Stress-related bowel issues, sometimes but not always alternatively involving both diarrhea and constipation, are a hallmark of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A diagnosis of exclusion, most of the stem is helping you rule out more serious issues. Lubiprostone, which is a fatty acid that induces stool-softening intestinal secretions, is approved for idiopathic constipation, most commonly in the context of IBS and or secondary to opiate use. The other drugs listed are for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who have significant gastrointestinal bloating symptoms can be treated with antispasmodic medications (eg, dicycloverine) that block gastrointestinal muscarinic receptors.  Those with constipation-predominant IBS are sometimes treated with lubiprostone, a chloride channel activator, to increase intestinal fluid secretion.  IBS is usually marked by periods of diarrhea and/or constipation and abdominal bloating; early satiety and vomiting of undigested food would be atypical. (UW#6705)