Dealing with IBS and Anxiety: Can Caffeine be a Trigger?

What do you guys take to control the urge to go to the bathroom so much? In my case, I've been years taking the generic brand of Immodium. I take 6 of them almost every single day to be able to work, because if I don't, I'll be in the bathroom all day.

It seems that stress always made/still makes me run to the bathroom. I also have IBS, so I understand. Wherever I go, I have to know that a restroom is nearby.

Could you switch to decaf coffee? If it's the taste you're after, that should satisfy it. Caffeine in any form is a common IBS trigger. And yes, stress and anxiety are known to exasperate symptoms of IBS. Mine also started as only when I was anxious and evolved into the full syndrome in time. To ease my symptoms, I went gluten free and vegan. I still have a single cup of coffee most days. For some reason, brewed coffee tends to irritate my GERD but instant expresso doesn't (maybe since lower caffeine content?) Now I rarely ever have a flare unless I ate something I shouldn't have

Actually this sounds a lot like me! When I was younger, I only had stress related symptoms, but now I deal with it almost every day. If you really feel like you can't give up coffee, I would try eliminating some other common ibs triggers (ie. Gluten or lactose) or other high fodmap foods you feel like you can let go of. Hopefully then you would see a little improvement!