# imodium or levsin...xanax..?



## 14555 (Jan 19, 2007)

w to the t to the f! im confused...i dont know which one to take. the doctor prescribed levsin and xanax since a few of my d episodes are caused by riding the subway about 2 hours each day and not knowing where the next restroom will be. stress is a trigger for me so thats why she gave me xanax. anyways....i dont want to have to take either of these on a daily basis. i know i can take imodium daily but whats the difference between that and the levsin?? im limiting my xanax doses to the weekends when i go into the city, parties or weddings where im outside of my comfort zone..recap..levsin and imodium both slow the gut right??


----------



## 20616 (Feb 20, 2007)

I jsut got levsin prescribed. (I am new to IBS.) I got the levsin tabs that you put under your tongue. My understanding is that they are fast into your system and fast out of your system....Levsin is an antispasmodic. It can cause constipation, but it's main use is to stop bowel or bladder spasms.Immodium is for diarrea--I don't know if it contains any antispasmodics or not.I have tried immodium in the past and it has not really made a difference in my spasms. I have not tried the levsin yet--I just got it prescrived recently.I hope this helpsJenny


----------



## 22974 (Jan 20, 2007)

Librax works for my spasms. My daily routine is 2 immodium, 1 librax, and 1 xanax during the week. Travel to work gets me anxiety ridden, job too stressful. I try not to take any meds on weekends unless I have a function to attend. Levsin never worked for me. Librax seems to calm down my crazy spasms just fine. My primary physician recommends I stop all meds. Easier said than done. She want me to try a fiber like Metamucil. Not sure how that will work. Still have anxiety, so the fiber won't cure that. Good luck.


----------



## misskkg (Sep 26, 2011)

saga77039 said:


> w to the t to the f! im confused...i dont know which one to take. the doctor prescribed levsin and xanax since a few of my d episodes are caused by riding the subway about 2 hours each day and not knowing where the next restroom will be. stress is a trigger for me so thats why she gave me xanax. anyways....i dont want to have to take either of these on a daily basis. i know i can take imodium daily but whats the difference between that and the levsin?? im limiting my xanax doses to the weekends when i go into the city, parties or weddings where im outside of my comfort zone..recap..levsin and imodium both slow the gut right??


I am a newly diagnosed 25 year old with IBS. My understanding is that the treatment and use of prescriptions varies per person depending on the severity. I've heard of people who have to take it daily or they basically can't function without it (my aunt) and others who only need it for flare-ups every now and then (my cousin). My doctor prescribed me Hyoscyamine (generic for Levsin) and I was instructed to take it when I was having flare-ups. My understanding is that Immodium is specifically an anti-diarrhetic, whereas the Levsin is more to control the stomach/intestinal motion or contraction for IBS overall. I normally just take a few tablespoons of Metamucil (sp?) every night, load up on fiber, and eat a lot of apples and that usually helps me regulate myself, and then I just take my pills when I am getting bloated or have a flare coming on. If I have straight up diarrhea, I usually take Immodium because I am way too busy to be able to just let it out naturally w/o meds. But I would think this would be something you'd want to discuss with your doctor as far as how often they're wanting you to take it. My doctor is very specific about what he wants me to do. I'm trying this medication on an as needed basis for 2 months, and then we're f/u to determine if we need to try something new or not, or take more frequently. I think for most people, it's trial by error to see what works and what doesn't. Good luck!!


----------

