Questran

[Guest guest]

I started on Questran, three times a day about 10 days ago. I'd had

problems with AWFUL itching. I'd itch through the whole night, even in

my sleep (with 3 benadryll on board). Somehow, I managed to itch and

snore at the same time. My husband explained to me that my itching was

affecting not only MY quality of life, but his as well. He was getting

even less sleep than I was.

Within two days of starting the Questran, the itching abruptly

stopped. Is it feasible that the Questran stopped the itching that

quickly, or is possible that it was a coincidence that the itching

stopped that quicly?

[Guest guest]

Here's what http://www.psctrust.com/pages/psc_urso_questran.htm says:

Questran

Questran will help with the itching - it doesn't affect jaundice. Questran is

certainly the main drug used for itching. Urso doesn't have much effect on

itching. It has some effect, but not a lot . But that will improve other

factors. It will improve jaundice, probably. It certainly improves liver

function tests and encourages bile flow. They work well together except that you

can't give them together. The Questran sits in the bile. It is not absorbed into

the body. It leeches out into it, in the salts which cause the itching and then

is passed out in the motions and takes the itching with it. Urso is absorbed

into the body, taken into the liver and becomes part of what is called the bile

acid pool which circulates through the body.

If you are taking urso, it is important to take it 3 or 4 hours away from the

Questran. The Questran will help the itching but will also take onto itself the

Urso so that the Urso can't be absorbed.

Take your Questran or Calestipal before or after breakfast when it will do the

most good and then take your urso later on in the day. An hour is a bit too soon

- I would leave it longer than that. I would say three or four hours. Before and

after breakfast is a good time for Questran and take urso at a different time.

The idea being that if you take it before or after breakfast you have the

maximum amount of bile in the gall bladder. You have your breakfast, and the

bile comes out the gall bladder and it is then taken onto the Questran and

passed out of your body which helps the itching.

I have no personal experience with it, but the above seems consistent with what

I've heard. Not everyone has good experience with it however.

Arne

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....Within two days of starting the Questran, the itching abruptly stopped. Is

it feasible that the Questran stopped the itching that quickly, or is possible

that it was a coincidence that the itching stopped that quicly?

[Guest guest]

> ...

> Within two days of starting the Questran, the itching abruptly

> stopped. Is it feasible that the Questran stopped the itching that

> quickly, or is possible that it was a coincidence that the itching

> stopped that quicly?

Eliminating the reabsorption of bile acids from the gut (whether by

binding with Questran or fushing them out with a colonoscopy prep) has

often immediately reduced my itching, so the rapid reduction in

itching that you observed is most likely due to the Questran.

Tim R, 59, ltx 1998, recurrent PSC 2002