words could say."

• ibd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2021

"I have an IBD. I've been taking this drug for 3 days. Today, I have had intense stomach pain. I've taken Tums, 2 doses of Pepto, and activated charcoal. The only thing I can think of is this drug is causing high acidity in my gut. I'm throwing it in the trash, back to Imodium :/"

• Ogg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 29, 2023

"I’ve struggled with IBS for at least 10-plus years. As others have said in reviews, this medication is truly a lifesaver. For me, it worked immediately. I only take it once a day with breakfast, and I’m totally normal, so far for me, a real game changer. I’ve been on the medication for one month now. I sometimes have experienced a small amount of heartburn, but I believe it has to do with my diet (now that I don’t have to be by a restroom, I eat all the good foods). I just wish I would have gone to the doctor years ago. Worth trying, and good luck."

• Lyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 28, 2022

"I've been dealing with IBS-D for about 20 years! There were times I never made it to the bathroom! I would shake uncontrollably afterward! I took Imodium, both pills and liquid! I was fed up because sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't! I couldn't go out and eat, couldn't have dinner at my kid's place 'cause I would just go once, it bothered me for hours after I ate! I asked my doctor twice, she kept saying take Imodium! Then one day I insisted there had to be something! She gave me Olestyr! It is a Godsend! A miracle worker! I can actually go out and eat! I cried! I'm 75, probably not much life left, and I want to enjoy it. Now I can! Thank you, Olestyr!"

• sho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2021

"Heaven sent! I have battled IBS for nearly 30 years and had all but given up. I met someone that told me they had horrible IBS as I did and that cholestyramine changed their life. I was cautiously optimistic it would work for me, but I spoke to my physician, and he thought we should try it. It has completely changed my life! I hate even putting that out there as it sounds crazy, but it's true. I no longer have fear about eating and staying near the closest bathroom. I don't have to worry about what could happen at work. The only side effect that has been constant is increased heartburn that is manageable with antacids. I've had some occasional nausea, but very mild. If you suffer from IBS and haven't tried this, I suggest you speak with your PCP. I hope you find the same results."

• Mil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 8, 2021

"I had bloating for years and discovered that I was lactose intolerant. Further down the road, I had a colonoscopy and had a cecum polyp, which necessitated removing a substantial part of my gut, and a colon resection was performed. After the surgery, I had bouts of bloating and diarrhea. The surgeon put me on Sandoz Cholestyramine. It cured my problem. I haven't used it for 2 years, even though I've had some episodes. Quite honestly, I forgot about the medication, even though I had it in the house. Well, I had a very sick past 4 days with bloating and pain in my lower intestines. I was knocked out. I remembered the Cholestyramine and took a package, in a few hours, I was fine... like I was never sick. I took another package the following day and am fine. I will use this as needed. It was also 1 and 1/2 years past the expiration date, but it worked! I found that I need to avoid salads... too much fiber. Who knew? We are all a mystery. I will renew the prescription."

• SC ...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 1, 2021

"From age 10 or so, I have had urgency to get to the toilet to have a BM. Most times I succeeded. In high school, I carried a bunch of washcloths to put in my underpants if I was too late. I have been prescribed so many unhelpful pills and liquids. After my first colonoscopy was stopped, I learned my bowel had about 1/2 liquid BM and a few solids. I was advised to just go sit on the toilet every few hours and wait! No luck there. About age 60 or so, I was prescribed cholestyramine, and it worked!! The instructions were to take it AFTER urgent diarrhea. Bad advice. My internist changed that to every other day!! THAT WORKED. This stuff is a scoop of yellow powder in water or juice. It's like playing with sand at the beach. IT WORKS. Please believe me, you will be so happy. It's not 100%, nothing in this world is guaranteed, but please, folks, TRY IT! Tell your doctor your story and then ask. If that doc won't, then find a doc who will."

• Pen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2022

"I have lived with regular bouts of diarrhea for over 20 years, and despite trying a variety of routines to alleviate this (low FODMAP, low fiber, no fruit, not too many vegetables, etc., etc.), nothing worked. I have been taking cholestyramine for a few weeks now, after a recent CAT scan revealed I had severe issues in my bowel and intestines with bile salts, which was the cause of my problem. I cannot begin to describe how effective this medication is. I can lead a normal life, and I feel as if I’ve won the lottery ten times over. A game changer. A life enhancer. The end of debilitating diarrhea."

• Reb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2021

"I had my gallbladder removed 9 years ago, since then, I've had mild problems of diarrhea, but the last 4 years have been terrible. I’m having belly pains, which means I need the toilet straight away. I’ve been to the doctors a lot, had blood tests, given samples, and changed diet. I was told it's just IBS. It was getting unbearable not being able to go out of the house without knowing there’s a toilet nearby. I told the doctor I can’t put up with it anymore. He said he would refer me to the gastro clinic. I received a text to say a prescription was waiting for me for this medication that the gastro people said to try this first. Well, I didn’t think it would work straight away, but it did, I was amazed. I can go about my life now without worrying where a toilet is. There have been maybe 4 or 5 episodes over the last 4 weeks of either pain or diarrhea, but not both together, and it doesn’t last all day either compared to when I was going up to 8 times a day. So, thank you for this medicine."

• Cam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2023

"I started taking cholestyramine on March 5, 2023. It took a few weeks for it to work, but it's working great. I'm not rushing to find a bathroom anymore. The only issue I have is that it raised my triglycerides from 140 to 320. I currently take cholesterol medication for high cholesterol, but my levels were always within the range until now. I'm waiting for a call from my doctor to see what other medication is out there. All in all, this product does work for my bathroom issues."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2022

"I suffered from stomach aches and diarrhea for years after having gallbladder surgery. I couldn't leave the house or go to a restaurant without having to hurry up and get to a bathroom. Now, after going to my 4th GI doctor, she prescribed this medication, and I haven't felt better in over 20 years."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 17, 2022

"Before my doctor prescribed Prevalite for my IBS w/diarrhea, I was living on Imodium tablets and dreading every meal. I was always anxious about attending lunch and dinner functions/meetings for fear I’d have to rush to the bathroom. It has saved me from a life of seclusion when it comes to eating. I can now have normal social interaction with others again. I take it in water using a shaker bottle with no side effects whatsoever."

• Tim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2022

"It helped me quite a bit with my IBS, but I am only in week two of taking the medication. Gonna go to 8 mg instead of 4 mg soon since my IBS still could be better. The first week on it was really good, but the second week seems like my IBS is back to a bit of what it was. Better, but not great. I would definitely recommend trying this if you have IBS."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 5, 2022

"I have been on cholestyramine for about two years now. It started working within a day or so of the first dose. It took a bit to balance how much I should take daily, but I found that between 50% to 70% of the 4-gram pouch makes my life completely normal. I usually find out the hard way if I forget to take a dose."

• jd ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2025

"Last 15 years with IBS and with not a real help from doctors' medications, so they can have me as a good client forever. After doing some hours of search, mostly here in drugs.com reading all similar problems reviews, found that maybe cholestyramine could help me. Started a 70 mg pill. In just 2 days, all symptoms stopped. No diarrhea, no typhoon in my colon anymore (4th week now). Had no side effects as far as now. Also, I use once in the morning 2 mg loperamide as I had always very heavy diarrhea when I wake up. Now at least I can work and think, things I had stopped since a long time ago. Thank you all for all reviews and drugs.com that guided me very easily, slowly, slowly to understand my problem."

• And...
• January 1, 2010

"I wouldn't be able to leave the house without this medication. I had gallbladder surgery and since then have suffered major cramps and diarrhea daily."

• jac...
• September 25, 2015

"Allows me to be a normal person, not searching for a restroom every minute of the day."

• Sas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2019

"The Zydus MFG brand of cholestyramine is undrinkable... I recommend the Sandoz MFG. Been using 30 years and tried the Zydus MFG. Disgusting."

• Ama...
• August 19, 2015

"After suffering for seven weeks of diarrhea and undergoing over 15 tests, taking once a day a packet of this prescription powder made my diarrhea stop - a miracle!!"

• Anonymous
• September 26, 2020

"Mix with lukewarm water, and it will mix right up. Not cold."

• Geg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2020

"I find if you mix cholestyramine well with orange Gatorade and water and plenty of ice. It covers the taste and the grittiness. I’m able to drink it with my meals 3 times a day."

• Mik...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 25, 2016

Cholestyramine "It's very effective for bowel problems and reduced my pain to zero most of the time."

• tur...
• April 6, 2016

"I was taking Lotronex for years for IBS and had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago, and that doctor gave me cholestyramine 2 times daily mixed in OJ. It has worked wonders."