{"id":45413,"date":"2026-04-09T04:59:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45413"},"modified":"2026-04-09T04:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:59:35","slug":"common-treatments-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death-study-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45413","title":{"rendered":"Common treatments for irritable bowel syndrome linked to higher risk of death, study warns"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Several of the most common treatments for irritable bowel syndrome could raise the risk of death, a study suggests.<\/p>\n

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that causes a range of symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Affecting up to one in 10 Americans<\/a>, the condition has no cure but can be managed with dietary modifications, behavioral therapy and medications such as laxatives, fiber supplements, probiotics and low doses of certain antidepressants.<\/p>\n

However, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University in Los Angeles<\/a> have suggested medications for IBS may carry long-term, unforeseen consequences.<\/p>\n

Combing through two decades’ worth of health records from 650,000 Americans, the team assessed FDA<\/a> approved IBS medications, along with antidepressants, muscle relaxants and anti-diarrheal drugs.<\/p>\n

They found that long-term antidepressant use was associated with a 35 percent higher risk of death compared to patients not taking those medications.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the diarrhea opioid\u00a0diphenoxylate was associated with an 89 percent increased risk of death, and long-term use of over-the-counter diarrhea medication loperamide (sold under brand names like\u00a0Imodium) was linked to double the risk of death from any cause compared to not taking the drug.<\/p>\n

The study authors caution that the findings do not prove these medications directly cause death, but the results could mean the medications were associated with higher rates of adverse side effects like heart attack, falls and stroke.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A new study suggests some medications commonly used to treat IBS are associated with an increased risk of death (stock image)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n