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Already diagnosed with IBS? Cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation are treatable. Answer a few questions online, a GPhC-registered pharmacist independent prescriber checks the treatment suits you, and we post it the same day if approved before 3pm.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term problem with the way the gut works. Nothing is damaged or inflamed, which is why tests usually come back normal, but the gut is more sensitive than it should be and the muscle in the bowel wall squeezes at the wrong moments. That is what produces the pain and the unpredictable bowel habit.
The usual symptoms are stomach pain or cramps that are worse after eating and ease after you open your bowels, bloating, and diarrhoea, constipation, or a swing between the two. Wind, mucus in your stools, tiredness, nausea and backache often come with it. Most people find symptoms arrive in flare-ups rather than sitting at the same level all the time.
Common triggers are alcohol, caffeine, spicy or fatty food, stress and anxiety, and courses of antibiotics. IBS isn’t dangerous and doesn’t turn into anything more serious, but it can be persistent, and it responds better to treatment and diet changes together than to either alone. IBS is diagnosed by a doctor once other causes have been ruled out, so if you haven’t been diagnosed, see your GP first. Our IBS guide explains the symptoms and tests, and our guide to IBS subtypes explains IBS-C, IBS-D and IBS-M.
The right treatment depends on which symptom bothers you most. Choose one, and a pharmacist prescriber will check it suits you during your consultation.
Not sure which to choose? The prescriber will help.
IBS treatments are matched to the symptom that bothers you most. Cramping needs something different from diarrhoea, and constipation different again. Our guide to mebeverine vs Buscopan vs alverine compares the antispasmodics in detail.
Mebeverine (generic, Colofac) and alverine relax the muscle in the bowel wall, easing griping, cramping pain. Mebeverine is taken three times a day, about 20 minutes before meals. Best for: pain and cramping as the main problem.
Start IBS ConsultationBuscopan IBS Relief blocks the nerve signals that make the gut cramp. Usually 1 tablet three times a day, increased if needed. Best for: cramping that comes in waves. Not if you have glaucoma or myasthenia gravis, and not for continuous long-term use without the cause of the pain being checked.
Start IBS ConsultationColpermin and Apercap relax the gut muscle. 1 capsule three times a day, swallowed whole. Usually taken for 1 to 2 weeks, and can continue for 2 to 3 months if it helps. Colpermin contains peanut oil. See peppermint oil for IBS.
Start IBS ConsultationLoperamide slows the gut and firms up stools. Taken when you need it, or before a known trigger. Best for: diarrhoea-predominant IBS. See loperamide for IBS.
Start IBS ConsultationFybogel Mebeverine combines ispaghula husk (soluble fibre) with mebeverine. Best for: constipation with cramping. Drink plenty of water with it. See fibre and IBS.
Start IBS ConsultationBS can be managed online once it’s diagnosed, but some symptoms aren’t IBS and need checking.
We can supply IBS treatment if you’re 18 or over and your IBS has been diagnosed by a doctor. Please see your GP or midwife instead if:
Fact: The gut and the brain are closely wired together, so stress genuinely makes symptoms worse. That does not mean the symptoms are imagined. The pain, the bloating and the urgency are real and physical. Stress is a trigger, not the cause.
Fact: It does not. IBS does not damage the bowel and it does not raise your risk of cancer. That is exactly why the warning signs matter: bleeding, unexplained weight loss or a lump are not IBS, and need looking at separately.
Fact: For some people it helps. For plenty of others it makes no difference and leaves them on a needlessly narrow diet. A food and symptom diary for a few weeks tells you far more than guessing, and if a structured elimination diet is needed it works best with a dietitian rather than alone. it works best with a dietitian rather than alone. See our low FODMAP diet guide.” And at the end of the first: “See IBS and stress.
Fact: It depends which fibre and which symptom. Soluble fibre such as oats and linseeds usually helps constipation. Insoluble fibre from wholegrains, nuts and seeds often makes diarrhoea and bloating worse.
Which antispasmodic suits which symptom.
Read guideHow it works, dose and how long it takes.
Read guideThe symptoms that mean it isn’t IBS.
Read guideEvidence, dose and side effects.
Read guideWhich type you have, and what helps each.
Read guideWhat to eat and which medicine matches which symptom.
Read guideAnswers about getting IBS treatment online, and using it safely.
Only a doctor can diagnose IBS, usually after checking for other causes with blood tests and a stool test. The usual signs are tummy pain or cramps that ease after a poo, bloating, and diarrhoea, constipation or both, for at least 6 months. If you haven’t been diagnosed, see your GP. Our IBS guide explains how it’s diagnosed.
It depends on your main symptom: an antispasmodic such as mebeverine or Buscopan for cramps, peppermint oil for bloating and wind, loperamide for diarrhoea, and soluble fibre for constipation. Diet changes help alongside. See mebeverine vs Buscopan vs alverine.
If your IBS has already been diagnosed by a doctor, yes: a pharmacist prescriber reviews your consultation and we supply your treatment. If you haven’t been diagnosed, please see your GP first, because IBS can only be diagnosed once other causes are ruled out.
Antispasmodics and peppermint oil often help within a few days; fibre takes a few weeks to settle bowel habit. If a treatment hasn’t helped after 2 weeks, see your GP.
Stress doesn’t cause IBS on its own, but it’s a common trigger, because the gut and brain are closely linked. See IBS and stress.
IBS is often long-term, but symptoms come and go, and many people find long spells with few symptoms once they know their triggers and the treatments that suit them.
Small packs of mebeverine are pharmacy medicines for people with IBS diagnosed by a doctor. Larger packs, like the 100 and 200 tablet packs we supply, are prescription-only, and we supply them after an online consultation.
Neither is best for everyone; some people respond better to one than the other. Our guide to mebeverine vs Buscopan vs alverine compares them.
There’s no cure, but most people control their symptoms well with the right treatment and diet. The low FODMAP diet, done with a dietitian, helps many people.
See your GP. They’ll usually check your blood (including for coeliac disease) and may test a stool sample to rule out inflammation. There isn’t a single test for IBS.
We don’t supply IBS medicines online in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Please speak to your GP or midwife.
If your consultation is approved before 3pm, Monday to Friday, it’s dispatched the same day in plain packaging. You choose Royal Mail Tracked 48, Tracked 24 or Special Delivery guaranteed by 1pm next working day.
Helpful reads related to this treatment area.
Answer a few questions online. A pharmacist prescriber checks the treatment suits you, and we dispatch it the same day if approved before 3pm, Monday to Friday.
