Expert: Joyce A. Anthony - 9/17/2006

Question
Hi!  My wife has bipolar and severe Irritible Bowel Syndrome (a stress-related problem of the colon being over or under active, with pain/nausea).  Her GI Dr. thought that the extended bout (76 days) of her IBS is totally due to her depression that occurred about the same time as the beginning of this extremely long bout.  She is on GI meds, as well as Paxil 40mg and Klonopin 3mg/day.  The psychiatrist also put her back on Seroquel.  1. Does Seroquel also treat depression (I thought it was for mania) or whatever this may be? 2. How long does it take for the Seroquel to kick back in after resuming it?  Thanks!  Ken (another allexpert-astronomy).

Answer
Hi Ken!

It is entirely possible your wife's IBS and depression are inter-related.  It's a Catch-22 situation.  The IBS is made worse by the depression and the long-lasting episode deepens the depression.

Seroquel should be back to working within two weeks time.  While it is usually prescribed for bipolar mania, it will help balance out the Paxil.  Seroquel is excellent for mood stabilization and I believe it will work well with the other two meds your wife is on--and it will not interact adversely with the GI meds.

I think your doctor is completely correct on this move.

                      Joyce A. Anthony
                       (who loves astronomy)