Lubiprostone for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation User Reviews (Page 2)

• My...
• March 27, 2017

"Update: I told my doctor about all of this, and his worry was that my acid reflux was so severe that it was causing these symptoms. In conjunction with omeprazole and Amitiza, he added a bedtime Zantac. It's been a few days, and my condition has improved some. I'm not sure if this will solve it, but it's worth a try!"

• Isl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 13, 2016

"When I went to the doctor and told him Linzess 290 mg wasn't working for me (I was lucky to go once a week). He said he wanted to try me on Amitiza. He said this should help. Well, I have been on it for 3 days and nothing!! I got a headache and chest pain the first day and only headaches on the second and third day. I can't understand why the doctors can't find out the underlying problem. I have tried everything!! I used to take Zelnorm, but they took that off the market. I don't care for this drug! My stomach makes noises and that's it!! I am still miserable!!"

• Ean...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 3, 2019

"After Linzess quit working for me, my GI prescribed me Amitiza. The first few weeks of taking it twice daily with food were pretty rough with the unbearable side effects. I was unable to work after taking the medication due to the overwhelming fatigue and nausea. It even got to the point where I would have to vomit after taking the medication to get rid of the side effects. But after experimenting with how often and when I take the medication, the side effects became bearable. I now take the Amitiza once daily on an empty stomach, which helps with the nausea, but the fatigue that subsides within 2 or so hours is still there. In my opinion, I'd rather deal with the fatigue than not having a bowel movement. I do recommend!!"

• Anonymous
• April 21, 2011

"I have lived for years and years with an issue that no one would identify as irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. I was always told to eat better and drink plenty of water. When it was figured out what I had, that doctor suggested stool softeners and drink plenty of water. Then a sweet little physician's assistant prescribed Amitiza. This medicine works great even with the minimal side effects it creates. I experienced a little nausea, some lightheaded times, but all in all, it is worth all this to finally be 'regular.' Before it was suggested I take this, I had read about it and several of the comments listed here. Thanks."

• Pau...
• December 10, 2016

"I was kind of shady to take this pill because of all the bad reviews on it. I have IBS, so I thought, what do I have to lose? So I took one pill, and within 10 minutes, this terrible nausea hit me. I even ate before I took it, and that didn't help, I was nauseous all day long, and I thought screw this, I am not taking it again, so I didn't. Two to three days later, I started having terrible stomach cramps to the point where I wanted to cry. I had diarrhea and also somewhat of stools. So does the drug make you go? Yeah. Are the side effects worth it? No! This is a really powerful drug with way too many side effects. It also gave me a bad headache."

• IBS...
• July 7, 2021

"I've tried Amitiza for my IBS. I have been dealing with this for over 11 years after I had a hernia repair, then it had to be repaired not 3 times but 6 times. So much scar tissue and my large intestines wrapped themselves around the mesh, I had to have another surgery to correct that. I have had small and large blockages for the longest, being hospitalized for over a month, not able to use it. I became so stressed, not able to use the bathroom. After being on Amitiza for maybe 3-4 weeks, the doctor changed me over to Linzess. Even with me having to have strong pain medication to fight my chronic pain, I know that it would constipate me, but it only helped, changing diet plans for my body to adjust to the facts of me living with IBS. However, my body didn't accept Amitiza, how many of you all have shared stories? I even had to go old school, drinking the castor oil, milk of magnesia. Did Amitiza work??? NO & NO.... Sorry, but Amitiza didn't help with my IBS."

