# Imodium Withdrawal



## AceBuzz (Sep 22, 2011)

So basically I'm back home for Christmas Holidays from University, and I thought I'd give my stomach a break from Imodium in this time. I've been using 2/3 tablets a day for around 3 months now, and the past week as I've come off it I'm experiencing real bad problems. It starts off with me not being able to sleep all night, with pains and liquid gurgling in my stomach, then when I wake up I had bad diarrhoea, I didn't think this was a problem as I thought my stomach was just clearing itself but this morning I ate some cereal with Goats Milk and I've been in pain and had diarrhoea all day. Then on my last movement it was literally what I ate in the morning, no digestion at all, I even smelt it (grimey I know) but it literally smelt like it went in. The diarrhoea before was yellowy.I am only worried as I have experienced diarrhoea many times before, but never COMPLETELY undigested food.Any thoughts?


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## AceBuzz (Sep 22, 2011)

Also sorry for being a bit graphic :Z


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Maybe you need to go back on the imodium???


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Goat's milk has almost as much lactose as cow's milk (a bit less but not by much) if you are lactose intolerant that can set off diarrhea.Imodium doesn't do anything long term to stop the IBS-diarrhea so if the IBS is there the diarrhea will come back when you stop taking it. That isn't withdrawl, just the IBS still being there.


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## AceBuzz (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah, I understand. I'm not sure what I am, the doctors kind of just shrugged their shoulders and abandoned me. But I am increasingly thinking it might be lactose intolerance...


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## Friday (Dec 9, 2008)

Kathleen's comment hits the nail on the head!: Imodium doesn't do anything long term to stop the IBS-diarrhea so if the IBS is there the diarrhea will come back when you stop taking it. That isn't withdrawl, just the IBS still being there. For years I worried about imodium 'withdrawal' but I'd agree totally with Kathleen and my doctor told me the same. There is no cure for IBS, it's just we can take meds to help us through but it will never 'cure' it. Sad but true. Whenever I try to take a break from imodium (taken it for 3 years each day) back comes the D.


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## AceBuzz (Sep 22, 2011)

Friday said:


> Kathleen's comment hits the nail on the head!: Imodium doesn't do anything long term to stop the IBS-diarrhea so if the IBS is there the diarrhea will come back when you stop taking it. That isn't withdrawl, just the IBS still being there. For years I worried about imodium 'withdrawal' but I'd agree totally with Kathleen and my doctor told me the same. There is no cure for IBS, it's just we can take meds to help us through but it will never 'cure' it. Sad but true. Whenever I try to take a break from imodium (taken it for 3 years each day) back comes the D.


As stated in my original post, it wasn't the D I was worrying about, I knew that would come back, it was the fact that my food was coming out completely undigested. I've had really bad bouts of D, with blood, mucus, different colours, but never in my 3/4 years have I ever had no digestion what so ever.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> coming out completely undigested


 All that means is the food was moving through pretty fast.. WHICH... the imodium would slow down!


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I used to find that taking certain medications would prevent me going more than 1-2 times a day but all they were doing was feeling like they were stopping food at a certain point in the digestive system and each morning it was like opening a trapdoor and letting everything out.The upside to this was that i didnt have incomplete evacuation and my life was very normal during that time.


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## NonToxicPoison (Dec 21, 2011)

I've noticed that when I drink milky products example coffe with milk, it destroys my stomach! Maybe it was the milk. I didn't even know there were different types of IBS, then after reading some of the posts here I have realised that I have IBS - D. To be honest I would much rather have constipation! I can't go anywhere in the morning because I need to pooh anywhere from 4 to 7! This messes things up completely cos I can't take a early road trip because there's no way in hell that I will have some anal explosion in the bushes. I've noticed that Imodium does wonders but I have to pop 2 before I can actually relax. Another alternative is Pectrolite. It eases the cramping too!


