Colestid (Colestipol) for IBS

Overview
Colestid is a prescription medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower blood serum cholesterol. Colestid may be prescribed off-label in cases of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to treat diarrhea when other medications have failed. Colestid is also known by its drug name, Colestipol.

Colestid is a bile acid binding agent. It is believed that Colestid works in cases of IBS by reducing the amount of bile acids in the intestines, thus reducing diarrhea.

How do I take it?
Colestid is taken once or twice daily.

Colestid comes in tablet form.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Colestid lists common side effects including nausea, vomiting, gas, diarrhea, indigestion, hemorrhoids, and rectal irritation.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Colestid include bleeding problems and worsening constipation.

For more details about this treatment, visit:
Colestid – RxList
http://www.rxlist.com/colestid-drug.htm