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There's no single diet or medicine that works for everyone with IBS. But there are lots of things that can help if you have been diagnosed with it.

You can buy a key from The IBS Network shop or Disability Rights UK shop that can help you access public toilets if you get symptoms while away from home.

• eat oats (such as porridge) regularly
• eat up to 1 tablespoon of linseeds (whole or ground) a day
• avoid foods that are hard to digest (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, beans, onions and dried fruit)
• avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
• ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like Buscopan or peppermint oil

• cut down on high-fibre foods like wholegrain foods (such as brown bread and brown rice), nuts and seeds
• avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
• ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like Imodium (loperamide)

Important

If you keep getting diarrhoea, make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

• drink plenty of water to help make your poo softer
• increase how much soluble fibre you eat – good foods include oats, pulses, carrots, peeled potatoes and linseeds (whole or ground)
• ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help (laxatives), like Fybogel or Normacol

Find out more

• The IBS Network: diet and IBS
• The IBS Network: IBS medicines

See a GP if: