Take 2: Started Viberzi (eluxadoline) again... will keep a new log here

[Jeffrey Roberts]

I met with my GI doctor a couple of weeks ago after a colonoscopy to rule out anything other than IBS. The scope was normal. The doctor suggested Viberzi for my IBS-D which sometimes morphs into IBS-M. I'd say overall I was IBS-M so while Viberzi isn't exactly for my situation I asked to give it a try again.

From my last experience with Viberzi taking 100mg twice daily interacted with my cholesterol meds and made me very constipated so I had to stop.

This time I was given a dose of 75mg twice daily. I had a feeling that because my IBS-D morphs into IBS-M that I still might have a problem with constipation.

This is how the first 10 days went:

Day 1: 75 mg at mid-day with food.

Similar spaced out feeling initially, but that went away after 1-2 hours. Some cramping. No BM.

Day 2: Early morning BM, but no cramping. Took 75 mg at mid-day with food.

Spaced out again. This seems to be the new normal.

Day 3: No BM. Took 75 mg at mid-day with food.

Day 4: No BM. I didn't take the Viberzi because I was concerned I might be getting constipated.

Day 5: No BM. Oh oh... I'm constipated. No Viberzi.

Day 6: No BM in the morning. Starting to thinking about using some miralax as a rescue drug to get things moving. Instead, I drank heaps of caffeinated tea to get things moving. Tiny little BM resulted.

Day 7: 3 very large BM's fully formed. Took 75 mg after lunch.

Day 8: 1 normal BM. No pain.

Day 9: 1 normal BM. No pain.

Day 10: No morning BM. Took 75 mg with breakfast although I thought I was going to have a BM after breakfast, but I didn't. Had 1 BM later in the afternoon.

The first 10 days told me that Viberzi is extremely potent for me. I'm going to stick to a gap of 2 days between tablets and see if I have BM's in between the days that I'm not taking it.

My impression is that it's gentler than Imodium, le: no cramping, although like Imodium it really stops me up.

Stay tuned...

[Jeffrey Roberts]

Day 11: Was out for dinner in a restaurant last night and it didn't sit well. Had a very uncomfortable sleep and had 3 BM's this morning. All formed, not painful. Was tempted to take 75 mg of Viberzi, but holding off for every 3rd day so that I don't get into a cycle of D - C - D - etc...

[Jeffrey Roberts]

Day 12: 1 BM formed, not painful.

Day 13: Took 75mg Viberzi. 1 BM in late afternoon.

Day 14: No BM and have the feeling that I'm constipated.

[Jeffrey Roberts]

Day 15: 1 BM before breakfast. Stool didn't look like constipation. 3 more large BM's in the morning with a fair amount of cramping. I took 75mg Viberzi mid-morning. Perhaps I need to take this every other day as I seem to be running into problems waiting for the 3rd day.

[Jeffrey Roberts]

Day 16: 1 small BM after breakfast.

Day 17: Cramping after breakfast and 1 solid BM. Took 75mg Viberzi after breakfast.

[Jeffrey Roberts]

I didn't take 75 mg Viberzi again until Day 22. I had 1 BM everyday up until Day 22 when I had 3 BM's.

Clearly I am not using Viberzi how it was intended to be used; however, for me it is allowing me to get by without days bogged down by 4-5 BMs and pain.

Going to continue this regiment of taking it almost as needed and will report back.

Side effects to date are a spaced out feeling within 1 hour of taking the medication and a noisy stomach that sounds like liquid being squeezed through a small opening. Don't know how else to describe that.