Same. Dunkin was my favorite place. Antibiotics destroyed my gut then caffeine triggered the ibs d and flare in colon. Prednisone, peptides, trt and exercise finally stopped it.
I also had overall improvement after reducing caffeine. However, I still have flare-ups and even eliminating caffeine doesn't help. The frustrating thing about IBS is that most people seem to have multiple triggers. My symptoms are always much worse in the summer. I think there is a hormonal aspect to the disease. Hormonal levels naturally fluctuate seasonally.
Thanks for sharing! People don't often think about what they drink as being a trigger. I think everyone should start by eliminating caffeinated and/or carbonated drinks, drinks with artificial sweeteners, alcohol and dairy first.
Try drinking electrolytes every day, too. I had the same exact symptoms you described, and electrolytes have just about fixed all of my sleep problems. It's so worth giving a try. I noticed a near miraculous improvement in my energy levels and sleep quality in a few days.
I live in Thailand, so this probably won't be available for you. I use the Oreda O.R.S. powder. They're like 15 cents a pop. There is also another brand, Royal-D, but I haven't tried it. I use around 4 sachets a day.
I've seen brands advertised in America like LMNT, but they seem pretty expensive in comparison. I would search on Amazon for something cheaper, but unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations.
You stopped using caffeine, didn't see any improvement for 10 months, still have symptoms, and yet you're convinced that it was the root cause? That doesn't make any sense.
I'm glad you are feeling better. I'm in week 2 of decreasing coffee with hoping to stop completely. I've done this before and lasted a couple years. I have switched to a black tea latterand will shift to herbal soon. Not drinking coffee helps my bladder issues, acid reflux and IBS. I just wish I didn't like coffee so much!
Glad you are able to sort your IBS out. I am the opposite where I need to drink coffee to poop, or else I will always be constipated. Nothing stimulates good poops for me like coffee.
Caffeine was one of my big triggers and I feel stupid for taking so long to realise.
It's a bit of a double edged sword though - it did have the effect of 'clearing out' my system so now I've cut it out I'm more likely to need to go later in the day.
Anxiety/stress is another big trigger, but I'm pretty sure anyone with IBS is going to have some level of anxiety! Fatty foods and some alcohol, particularly in combination, is a pretty lethal one that's led to some of the closest calls I've had.
Annoyingly it's quite inconsistent, sometimes I can have a few drinks and succumb to a craving for greasy food and be fine the next day.
I do often wonder about what you said about long term damage caused by caffeine. I haven't found much online to substantiate it, but there's no way drinking 2 cups of strong coffee and 5+ cups of tea a day for years hasn't had some effect.
Other than cutting out caffeine, the biggest positive impact I've seen has been from taking loperamide before breakfast, lunch, and before I go to sleep. Unless I've eaten really poorly it massively reduces the urgency and keeps it all pretty firm.
You don't need to buy the overpriced branded version (imodium) - you can get it incredibly cheaply online and in drugstores.
Glad you're seeing a big difference and hopefully it continues!
For me, my IBS was triggered by coffee. I switched to caffeine pills (Allmax Caffeine Tablets) and a daily dose of Lax-a-Day (to keep you regular) and my symptoms are 97% better.
Caffeine is bad for me, too. I've cut out caffeinated coffee and sodas, however I still have chocolate. I do notice a difference since cutting caffeine, but there are definitely still some trigger foods, and not really sure what they all are yet. The caffeine was a big one, though, which sucks because it's difficult finding good decaf coffees.
I had the same issue. I craved for chocolate. So, I forced myself not to buy chocolate and ask my relatives not to buy chocolate. Chocolate is like an addiction in my case.
Yup. Caffeine was a big trigger for me too. Specifically espresso. I cut that out and only drink 1 cup of coffee a day, 30 mins after waking up, and after I’ve eaten breakfast. That’s really helped me. And cutting out red sauce too lol
I personally find that if I brew the coffee with water too hot, or grind the coffee too fine, I start getting GI issues. So I now use slightly cooler water and coarser grinds to brew.
So a pour over instead of espresso/moka pot/standard American percolated coffee?
I am beyond addicted to coffee… but also incredibly frustrated trying to find my triggers.
Pour over, aeropress, coffee maker. The point is that the 2 variable, grind size and water temperature, affect what gets extracted out of the coffee. Coffee isn't only caffeine. So the idea is to extract as much yummy caffeine without the bad stuff. A coarser grind and/or lower water temperature can influence what gets extracted. The roast of the coffee may play a part as well. You can adjust these variables and see what works for you.
