Irritable bowel syndrome and white bread?!

You can get gluten free bread, these days most supermarkets sell it. However avoiding wheat/gluten does not have any specific effect on IBS only on coeliac which is gluten enteropathy.

The classic prescribed treatment is Colpermin, concentrated peppermint. Does it work? In my view not very well I am afraid! 50% of IBS sufferers do improve with a high fibre diet, bad news the other 50% get worse. This sub group actually do improve on a low fibre diet. Unfortunately this is unhelpful medically, producing other bowel symptoms and increasing bowel cancer risks. Antispasmodics definitely help reduce cramps, but do little else.

The drug I found most useful in practice was amitriptylline, an old tricyclic antidepressant used in very low dose, 10-20 mgs daily. This may work by affecting the smooth muscle off the bowel. Though not within the drug licence there have been many papers over the past 30 years confirming its usefulness.

GP for more years than I care to remember

The yeast or wild fermented bread is always made of wheat flour.

I`m not sure about the gluten free variety..