How can ibs be treated

If your doctor recommends probiotics, talk with him or her about how much probiotics you should take and for how long. Your doctor may recommend mental health therapies to help improve your IBS symptoms. Therapies used to treat IBS include. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Changes to what you eat and other lifestyle changes Changes in what you eat may help treat your symptoms.

Your doctor may recommend trying one of the following changes: eat more fiber avoid gluten follow a special eating plan called the low FODMAP diet Read more about eating, diet, and nutrition for IBS. Research suggests that other lifestyle changes may help IBS symptoms, including increasing your physical activity reducing stressful life situations as much as possible getting enough sleep Medicines Your doctor may recommend medicine to relieve your IBS symptoms. Your doctor may recommend medicine to relieve your IBS symptoms.

A person may have symptoms that they think are IBS, but they may mean something more serious. Symptoms like those described for IBS above with any of the following: low iron in the blood anemia , blood in the stool, weight loss, a fever, a family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease IBD , or symptoms that started after age 50 may mean a serious condition.

The person should contact their doctor for an appointment. What does it mean if a condition is curable or not? When a condition is considered curable , it means with treatment, it will go away. As an example, a sore throat due to a strep infection goes away when a person takes several days of an antibiotic medicine. In other words, strep throat is curable. A person may receive treatment and have improved symptoms, but they will still have the condition.

For example, a person with high blood pressure hypertension may take medicine to control their blood pressure, but they still have hypertension. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not curable. First Name let us know your preferred name. Last Name. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly.

Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Hadjivasilis A, et al. New insights into irritable bowel syndrome: From pathophysiology to treatment.

Annals of Gastroenterology. Irritable bowel syndrome. Accessed Aug. Kellerman RD, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Elsevier; Feldman M, et al. American College of Gastroenterology. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Canadian Society of Intestinal Research. Brown AY. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. June 24, Kashyap PC expert opinion. Related How irritable bowel syndrome affects you Spastic colon: What does it mean?