Advice on diet, particularly restricting caffeine and reducing sorbitol and fructose, may help. Wheat bran may aggravate the condition but the use of oats and ispaghula husk or sterculia as bulk laxatives can be beneficial.

Probiotics may help some people. In those who are interested, a trial of at least four weeks is advised to determine if there are any beneficial effects.

Radical dietary restrictions or a low FODMAP (short chain carbohydrate) diet should only be considered under the supervision of a dietician. For patients where abdominal cramps and pain are a problem, various OTC antispasmodics indicated for IBS (alverine, mebeverine, peppermint oil capsules or hyoscine) may be useful. Bowel urgency and diarrhoea can be relieved with loperamide.

The NICE guideline on IBS advises on having regular meals, maintaining a reasonable daily fluid intake, reducing caffeine and limiting high-fibre foods, amongst other things. Various interventions should be tried as it is likely that different approaches will suit different people.

General advice on regular exercise and guidance on methods of relaxation are important components of encouraging self-management.