Med options for gas control

I do a lot of research on pretty much everything that has to do with digestion after all I've been through and it seems from all the reading I've done Gas-x always comes up as the #1 medicine for gas relief. Soda is definitely not going to help you're just playing a tug of war game with your diet and the medicine. Is there any other foods that you have incorporated in your diet that would cause gas? That's what I would focus on possibly making some diet adjustments. Probably wasn't much help for you but like I said Gas-x takes the cake when it comes to gas relief. Good luck fellow poucher I'm sure you figure it out.

I don't touch soda at all. I was just saying it's as if I drink a lot of it. My diet is very controlled to limit bloating and gas.

Have you tried activated charcoal?

How often do you eat? Maybe eating smaller portions more frequently would help with gas control (empty bowel produces more gas).

All gas treatment medications contain the same active ingredient, simethicone, so the brand name does not matter. Gas-X is no better or worse than any other brand. You can buy the plain generic and take as needed. You really cannot overdose on it, as it is basically inert. It does not actually get rid of gas. It just makes tiny bubbles into big bubbles you can burp or fart. So feel free to take extra doses if you wish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simethicone

Activated charcoal may help, but you need to be careful not to take it wwithin an hour or two of other medications, as it can deactivate them.

However, gas is better prevented than treated. All gas is either swallowed air or from bacterial action on undigested foods (mostly carbs). This is why you have less gas when on antibiotics. So, the strategy is to either reduce the bacteria or reduce the undigested carbs that the bacteria act on.

Probiotics can reduce "bad actor" bacteria, but sometimes they make gas worse, paticularly in the first few months you are taking them. So, if one probiotic gives you too much gas, you can either reduce itand work up more gradually, or switch to something else.

You can also reduce the carbs in your diet, paticularly soluble fiber, if you are taking it as a supplement (Metamucil gave me terrible gas). Just reducing carbs in general can help (most of us eat way more than our bodies need). Another consideration is digestive enzymes, such as Beano. Some people get good results with them.

Of course, things like lactose intolerance are something you need to consider as an issue too.

These are some ideas that I consider easier than micromanaging your diet too much.

Good luck!

Jan

I am actually NO carb. Seriously no carb, except as may occur naturally in some foods. Obvious natural high carbs I avoid are things like beans, corn, etc.

I do take 1 Culturelle/day and I can't tolerate Metamucil and the like...so none of that.

I am not lactose intolerant, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't have some negative gassy impact on me. However, if I eliminate that, too, I think I'll go nuts! I generally just have cream in 1-2 cups of coffee/day and up to 3 oz of cheese/day; many days I don't have cheese, though, to keep the fat down.

Beano is a great suggestion. I forgot about that and haven't used it in years. I'll give that a go. Thanks!

Oh, and I actually do use generic simethicone...I just couldn't remember the drug name.

As for gas elimination....I am hoping to reduce the farting. So embarrassing, especially when staying with other people. I avoid it. Obviously, only in the bathroom, but it's so loud. I hate it.

And I don't burp. Never have. It all wants to go out the other way.

tmi, I know....but you all understand....

Oh, one other thing....Ever since getting pouchitis under control, the stomach noises have actually been louder than ever. Not sure what's up with that? I don't feel bloated or uncomfortable, but I've never been so gurggley before. It's so loud and goes on and on. I can be heard on the other side of the room! Any ideas on how to quiet that down a bit? I know it comes with the territory, but I was never this loud before.

For me, rumbly tummy is from the gas. So, solve the gas and you solve the noise problem.

But, you may not be able to have quiet bathroom visits. I'm going on 17 years and nearly always have noisy poops. And, I never, ever fart off the toilet. Not because I am embarrased, but because I don't want to be changing my undies all the time!

Jan

lol, Jan. Yeah, gotta watch out for that.