He has never had diarrhea in association with his MS. He was able to cope with the constipation through prunes and vitamins. This liquid diarrhea began all of a sudden before Christmas. I put him on diarrhea diet and brat diet. Dr. told him to take Imodium that hasn't helped and now Dr. told him to take Metamucil. He takes Balcofen, Amantadine and Provigil to get through the day with his MS. He is unable to walk and scoots from bed to wheel chair, commode. Last year Aug. 2009 he was diagnosis with deep vein thrombosis and is on Warfarin since Aug. of 2009.
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Q: My husband has MS since 1969 and last 8 years has progressive type. He is now 71. He has been constipated his whole life and before Christmas, he has diarrhea that has not stopped????
Answers (1)
1/21/11 12:45pm
Hi Carol,
Diarrhea since before Christmas? That is a very long time to be experiencing something so potentially debilitating. Is your husband able to stay hydrated while he is losing so much fluid this way?
This may or may not be related to the MS (which you know can affect practically everything in one way or another due to how our body is run by our central nervous system). Have you consulted a gastroenterologist? Someone who specifically deals with digestive issues?
I honestly don't know any tricks to make diarrhea stop. You are already consulting with the doctors. Please keep them informed and continue to try to find a solution.
Also, I just looked up the medications you mention. Diarrhea is listed as a possible side-effect for Provigil, Amantadine, and Baclofen. I haven't heard of any patients using both provigil and amantadine at the same time since they are both used to help with MS-related fatigue. What does your husband's neurologist say about that?
Please don't make any medication changes without consulting the doctors, but certainly do talk to them about it. Please let us know how your husband is doing. I hope that the diarrhea can be stopped and that he begins to feel better.
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By Carol Pendleton— Last Modified: 01/23/11, First Published: 01/19/11
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