Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological Treatments of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Their Impact on the Quality of Life: A Literature Review

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a non-organic gastrointestinal disorder that adversely affects the quality of life (QoL). The etiology of the disease is not fully understood, and appropriate treatment is still a matter of debate. Therefore, we feel that a review that describes the different treatment methods of treatment is needed to provide the correct clues. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, including randomized clinical trials and review articles. We carefully reviewed the different treatment options mentioned in the published research papers and compared their results to address the treatment options for IBS. The current literature review reveals that pharmacological treatments such as antidepressants, vitamin D, probiotics, and antispasmodic drugs and non-pharmacological treatments including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acupuncture, anise, and diet modification can help control the symptoms of IBS and improve the QoL of patients.