Expired Iberogast somehow wrecked my guts

[floridor]

Hey everybody,
I know this sounds peculiar but hear me out.

I took Iberogast (Advance) occasionally and one time, about half an hour after intake I started farting like crazy and had a pressure like feeling in the gut (not normal for me).
The next day my bowel movements were off (not normal for me) - I felt not really empty after the BM and had a constant urge to sh*t. I went to the bathroom like 5 times. The symptoms subsided after a day. Then some days later I took Iberogast again with the same outcome (immediate reaction and the next day compromised). This happened one more time, but then the symptoms did not go away the next day (they are still ongoing after 2 month), so I questioned the whole thing (should have done that earlier, I know).

When I had a look at the Iberogast bottle it became clear, that it had not only expired for like half a year but more so had been first opened over a yea ago, when the recommendation is to use it only within 4 weeks after first opening Iberogast.

That isn't the first time in my life I took Iberogast. It was the go-to medication for my parents when I was a child. And since my parents never cared much for the expiration date on it - well I didn't either. In my case, the liquid tasted and smelled as always, but there has to be something with it.

It is 100% clear, that the Iberogast did that. I never had issues with my guts. Now I have it daily: I go to the toilet from 2 to 8 times until like 3pm, often only small amounts each BM, sometimes loose stools. I have a constant pressure in my gut and in the evening lot's of bloating.

Do you have any ideas, what exactly could have happened there?

I mean, the ingredients besides the fresh iberis amara blossom are pretty basic (fennel, caraway and so on) and with the added ethanol I cannot imagine something going bad, but what's with the iberis amara? And what in god's name could have happened with my gut microbiome with such a small and short exposure?

I really appreciate any input anyone can give - the desperation is real :l

[shadowmed]

Sorry to hear of your tummy troubles. It could have been the aged medication you took, but I presume you took it initially for some problem? What was that? Either way, as it has gone on for a couple of months now, it is time to see a doctor. If you are not feeling too bad, you could try taking a multi-strain yoghurt or another probiotic for a few days to see how it goes. Holland and Barrett do one called ‘Live Friendly Bacteria with Acidophilus’. It seems to be helping me at the moment (severe IBS, undergoing investigations) but as my problems tend to flare badly and regularly, I can’t tell just yet whether it is the friendly bacteria helping or I’m just in between bad bouts. I’ve been taking them for about a fortnight and have been pretty good during that time.