What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C)? How to Treat It?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation has been identified as a gastrointestinal disorder that causes infrequent bowel movements along with severe abdominal pain and frequent bloating. This is a long-term disorder that is not life-threatening but affects your daily activities to a great extent. If IBS-C symptoms last for more than 6 months t, they cause severe harm to your digestive health. The history of symptoms and thorough physical examination help to diagnose the irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Scientists and researchers are still striving to devise specific tests for IBS-C diagnosis because imaging or blood tests just rule other conditions other than IBS-C. 

If you experience symptoms of IBS-CV, it is better to manage them with some lifestyle changes such as using medications like laxatives, or fiber supplements, increasing intake of double fiber and taking prescription drugs to reduce the symptoms for improving life quality while living with IBS-C.

This article contains important information about the exact causes, symptoms and certain management options for the symptoms. So, keep reading to learn more about the typical signs of the condition along with some strategies to relieve the symptoms of IBS-C.

What is IBDS-C?

A long-term, chronic gastrointestinal disorder that causes:

• Infrequent stools that are difficult to pass.
• Abdominal pain.
• Bloating.

It is known as irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. You may feel extremely uncomfortable when its symptoms interfere with your life activities. Although it’s not fatal, its symptoms make it hard for you to perform your routine activities normally. 

Studies and research have described clearly that management and treatment of IBS-C solely depend on some lifestyle changes including dietary exchanges, and use of medications  that target your symptoms. 

However, your doctor can help diagnose the condition through some tests, if you suspect you might have IBS-C. 

Signs and Symptoms of IBS-C 

According to an estimated analysis, around 10 to 20% people in the country are living with IBS-C. The condition affects the normal day-to-day activities of a Person. This means it’s a common digestive disorder.

Other types of IBS other than IBS-C include:

• IBS with mixed bowel habits of constipation and diarrhea (IBS-M).
• IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D).

This gastrointestinal disease is genuinely associated with changes in your bowel movements along with severe or mild abdominal pain. Some distinct symptoms of IBS-C include:

• Feeling like your bowel can’t  pass stool easily.
• Feeling like there’s a block or rock in your stomach.
• More than a half of your stool becomes lumpy or hard.
• Infrequent bowel movements may be less than three per week.
• Painful bloating.
• Excessive has.

A normal bowel movement with IBS-C can help remove your abdominal pain and bloating for sometime. It is a temporary relief. Because the symptoms come back after some time. IBS-C is different from simple constipation as it causes extreme abdominal pain and bloating. These symptoms are not related to simple constipation. Simple IBS also doesn’t cause abrupt weight loss and bloody stool.

Causes of IBS-C

Research shows that IBS-C is a common digestive disorder but its exact cause is still unknown. Some studies suggested that it might be genetic. So if you have a family member with IBS, the risk of developing IBS-C symptoms increases. 

Another research shows that IBS-C is an age related disease. This means people with an older age like more than 50 years old are more likely to develop IBS-C symptoms. Studies also show that females have more tendency to develop the symptoms of IBS-C than male. 

Sometimes, IBS-C symptoms get developed due to the underlying inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract that is usually caused by some previous bacterial or viral infections. Changes in your immune system also lead to conditions. 

The possibility of developing IBS-C symptoms gets higher when your gut-brain relationship changes. This means when your brain doesn’t give authentic impulses to regulate the intestinal movements in your body.

Some other health conditions also associated with IBS-C, such as:

• Anxiety.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Depression.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Food intolerance.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Indigestion or dyspepsia.
• Small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO).

Diagnosis of IBS-C

If you want to diagnose whether the symptoms you’re experiencing belong to IBS-C or not, you may find it a difficult process. Because there’s no specific test to diagnose it. Doctors cannot diagnose the condition with blood tests or imaging tests. However, these tests can be used to rule out some other health conditions. So, doctors just diagnose it by examining your symptoms history. But this diagnosis has no authentic scientific basis.

You can help yourself in diagnosis by tracking your symptoms of constipation along with severity and timing of bloating and abdominal pain. These two signs help differentiate between IBS-C and other types of digestive disorders or simple constipation.

Your healthcare provider may use a physical exam to diagnose IBS-C. Physical symptoms like visible abdominal bloating indicate the condition. Your doctor often presses your abdomen to check if there’s any abdominal pain. 

Another way to diagnose the condition is the persistent symptoms for more than six months. Yes. If you experience the symptoms of IBS constantly for six months, it may make your providers think about IBS-C. 

Management of IBS-C Symptoms

Reduction in the frequency and severity of symptoms along with improvement in your overall life quality is the main focus of treatment of IBS-C. It is true that there is no cure for IBS-C but some meaningful strategies can help provide short-term relief to certain symptoms such as pain and bloating. These strategies also help improve your digestive health. So let’s have a look!

Medications

At first, your doctor may recommend some over-the-counter medications to relieve the symptoms. The medications include:

• Stool softeners.
• Laxatives.
• Fiber supplements.

Sometimes, they prefer to give you some detox teas that work similar to laxatives. So you should discuss with your doctor if you experience severe or long-term constipation. 

Increasing your bowel movements with softening of tools is a gears idea to remove the discomfort and the symptoms of IBS-C.

In addition, people who use alkali also use home remedies like peppermint oil to ease the symptoms. 

In case, the OCT option is not working for you, you should move towards prescription medication. Then doctors prescribe antispasmodics to relax your gastrointestinal tract to reduce the gut spasm. 