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## maitland (Dec 23, 2011)

obviously taking imodium allows u to cheat on the diet limitations of ibs but once you stop taking them.....go back to the very basics and start over, for me cereal and goat's milk is a trigger...lactose and sugar...not good. good luck acebuzz


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## symbiosis (Dec 30, 2011)

From my understand that is not true. People have experienced withdrawals from imundium. However, they are rare. Remember Imodium (Loperamide) is type of opiate that doesnt cross the blood brain barrier! I remember reading a story that showed highly addicted heroin addicts have serious constipation issues. They used this knowledge to make Imodium. You can experience withdrawals from Imundium, and if you give enough imodium (40 odd 2mg pills







)to a craving junky, it will subside his addiction, for a short while. I love imodium, but im sure most of you have had your time with imodium and know that is it a cheating way, and the real answer to living with IBS-D is via diet. Thats my next step, thats why i'm here =)


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Sorry you are incorrect. There is NO withdrawal from it. Imodium is basically all the ingredients WITHOUT the opiate. That is what imodium is.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

BQ said:


> Sorry you are incorrect. There is NO withdrawal from it. Imodium is basically all the ingredients WITHOUT the opiate. That is what imodium is.


Imodium is an opiate. I don't know what other "ingredients" you are talking about. You are right though, there is no withdrawal from regular Imodium usage. But at a dosage of 40 pills? I don't know if that's been tested. I can imagine that at a high dosage, enough of the Imodium would cross the blood-brain barrier to exhibit some opiate effects on the brain. In fact you are not supposed to take Imodium with certain daily antacid medications because they have the potential to bind with the Imodium allowing it to cross the blood-brain barrier.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I used to take 12 imodium a day and sometimes 16 and there were no opiate like side effects for me at all.I currently take codeine and do get opiate like side effects after only a couple of tablets but i am quite tolerant to it now.My GI specialist said imodium can be taken as and when needed for ibs but in my own experience i'd have to say that if 12-16 tablets a day arent helping then its time to try an alternative medication.


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## AmiL (Jan 6, 2012)

Hi, i am pretty much the same as you. I've been on around 2-3 imodium a day but for 3 years now. I had type D IBS and as a young girl in my early 20's it was ruining my life, especially as up until i was 19 i was perfectly 'normal'. However since quitting smoking last year and cutting out pretty much everything dairy / lactose intollerant, my symptoms have got loads better, to the point where the imodium have actually been making me feel worse. I am reliant on them, I feel i cannot leave the house without them so even thought i've actually been 'going' pretty normally most of the time for the past 2 months, I've still been taking the tablets but then i get really constipated and bad tummy pains. I decided this week for the first time ever to come off them totally, and I have found that I cannot sleep at night. This is something I NEVER suffer with, but after a few days it was taking me hours to drop off, then once I am asleep i am waking every hour for 20 mins or so at a time. I am also getting a lot of headaches and feeling very anxious. The anxious thing doesn't surprise me due to how much I depend on these tablets, but I have noticed as well that I am passing a lot of wind (something that never happens normally!) and feeling the need to go to the toilet a lot (although still not diarreah). I think I'm going to go back on them but not as many, ie try one a day every other day and see how that works out for me. I've read a lot about your body adjusting to them, and even thought they are not addictive, i think I am still addcited if that makes sense. After taking them for so long, my body is struggling to adjust to life without them! Good luck!


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> and even thought they are not addictive, i think I am still addcited if that makes sense.


Sorry it doesn't make that much sense. Perhaps it is more of a psychological "withdrawal" than physical????


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## AmiL (Jan 6, 2012)

BQ said:


> Sorry it doesn't make that much sense. Perhaps it is more of a psychological "withdrawal" than physical????


I am well aware that a lot of it IS psychological ie. the anxiety, but the sleeping patterns and headaches are not. It was only at the suggestion of my partner that it could be to do with coming off these tablets that's making me bad that I googled it and came across this site, where many other people are experiencing the same sort of symptoms as me.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> where many other people are experiencing the same sort of symptoms as me.


