HORMONAL DIARRHEA?

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TMI ALERT!!!

So I have had IBS symptoms pretty much my whole life. It comes and goes and alternates between constipation and diarrhea. I've learned how to deal with the constipation aspect, so that is no longer an issue. I always thought my symptoms were triggered by certain foods, but could NEVER figure out a pattern. I would leave out whole food groups for months on end trying to find the culprit. I finally figured out that starch was definitely a trigger and so I gave up grains three years ago, but that has not resulted a complete cure. Further elimination of various foods has been a dead end....

I started keeping a detailed log of everything I ingest including supplements and timing and this is what I have noticed: I get diarrhea in the luteal phase of my cycle....especially as I increase the PROGEST-E. It's like my liver is struggling to clear hormones or something....stool becomes BRIGHT YELLOW ACID WATER and can last for days on end :cry: . This is definitely cyclical and seems to be related to increasing progesterone. Anyone else have this? Or recognize a pattern? Or is it related to massive amounts of SEROTONIN somehow???

Despite studying this stuff all day long, I am utterly clueless....any insight would be much appreciated!
 
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Oh, and a few more items that may be pertinent:

I AM eating enough high quality protein.

I do not have any signs of being HYPERthyroid, still lowish body temps and pulse.

I am not drinking any alcohol.

Thanks for any help in advance!
 

Blossom

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When I had confirmed high GI serotonin, I had diarrhea as one problem associated with that, so yes I think in some cases it can be a factor. There is also diarrhea as a common phenomenon which comes with the onset of the menstrual cycle. So both of your ideas seem plausible. You could wait and see how things continue, possibly check your whole blood serotonin or maybe decrease the Progest-e. I'm just wondering if you haven't started to achieve a level of healing where it may be time to reevaluate your approach. :D
 
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..."possibly check my blood serotonin"....Ha! Would that involve a needle? :eek: I have to recuperate from my last blood draw first :lol:

I can vaguely recall having looser stool when my period arrived as a teenager, does not seem like I have had that issue for a long time tho. However, I have had very low progesterone levels for 15 years or more. I had a lot weird digestive issues when first starting Peating, but I chalked that up to adjusting to carbs, nothing else has really changed in my diet: lotta cheese, milk, OJ, shrimp, collagen, coffee etc. I did start the Progest-E along with all the other changes so it was hard to tell which change was causing what symptom, which is why it took me this long to sort things out. I had planned on this cycle being my last with the LARGER dose Progest-E any how, so we will see what next month brings when I go back to normal dosing. I cannot give it up all together, I have had too many good results. Certainly will cut back tho... thanks Blossom!
 

Blossom

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I don't mean cut Progest-e out by any means! You may just be ready to give a lower dose a try. Possibly things are just starting to work better again after a long time deficiency. If your problem continues after the Progest-e adjustment then you could consider other things. It's kind of cool to experience something that you haven't experienced since your teens! I like to take that as a healing sign :D !
 
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Yes, that's it! I am becoming a teenager (complete with acne and hormonal diarrhea) I love it!!!!
 

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thebigpeatowski said:
Yes, that's it! I am becoming a teenager (complete with acne and hormonal diarrhea) I love it!!!!
I'm sorry! I know it stinks(figuratively) but I'm sure you will feel better soon. You just gave your body more progesterone than its probably had since you were last pregnant. Hang in there and keep us posted, please. :oops:
 

Mittir

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If hormone clearance by liver is a problem then doing raw carrot salad ( or cooked bamboo shoots)
once or twice a day can be a good addition. RP recommends the salad separate from meals
in the afternoon. For a while i ate raw carrot salad 2 hours before lunch and 2 hours after lunch
and found it was more effective than once in the afternoon. But had to stop it cause
it lowers my appetite.
I remember RP mentioning high Estrogen phase
in female increases both serotonin and histamine release( both are know to cause
diarrhea like stomach problems). You can experiment with small dose of
anti-histamines that also lowers serotonin. Cyproheptadine is a good choice,
RP recommends Benadryl as a good anti-histamine.
I do not remember if Benadryl lowers serotonin or not.
Only puzzling part is that your symptoms get worse
when you are using something that is supposed to neutralize the root cause, estrogen.
RP also mentioned that progesterone brings out estrogen from tissue and then
knocks it out. This possibly explains why people have low serum estrogen and progestrone
increasing that. I do not know if progesterone increases burden on liver while
neutralizing estrogen, but that seems quite possible. RP also mentioned that
large amount of salt helping females with high estrogen related water retention problems.
 
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Thank you Mittir! I have had a stuffy nose for the last two days, for no apparent reason, I wonder if that is related? I ran out of Benadryl a week ago and need to go get some more. I don't take it very often, but it would be a fun experiment to see if it slows/stops the diarrhea. I do believe it helps with serotonin.

