Close to 10 percent of all adults will experience some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms include cramps, gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. A drug currently being studied may mean relief for at least some people. Now it's to the point that I literally cannot stand up. It hurts so bad.
Food normally moves through our digestive tracts at a regular, steady pace.
However, Dr. Marybeth Spanarkel says if this carefully coordinated event is disrupted, problems will arise. N.C. Doctors don't know for sure what triggers an IBS attack, but they think stress, diet and exercise play a part. Right now there's no cure for the condition, but an experimental drug called Alosteron may help alleviate some of the more common symptoms. Still in clinical trials, Alosetron has so far proven less effective in men. In women, however, it seems to help regulate the working of the digestive tract.