Spastic Colon Medication

Spastic colon is a common disorder of the bowel portion or colon, which causes symptoms like pain in the abdomen and irregular bowel movements. Popularly referred to as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), spastic colon is associated with repeated contractions of the small intestinal and large intestinal muscles. Even though there is no cure, symptoms of spastic colon can be combated with effective spastic colon medication and dietary changes.

Spastic Colon Causes and Symptoms

Several people are affected with spastic colon condition. For majority of the patients, spastic colon causes are attributed to infections in the colon and prolonged stress. Other factors that trigger the symptoms of spastic colon are poor diet, irregular eating habits and consuming high amounts of processed foods. Based on the severity of spastic colon, manifested signs may vary from one patient to another.

The noticeable symptoms of spastic colon are lower abdominal discomfort, excess gas or bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and dizziness. Also, these symptoms may be recurrent or disappear after a few days. In most patients with this intestinal condition, either diarrhea or constipation is a predominant symptom. At times, an individual may experience alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Spastic Colon Treatment and Medication

There is no particular diagnostic method for detecting a spastic colon condition. Hence diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome is done in the reverse way, by ruling out other health conditions that mimic spastic colon symptoms. For confirmation, the physician may conduct laboratory tests such as abdominal X-ray, blood test, rectal exam, colonoscopy procedure and urinalysis.

As per medical studies, there is no physiological damage in the bowel portion of a patient suffering from spastic colon. Thus, treatment for spastic colon is mainly focused in reducing the associated symptoms. Effective spastic colon treatment include changes in lifestyle habit (especially diet), proper stress management and medication drugs. Speaking about the spastic colon medication, the doctor may prescribe medicines depending upon the manifested symptoms.

• Antidiarrheals: Patients with recurrent diarrhea symptoms are recommended antidiarrheal medications for reducing the frequency of bowel movements. Frequently recommended antidiarrheals are codeine, loperamide and opioid medicines.
• Laxatives: In order to ensure regular bowel movements in spastic colon patients, the doctor may prescribe laxatives like dulcolax, lubiprostone, milk of magnesia, senokot and correctol.
• Stool Softeners: Stool softeners are more or less similar to laxatives and help in loosening impacted and hardened stools. These medications help in retaining water in the stool, so as to make it easier for passing out.
• Antispasmodic Medication: This medication is for those who have unbearable abdominal pain. Antispasmodic medicines for treating spastic colon are atropine, hyoscyamine and other drugs that are anticholinergic in action.
• Antidepressant Medication: Since symptoms of spastic colon are exacerbated with stress and depression, many doctors consider advocating antidepressant to be an effective choice for treating a spastic colon condition.

The use of antispasmodic and antidepressant medication is debatable, as these formulation may worsen constipation. Besides spastic colon medication, the patient will be asked to follow a diet that contains high fiber, lots of fruits and vegetables. Dietary fiber helps in regulating regular bowel movements without side effects. Other self-care tips for getting spastic colon relief are hot bath and placing heating pads over the abdominal portion.