What Real Patients Say About Enterosgel®: Survey Results From Over 140 UK Users

Enteromed Editorial Team  ·  April 2026  ·  5 min read

Clinical trials tell us what happens in controlled conditions. But what happens in the real world, when real patients use Enterosgel® day to day, for their own conditions, on their own terms? We now have the data. Results from a RELIEVE IBS-D patient webinar poll, a Drug Tariff patient survey, and a UK real-world survey of 142 Enterosgel® users paint a compelling picture — one that goes well beyond what any single clinical trial can show.

What matters most to IBS-D patients

When RELIEVE IBS-D trial participants were asked which symptom impacts their quality of life the most, the answer was clear: urgency, cited by 41% of patients — significantly ahead of diarrhoea (29%), abdominal pain (18%), and bloating (12%).

This is a clinically important finding. Urgency — the sudden, desperate need to reach a toilet — is the symptom that most disrupts work, travel, relationships, and daily life for IBS-D patients. It is also the symptom that Enterosgel® addresses most directly, as demonstrated in the RELIEVE IBS-D trial.

When asked whether they were still taking Enterosgel® after completing the trial, 58% said yes. In a clinical trial context, this is a striking retention figure — patients who had completed a study and were under no obligation to continue chose to keep taking it.

The most striking finding: what happened to loperamide use

Patients taking Enterosgel® on NHS prescription were asked about their medication use before and after starting treatment. The results were remarkable.

Before starting Enterosgel®, 46% of patients were regularly taking loperamide. After starting Enterosgel®, that figure dropped to just 4%. A 90% reduction in loperamide use. This is significant not just as a measure of Enterosgel®'s effectiveness, but because loperamide is an opioid-based antidiarrhoeal that carries risks with long-term use — and patients were able to reduce or stop it once they had access to a safe, drug-free alternative.

The most common usage pattern was 1–2 doses per day (41%), with 26% using it only during symptom flares — reflecting that patients are using Enterosgel® flexibly, on their own terms, as and when needed.

142 UK users: who is using Enterosgel® and does it work?

A 2026 Bioline survey of 142 UK Enterosgel® users provided a detailed picture of real-world usage. The results confirm that Enterosgel® is being used effectively across a wide range of ages and conditions — and that the vast majority of users experience meaningful improvement.

Who is using Enterosgel®?

Users span all age groups — from infants under 1 year to adults over 60. The largest group was adults aged 15–60 (48%) followed closely by adults over 60 (42%) — reflecting the particular burden of chronic diarrhoea and IBS in older populations. Children across all age groups accounted for nearly 10% of users, consistent with Enterosgel®'s CE Class IIa indication for all ages from newborns upwards.

What conditions are they using it for?

IBS-D was the most common condition (38%), followed by acute diarrhoea (13%), food poisoning or gastrointestinal infection (12%), and chronic diarrhoea not diagnosed as IBS-D (9%). Users also reported using Enterosgel® for IBD, food allergies, skin conditions including atopic dermatitis and acne, and GLP-1 gastrointestinal side effects — reflecting the broad range of conditions in which intestinal adsorbents may play a role.

Does it work?

90% of users reported some level of improvement — with 55% reporting strong improvement and 15% reporting their symptoms had resolved entirely. Only 6% reported no effect. Across all key symptoms — stool frequency, stool consistency, duration of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating, and urgency — the majority of users reported meaningful improvement.

Side effects

89% of users reported no side effects. Among the 11% who did, constipation was the most common (7%), consistent with Enterosgel®'s mechanism of action as an intestinal adsorbent — a small number of users find that adjusting the dose resolves this. Nausea was reported by 1%. No serious adverse events were reported.

What this means for you

The clinical trial evidence for Enterosgel® is strong. The real-world evidence is now catching up — and confirming what the trials showed. Across multiple data sources, the picture is consistent: Enterosgel® works, it is safe, it is well tolerated, and patients who use it tend to keep using it.

If you have IBS-D or chronic diarrhoea and have not yet tried Enterosgel®, it is available on NHS prescription, over the counter at Boots, and at enteromed.co.uk. Ask your GP about NHS prescription access, or order directly.