• JLa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 26, 2019

"If I could give this less than one star for how sick it made my son, I would. Unfortunately, the doctors didn’t realize it was the Amitiza and kept increasing it. He was in so much pain daily, and the throwing up never seemed to end. He could not attend school and developed severe depression and anxiety, which he still has years after stopping the Amitiza. The disturbing thing is the doctors kept saying, 'Oh no, it can’t be the Amitiza, that would be such a rare side effect.' When the doctor was out of ideas and ready to place a feeding tube into my son so he could obtain nutrition, I decided that I was done with Amitiza and other drugs. I thought it best to go back to before all of these problems. Within a day of stopping, the throwing up was down to maybe 1-2 times a day, from the 8-10 times per day. Not even an apology from the doctor, in fact, he made a joke about it. I am sure it works for some, I would say proceed with caution and good luck."

• blo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 31, 2015

"I was given this medication at the gastroenterologist's office, and it has not worked after 2 days of taking it. I went to the doctor because I have been so bloated. Amitiza has worsened the bloating!!!"

• Lil...
• May 9, 2017

"Amitiza contains tiny, hard, white spheres. I was told by my doctor that their purpose is to rub against the walls of the bowels for stimulating movement of the bowels. My problem is that these tiny spheres never dissolve and get stuck in diverticula. I stopped taking Amitiza 3 years ago and am still passing these tiny white spheres. It is my belief that they are causing irritation, thus adding to my discomfort with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I do not want to have my bowels flushed because I have established a great culture of friendly bacteria and do not want it washed away, resulting in a need to start rebuilding this culture all over again."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2020

"Side effects got me feeling terrible. I was already experiencing severe bloating before I tried Amitiza, now I'm twice as bloated, feeling like I can't breathe, with dry mouth and headache. The first day taking a dose, I had a watery bowel movement, but after that, I haven't had any other movements!"

• Anonymous
• August 14, 2010

"I too had a problem breathing and tightness in my chest. The doctor didn't believe that it was my new medicine and started treating me for asthma. I started reading about the medicine and learned that this was a side effect. I stopped taking it for a week or so, and I have noticed a big difference in my breathing! I love the outcome of the medicine, so I am going to try to take it only 2 or so times a week to see if that helps."

• Gee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 3, 2020

"I was prescribed this last year, took it for several months, and it worked great. As long as I took it with food and a full glass of water, there was no nausea. I take the 24 mcg twice a day. It's a miracle drug for me. I will continue to take this!"

• Ani...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 18, 2017

"I'm a woman who's had IBS for 50 years. A male GI was no help—his notes said I was 'too concerned with my bowel movements'. Apparently, a skeptic about IBS. I saw a PA, who prescribed Amitiza. I took 24 mcg 2x daily for more than a year, which worked well until I started having episodes of thin diarrhea without warning. I discontinued Amitiza, and my bowels worked normally for a couple of months, but the old familiar constipation is back. I will try 24 mcg once a day. I have no idea if that will work and realize that my PA would prefer monitoring me. However, I feel at this point that I have enough sense about my own body to make this decision myself. Just be aware: even if the drug works well, your response to it may change."

• BCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2018

"I took my first dose of 24 mcg about 11 pm and had eaten about 1/2 hour earlier. About 30 min later, I had severe cramping, my tongue started getting numb. So, I went to the bathroom and had severe diarrhea. I threw up, my feet and hands started going numb, and I broke out in a huge puddle of cold sweat. I thought I was going to pass out. Neither the doctor nor pharmacist told me about these types of side effects. Needless to say, I will stick to Miralax."

• Ath...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2017

"I was forced to take this medication by my prescription coverage. It has by far been the worst experience of my life! It doesn't help with going and leaves me in horrific pain and so bloated I can't breathe. If you have IBS-C, run far away from this drug! I am impatiently waiting to get the override on my old medication."

• Gen...
• January 29, 2017

"I'm a 70-year-old woman who was prescribed Amitiza by my primary care physician for IBS with constipation. I was given the standard dose of 8 mcg, to be taken twice daily. Initially, the medication worked without incident, but about a month after I started taking the medication, I started having too frequent bowel movements and anxiety. I also started losing weight, which made me happy because I was about 20 pounds overweight, that is, until I saw my endocrinologist for my regular checkup. The blood work I had showed that I developed a hyperactive thyroid, which was why I was losing weight. This also made me wonder if the Amitiza caused the hyperthyroidism. I don't think I'll ever find that out, but I had to stop taking Amitiza."

• nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2018

"I took Amitiza for 3 days. I had blood pressure spiked, sweats, severe jaw pain, sick to my stomach, headache. I called the doc on the third day, he told me to stop it immediately and if the symptoms don't go away, go to the ER. Oh, and it didn't relieve my constipation at all."

• Fem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 28, 2018

"So far, so good. I started this med due to my first IBS-C flare that went on for a week and showed no signs of going away. I’ve been on 8 mg samples, morning and night, for three days now. This medication is so amazing for shortening my time in the restroom; I’ve gone to 1-2 hours from 10-15 minutes. I had some nausea the first day, but that’s gone now. The only negatives with this med are that I get stomach cramping if I eat vegetables until I “go,” and sometimes simple gas, which has increased, feels like it’ll be a BM."

• Anonymous
• October 1, 2009

"I take 8 mg, 2 pills a day; 1 teaspoon of milk of magnesia at night; worked great for a month, then stopped. I am either not going or have runny stools; terrible gas and bloating; affecting my entire life; I take Gas-X and charcoal tablets daily; no real consistent relief, but runny stools are better than nothing for me; no nausea with food."

• All...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2018

"When I started out taking Amitiza, it worked great at 24 mcg twice a day, but after 1 week, I started to get very sick every time I took it. My symptoms were syncope, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, loose stool, heart palpitations, rapid heart rate, chills, sweating, headache, and tunnel vision. I tried taking it once a day, still had all the same effects. After talking to my Dr., we decided to go to 8 mcg twice a day. I didn't take any for 2 weeks and started taking the 8 mcg twice a day. After the 11th dose (1st dose day 6), I started experiencing nausea, syncope, dyspnea, headache, chills, skin stinging, and cold sweats."

• Hal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 29, 2019

"I was prescribed Amitiza for IBS. I’ve tried both the higher and lower dose. As others have mentioned, it causes nausea, bloating, and cramps. The higher dose caused all that plus headaches. It took several weeks to “work,” and even then I continued to have issues. I’ve been on it about 8 months now, and I’m considering stopping the medication as it no longer does anything. Though I must say it worked well for a period of time."

• Nev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2019

"Day one on Amitiza, and my stomach was no longer distended, and I was able to have a very small movement. But by day 3, the never-ending pain that I told my GI was my chief complaint was so unbearable that it was making me also become lightheaded. I quit by day 7 because there was no longer any bowel movements, gas, or anything-just a constant amount of pain and inability to think from the pain."

• Kat...
• February 15, 2017

"Took this medication for one day, that might have painful diarrhea and a lot of gas. This is not a solution for IBS if it just gives you more pain. Do not recommend if you are able to have semi-regular bowel movements. It's just too strong. Gave me heartburn and nausea too."

• Cyn...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 18, 2022

"I take Amitiza for IBS-C plus I take pain medication occasionally. Two a day does not work for me. My doctor said I could increase the dose. This works pretty well, as long as I eat food and drink water. No side effects."

• OTT...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 22, 2016

"I started on just 8 mcg and noticed no change at all in a month, so my GI decided to up it to 24, I believe. I'm on a lot of medication for chronic pain and tumor damage to my brain, so juggling all my meds, it took me almost a month to figure out the higher dosage was causing me to throw up every morning. I wake up and take all my morning pills, so obviously my stomach is kind of empty, and 40 minutes later I'm vomiting with little warning. I thought it was associated with another brain tumor, as when I took the pill again at 6, I didn't get sick, but by then I had a meal in me. It has helped somewhat with my bowels, but I'm still on Miralax and stool softener, and the copay is pretty high, so with all considered and how lousy the side effects are."