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Irritable bowel syndrome: treatment options

Magdy El-Salhy, Doris Gundersen, Jan Gunnar Hatlebakk and Trygve Hausken

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder that considerably reduces the patient’s quality of life and represents an economic burden to society due to the high consumption of healthcare resources and the nonproductivity of irritable bowel syndrome patients. The options for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome are nonpharmacological and pharmacological. The nonpharmacological approach includes: information and reassurance, dietary guidance, regular exercise, probiotic intake, hypnotherapy and cognitive therapy, psychodynamic interpersonal therapies and relaxation training. There is still some uncertainty regarding the role of cognitive behavior, psychodynamic interpersonal therapies and relaxation training in managing irritable bowel syndrome. This is due to significant challenges in terms of study design, patient selection and the interpretation of results. Pharmacological treatment mainly includes laxatives, antidiarrheal drugs, antispasmodic drugs, antidepressants and antianxiety drugs. Patient confidence is higher for the nonpharmacological approach than medication. The nonpharmacological approach is also more effective than medication.