A new class of medications known as proprietary agents have also been introduced to ease the symptoms. These drugs help in softening of stools which is found in your intestines. They snake your bowel movements easier and frequently.

A specific class of antidepressants, known as SSRIs are also considered good to improve brain-gut interactions. These medications also contribute to improving secondary symptoms of IBS-C including depression and anxiety.

Probiotics for IBS-C

According to limited research about probiotics, a probiotic along with some dietary changes and prescription medication also work to ease the IBS-C symptoms. 

However, The researchers are working to find out if probiotics have any effect on IBS-C symptoms in real life. According to researchers, probiotics are the microorganisms that provide support for your good bacteria in the gut. They perform therapy by supplying probiotics to good bacteria. 

When you buy a probiotic product, read its label as it contains the name of bacteria that are used in the formation of these probiotic products. The most common bacteria found in labels are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Research suggested that probiotics might also help in:

• Improving flares-ups of ulcerative colitis.
• Preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
• Boosting your immune system.

Although the effects of probiotics on IBS are not much obvious, a 2021 review suggested that probiotic rich supplements can help improve stool consistency and frequency in people affected with IBS-C. However, some other studies negate the idea and suggest that probiotics are more helpful in improving diarrhea. 

So, the best option is to contact a doctor before taking antibiotics for IBS-C. They may suggest better options depending on your health condition. They may also recommend the accurate dosage of supplements to drive the symptoms.

Lifestyle Remedies

A long-term and most effective pathway for making improvements in the IBS-C symptoms is to apply some lifestyle remedies that may support your medical approach to IBS treatment. 

According to research, the most effective lifestyle changes to manage the IBS-C symptoms include:

• Taking exercise regularly.
• Taking enough fiber through your diet.
• Getting enough sleep.
• These strategies usually help:
• Decrease stress.
• Improve any underlying inflammation.
• Regulate your bowel movements.

Recommended Diet for IBS-C

Fiber supplements are not the first thing to consider when you try to improve your IBS-C symptoms. You can start by adding some fiber soluble foods into your diet. Rich sources of soluble fiber include:

• Flax.
• Oats.
• Barley.

A food sensitivity test can help you find out how much quantity of soluble fiber can help cure bloating and abdominal pain during IBS-C. 

According to research estimation, certain foods cause worsening of IBS-C symptoms and people are not aware of it. Therefore, your doctors at first recommend you to prefer these,when you go tighten the diagnosis if IBS-C:

• Start eating more soluble fiber in your diet.
• Avoid taking foods that are rich in FODMAPs. This means avoid eating certain carbohydrates that are hard to digest by your digestive system.
• Avoid eating foods containing gluten but this protein is found in rich quantity in wheat and rye.

A low FODMAP diet means stable oligosaccharides, dissaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols they are more structures eating option for you, especially you’re experiencing the symptoms of IBS-C. This diet helps reduce the number of certain carbohydrates that usually increase the risk of gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, doctors often recommend this diet along with the complete removal of some foods from your diet plan for around 6-8 weeks continuously. You can add these foods back one at a time to learn about what type of symptoms they trigger. 

Foods high in FODMAP are:

• Beans and legumes.
• Wheat.
• Sweeteners like honey, fructose or corn syrups.
• Garlic and onions.
• Certain fruits such as melons, avocados,apples and apricots.
• Lactose found in milk. 

Alternative Treatments

People also like to try alternative treatment options for IBS-C including herbs and acupuncture. These therapies are countered to help improve the symptoms of conduction like bloating and abdominal pain. But there’s no scientific research that proves that these remedies can work properly for treating the induction. 

So, if you want to try any herb or acupuncture therapy to relieve IBS-C symptoms, talk to your doctor first. Because some herbs can cause allergic reactions leading to worsening of symptoms. 

Are You Diagnosed with IBS-C or CSID?

Symptoms of IBS-C very much resemble another condition, congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID) that is commonly known as sucrose intolerance. Therefore, people often confuse IBS-C with CSID.

CSID is a rare genetic condition and does not affect a large number of people. It occurs when there’s a deficiency of a digestive enzyme called sucrase abdisomaltase. Both hormones actually work in your body to digest the sucrose i.e table sugar. 

Studies showed that sugar is the strong trigger for IBS-C symptoms. But it is not similar to CSID. Because IBS-C is not caused by the deficiency of any digestive enzyme as happens in CSID. However, in most cases, CSID is diagnosed as IBS-C. 

The actual cause of CSID is genetic mutations that are associated with your overall gut motility. Gut motility refers to how food moves through your GI tract. Its diagnosis involves:

• Sucrose breath test.
• Endoscopy biopsy.
• Genetic testing.

However, abdominal pain and bloating are the same symptoms for IBS-C and CSID. The main difference between them is CSID also causes acid reflux, nausea and diarrhea especially when you consume table sugar.

Conclusion

IBS-C is the one of digestive disorders that impacts your life activities. Although it is not life-threatening, its symptoms may get worse if not treated well. 

Keeping track of your symptoms like frequency of bowel movement can help diagnose if you’re suffering from IBS-C. Doctors still have no authentic way to diagnose the disease. They just used to study your symptoms and the family history for this purpose. 

However,making some healthy lifestyle changes along with use of prescription medication can help improve the symptoms, including bloating and abdominal pain. For relieving constipation, you can use over-the-counter medications like laxatives. Certain types of herbs and teas are also used to soften your stool that can easily pass. But if you notice some unusual or unexpected symptoms like sudden weight loss, severe vomiting or bloody stool, contact your doctor as soon as possible. These symptoms indicate the worsening of IBS-C symptoms.