If you are a patient with irritable bowel syndrome who has been prescribed Viberzi medication for your IBS, you may be at risk for a dangerous pancreas condition known as pancreatitis.

A new Viberzi FDA warning has just been released warning patients and the medical community about the risks associated with taking the IBS drug. These warnings especially affect those patients who are taking Viberzi medication and have had their gallbladder removed.

Viberzi FDA Warning

If you have IBS, you may be prescribed Viberzi medication for your IBS symptoms. In patients with IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea), Viberzi medication works by lessening the amount of contractions the bowels undergo. This can relieve pain in a person with IBS and reduce symptoms.

IBS-D affects the large intestine and can cause cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and most relevantly, diarrhea. The Viberzi FDA warning says that “Viberzi can help ease stomach-area or abdomen pain and improve stool consistency.”

However, even though Viberzi medication has only been approved for about the last three years, many patients have developed certain side effects such as pancreatitis. This risk increases for those patients of Viberzi without gallbladders.

According to the Viberzi FDA warning, “Viberzi (eluxadoline), a medicine used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), should not be used in patients who do not have a gallbladder.” Essentially, those patients who take Virberzi without gallbladders are at increased risk for pancreas problems.

Additionally, the Viberzi FDA warning states that “an FDA review found these patients have an increased risk of developing serious pancreatitis that could result in hospitalization or death. Pancreatitis may be caused by spasm of a certain digestive system muscle in the small intestine.”

The Viberzi FDA Warning goes on to recommend that doctors should not prescribe Viberzi to those patients that have had their gallbladders removed. This is because their findings state that “hospitalizations and deaths due to pancreatitis have been reported with Viberzi use in patients who do not have a gallbladder.”

Patients who take Viberzi without gallbladders are especially at risk for problems because Viberzi medication affects the Oddi sphincter. This valve regulates the flow of bile between the pancreas and the gallbladder and the small intestine. Viberzi medication can cause this sphincter to spasm which can, in turn, cause enzymes that aid in digestion from the pancreas put in motion before they reach the small intestine. The pancreas, in this case, is adversely affected.

What are the Symptoms of Viberzi Pancreas Problems?

If you have IBS and are a patient taking Viberzi medication and have had your gallbladder removed, you should be aware of the signs and symptoms of pancreas problems. These include back or abdominal pain, fever, an increased heart rate, loss of appetite, sweating, nausea or vomiting weight loss.

Not only are patients who take Viberzi without gallbladders at special risk, but patients with other prior health problems may also have an increased risk of problems.

Those patients who consume more than three alcoholic beverages per day, have chronic constipation, have digestive problems caused by the Oddi sphincter, have gallbladder or intestinal obstruction, have liver disease or other pancreatic issues are also at risk for increased Viberzi medication side effects.