While I normally do the carrot thing to stay nice and regular, I cannot take the carrot or any other fiber when my guts are in this mode, it just shoots right through me....no good. And I always eat a TON of salt as I crave it, no edema here, just liquid movements. If anything I feel dehydrated everywhere else but my guts, which feel irritated swollen.

Will keep you all posted on the Benadryl Experiment...

Thanks again!
 

SQu

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Charcoal? Has helped me stop a high estrogen and serotonin bad patch a few times, most recently yesterday, during which I also get stuffy nose / hay fever. would probably not shoot through like carrot, can be constipating, I find it soothing.
 

Blossom

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sueq said:
Charcoal? Has helped me stop a high estrogen and serotonin bad patch a few times, most recently yesterday, during which I also get stuffy nose / hay fever. would probably not shoot through like carrot, can be constipating, I find it soothing.
I second that! I used charcoal in the beginning with great benefit! I'm glad I don't need it anymore but was sure grateful for it when I did.
 

Peata

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sueq said:
Charcoal? Has helped me stop a high estrogen and serotonin bad patch a few times, most recently yesterday, during which I also get stuffy nose / hay fever. would probably not shoot through like carrot, can be constipating, I find it soothing.

What is your dosage?
 
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Yep, activated charcoal was the ONLY thing that stopped it last month....I will take some today if there is a problem. I took Benadryl last night and slept really well, woke up with guts feeling fine...so far so good.

When I used the charcoal last month I took 6 tablets. I don't have any powdered charcoal on hand, just trying to use up what I already have. The stuff is ancient, but I don't think it goes bad.
 

SQu

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Somewhere here I read 1 - 2 tablespoons. This also helped my daughter who has signs of high estrogen and bad periods, on the first day of her period, when she suffers from bad cramps and generally feels terrible.
 

Peata

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Thanks, guys. I have a bottle of AC and take a couple capsules at night, maybe 2 x week. I make sure it's at least an hour since I've taken anything else. Really, I feel like I could take it almost every night because it seems to help with numerous things. I wake up feeling good.

The kind I happen to have is Solaray. 280 mg. in each capsule.
 

Blossom

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Peata said:
Thanks, guys. I have a bottle of AC and take a couple capsules at night, maybe 2 x week. I make sure it's at least an hour since I've taken anything else. Really, I feel like I could take it almost every night because it seems to help with numerous things. I wake up feeling good.

The kind I happen to have is Solaray. 280 mg. in each capsule.
I used to follow a similar regimen and after I started cyproheptadine I realized that I totally forgot all about the activated charcoal. I used to wish I could take it daily because I felt I needed it that often but I would make myself limit it to only a couple of times per week. I think for my situation the cyproheptadine stopped the viscous serotonin/histamine cycle and calmed my gut so it could begin to heal. Just thought I would mention that experience for anyone who might be in the same boat. I think it's probably a bit different for each person but I love how we can share our stories.
 
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Okay....so I took the Benadryl last night and slept great and have two totally normal movements today. I had been having chronic diarrhea SINCE DAY 20 OF MY CYCLE, it is now day 24. I started keeping track of all this stuff in January, so I went back through all of my notes and noticed a definite pattern of diarrhea during the week or so before my period. The nights that I took Benadryl, my movements were perfectly normal the next day, but by the following evening (lotsa times in the middle of the night) I would be back to the yellow runs again.


I guess what is happening is my estrogen gets so high during my luteal phase that it releases histamine and serotonin causing massive gut irritation and the rest is all yellow..... :oops: So taking an antihistamine DOES INDEED stop it for a day, so does activated charcoal and I think the effects of charcoal lasts longer. I can't take charcoal everyday cuz I need some nutrients. I already feel like I am starving when my food goes right through me days on end.

I have been told that all of my gut issues are FOOD allergies. I even paid like $400 last year for an antibody food assessment dealio which said I am allergic to everything I eat (eggs, milk, cheese, beef, coffee...to name just a few) WTF? I wondered how that could be as I had no overt symptoms of allergy such as watery eyes, sneezing etc. I mean how is it that I can I drink milk for three weeks out of the month and be fine? So I began the tedious process of food elimination: I went six months with absolutely NO dairy, coffee or beef and guess what? Nothing changed. NOTHING.

I feel so brain damaged that I never would have guessed that it was triggered by estrogen....can't believe it took me this long to figure it out.

I had to quit working and sit around for three months taking notes and reading to get a clue!

I think food allergies are a SCAM!!!
 
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"Irritable bowel syndrome, another kind of “movement disorder,” can be treated effectively with anti-serotonin agents.This syndrome is very common in women, with premenstrual exacerbations, when estrogen is highest."--RP

I need something that won't make me drowsy... :cool:
 

Blossom

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Lisuride is an anti serotonin agent, that doesn't cause drowsiness, that you may want to investigate further to see if it might be appropriate for your situation.
 
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Running to get some lisuride...thanks Blossom!!!


Yeah...that would be me right now...Sometimes I think I am autistic. My guts are starting to rumble, time for more Benadryl!!!
 

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