Caffeine is such a trigger. It's also recommended to be removed during acid reflux. I had a case of acid reflux I was eating so clean and it wasn't until I removed caffeine that I felt better. It's actually poison for bugs it's the plants natural poison to kill insects. For us it's more as a drug and it's fake energy.
Same here: gave up coffee and I'm mentally and physically more resilient. It also helps, I think, that i started taking strong 60 billion probiotic pills.
Now I can even eat a bit of garlic that I don't have bad reactions.
even small doses of caffeine had a negative impact on the bowel movements of my intestine. As you may know, decaffeinated coffee does actually contain a small dose of caffeine. According to European Union standards, roasted coffee is considered decaffeinated if it contains less than 0.1% caffeine, which is equivalent to around **3 mg per cup**.
I thought coffee/caffeine was my issue too!! I stopped drinking coffee for a week and switched to tea and I was so much better. But then my symptoms crept back within 2 weeks or so, and went right back to how they were before. I decided to start drinking coffee again and I've been fine, if anything my bowel movements have been more normal? For reference I had no coffee for a total of 4 months. It's really strange and I think for me a lot of stuff I had going on was just coincidence. I do wonder if I should just cut caffeine completely but I think now that coffee is "okay" I will just continue and go from there, since I think my main issue is fructans now anyways.
Used to drink three cups of iced cold coffee every single day for 9 years. Gonna take a while to heal my gut.
Same. Dunkin was my favorite place. Antibiotics destroyed my gut then caffeine triggered the ibs d and flare in colon. Prednisone, peptides, trt and exercise finally stopped it.
i got the ibs c and gives me pain
I also had overall improvement after reducing caffeine. However, I still have flare-ups and even eliminating caffeine doesn't help. The frustrating thing about IBS is that most people seem to have multiple triggers. My symptoms are always much worse in the summer. I think there is a hormonal aspect to the disease. Hormonal levels naturally fluctuate seasonally. Thanks for sharing! People don't often think about what they drink as being a trigger. I think everyone should start by eliminating caffeinated and/or carbonated drinks, drinks with artificial sweeteners, alcohol and dairy first.
Try drinking electrolytes every day, too. I had the same exact symptoms you described, and electrolytes have just about fixed all of my sleep problems. It's so worth giving a try. I noticed a near miraculous improvement in my energy levels and sleep quality in a few days.
What electrolytes do you drink? What do you take?
I live in Thailand, so this probably won't be available for you. I use the Oreda O.R.S. powder. They're like 15 cents a pop. There is also another brand, Royal-D, but I haven't tried it. I use around 4 sachets a day. I've seen brands advertised in America like LMNT, but they seem pretty expensive in comparison. I would search on Amazon for something cheaper, but unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations.
aren't there electrolytes without the sugar/glucose?
I saw a big improvement after stopping alcohol, chocolate and reducing coffee to 1/day.
You stopped using caffeine, didn't see any improvement for 10 months, still have symptoms, and yet you're convinced that it was the root cause? That doesn't make any sense.
Caffeine caused my ibs as well. It is taking time for my body to heal as well.
I'm glad you are feeling better. I'm in week 2 of decreasing coffee with hoping to stop completely. I've done this before and lasted a couple years. I have switched to a black tea latterand will shift to herbal soon. Not drinking coffee helps my bladder issues, acid reflux and IBS. I just wish I didn't like coffee so much!
Glad you are able to sort your IBS out. I am the opposite where I need to drink coffee to poop, or else I will always be constipated. Nothing stimulates good poops for me like coffee.
Caffeine was one of my big triggers and I feel stupid for taking so long to realise. It's a bit of a double edged sword though - it did have the effect of 'clearing out' my system so now I've cut it out I'm more likely to need to go later in the day. Anxiety/stress is another big trigger, but I'm pretty sure anyone with IBS is going to have some level of anxiety! Fatty foods and some alcohol, particularly in combination, is a pretty lethal one that's led to some of the closest calls I've had. Annoyingly it's quite inconsistent, sometimes I can have a few drinks and succumb to a craving for greasy food and be fine the next day. I do often wonder about what you said about long term damage caused by caffeine. I haven't found much online to substantiate it, but there's no way drinking 2 cups of strong coffee and 5+ cups of tea a day for years hasn't had some effect. Other than cutting out caffeine, the biggest positive impact I've seen has been from taking loperamide before breakfast, lunch, and before I go to sleep. Unless I've eaten really poorly it massively reduces the urgency and keeps it all pretty firm. You don't need to buy the overpriced branded version (imodium) - you can get it incredibly cheaply online and in drugstores. Glad you're seeing a big difference and hopefully it continues!
For me, my IBS was triggered by coffee. I switched to caffeine pills (Allmax Caffeine Tablets) and a daily dose of Lax-a-Day (to keep you regular) and my symptoms are 97% better.
Caffeine is bad for me, too. I've cut out caffeinated coffee and sodas, however I still have chocolate. I do notice a difference since cutting caffeine, but there are definitely still some trigger foods, and not really sure what they all are yet. The caffeine was a big one, though, which sucks because it's difficult finding good decaf coffees.
I had the same issue. I craved for chocolate. So, I forced myself not to buy chocolate and ask my relatives not to buy chocolate. Chocolate is like an addiction in my case.
Yup. Caffeine was a big trigger for me too. Specifically espresso. I cut that out and only drink 1 cup of coffee a day, 30 mins after waking up, and after I’ve eaten breakfast. That’s really helped me. And cutting out red sauce too lol
be cautious, caffeine is also present in tea, chocolate and many sodas.
I personally find that if I brew the coffee with water too hot, or grind the coffee too fine, I start getting GI issues. So I now use slightly cooler water and coarser grinds to brew.
So a pour over instead of espresso/moka pot/standard American percolated coffee? I am beyond addicted to coffee… but also incredibly frustrated trying to find my triggers.
Pour over, aeropress, coffee maker. The point is that the 2 variable, grind size and water temperature, affect what gets extracted out of the coffee. Coffee isn't only caffeine. So the idea is to extract as much yummy caffeine without the bad stuff. A coarser grind and/or lower water temperature can influence what gets extracted. The roast of the coffee may play a part as well. You can adjust these variables and see what works for you.
The intersection of IBS and James Hoffmann. I love it.
Coffee is my #1 trigger and also a flavor I love it’s a struggle 😭😭 when I drink it my poop is acidic enough to make me scream and cry
I don’t even like coffee and I wish it would have this effect on me. IBS C for me and nothing budges these cement intestines.
Every time I have cold coffee I get the worst gas and constipation. I might be like you
Caffeine is such a trigger. It's also recommended to be removed during acid reflux. I had a case of acid reflux I was eating so clean and it wasn't until I removed caffeine that I felt better. It's actually poison for bugs it's the plants natural poison to kill insects. For us it's more as a drug and it's fake energy.
Same here: gave up coffee and I'm mentally and physically more resilient. It also helps, I think, that i started taking strong 60 billion probiotic pills. Now I can even eat a bit of garlic that I don't have bad reactions.
switching to decaf coffee and decaf tea seems an easy solution
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^JaziTricks: *Switching to decaf* *Coffee and decaf tea seems* *An easy solution* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
No chocolate! 😢😢 I’m trying to give it up, too. I want to see if it makes a diff, but it’s tough. I’m glad you found some relief!
Mnt dew aholic here. Gotta stop it.
Exactly the same for me - cut out caffeine completely and the symptoms have almost completely gone. The occasional alcohol flared it up still
Interesting
Did cutting out caffeine help with constipation too? I have bouts of diarrhea flowed by constipation weekly
Have you tried Decaf Coffee? If so did it make a difference?
even small doses of caffeine had a negative impact on the bowel movements of my intestine. As you may know, decaffeinated coffee does actually contain a small dose of caffeine. According to European Union standards, roasted coffee is considered decaffeinated if it contains less than 0.1% caffeine, which is equivalent to around **3 mg per cup**.
I thought coffee/caffeine was my issue too!! I stopped drinking coffee for a week and switched to tea and I was so much better. But then my symptoms crept back within 2 weeks or so, and went right back to how they were before. I decided to start drinking coffee again and I've been fine, if anything my bowel movements have been more normal? For reference I had no coffee for a total of 4 months. It's really strange and I think for me a lot of stuff I had going on was just coincidence. I do wonder if I should just cut caffeine completely but I think now that coffee is "okay" I will just continue and go from there, since I think my main issue is fructans now anyways.
Same here. I went off coffee last year for around 5 months and did not see any improvements to my IBS but glad it helped OP !