 Hmm???? Here??? Really???


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Have to agree that I find it difficult to believe that the withdrawal effects are anything more than your IBS D kicking because the dose of imodium is not effective at lower doses.I do believe that some people can get used to a certain dose and have to take more for it to be effective,this has happened to me on a couple of occasions.I suggest the best option is to look for an alternative.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Here I did some wiki-ing (<<<is that a word?? lol)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoperamideLook under "Mechanism of action" and you will see that unless you were on huge doses... (which I believe you said you were only taking 2-3 a day which isn't a huge dose).. you really shouldn't be experiencing ANY withdrawal.This paragraph I found interesting though:


> Many physicians and pharmacists believe that loperamide does not cross the blood-brain barrier. In fact, however, loperamide does cross this barrier, although it is immediately pumped back out into non-central nervous system (CNS) circulation by P-glycoprotein. While this mechanism effectively shields the CNS from exposure (and thus risk of CNS addiction) to loperamide, many drugs are known to inhibit P-glycoprotein and may thus render the CNS vulnerable to opiate agonism by loperamide.[6]


So if you fall into THAT category... of you ingesting another drug that inhibits the P-glycoprotein THEN you _might_ experience some withdrawal.


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## samantha7 (Jan 8, 2012)

I am new to this.... how much imodium do you take? Do you take it every morning even if not feeling bad? I heard it can cause kidney stones? Anyone know about that? One doctor told me to take 3 before anything big or important... not everyday...I have been suffering for a few years... had some really embarressing accidents and got to the point I did not want to leave the house... I do work and that caused extreme anxiety.. I would sit in the bathroom for hours. Not very productive...but you can't have accidents at work.... it wasn't everyday, but sometimes 2-3 days a week. I did have one accident at work and went home "sick" immediately without telling anyone.... had one at the airport.... Has this happened to anyone else? What have you done? I sometimes feel my life is over.I have not figured out what triggers it... seems to be different...I am supposed to go on a road trip with a friend in a few months (she does not know that I have this problem) and now I am very nervous that I won't be able to NOT have an accident... any suggestions on diet change and imodium or calcium to help me get this under control for my trip?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> I heard it can cause kidney stones?


 Ah... no it doesn't. Probably not drinking enough water is what causes most kidney stones.I used it everyday for years. I would take 1 tablet or a 1/2 to a 1/4 depending... with every meal. I also took an anti-gas product WITH the imodium to prevent the cramping that can sometimes happen with imodium.


> Has this happened to anyone else?


 You are NOT alone! Many of us have had accidents. And we can sympathisize.Have you read about the calcium carbinate supplements???? See the 1st page of the "Linda's Calcium" thread thumbtacked to the top of this forum for info on how and when to take them. Many people have had success firming up their BM's with calcium carbonate.


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## ANGEL-ROSE2012 (Jan 11, 2012)

PD85 said:


> Imodium is an opiate. I don't know what other "ingredients" you are talking about. You are right though, there is no withdrawal from regular Imodium usage. But at a dosage of 40 pills? I don't know if that's been tested. I can imagine that at a high dosage, enough of the Imodium would cross the blood-brain barrier to exhibit some opiate effects on the brain. In fact you are not supposed to take Imodium with certain daily antacid medications because they have the potential to bind with the Imodium allowing it to cross the blood-brain barrier.


Hi I know this is a website for IBS and I do discuss this on here just yours and another ladies comments really interested me - I am really into Psychology and I have tried to google your comments about the blood brain barrier and how loperamide is an opiate .....an the other lady said that if you gave so many loperamide to a junky it would stop there craving - I dont get it can you explain it to me - it interests me, but I just dont understand what you both mean.....hope you dont mind me asking I just like to have more knowledge and especially when its to do with Loperamide as I use them daily in the week for peace of mind etc.Look forward to hearing from you.Angelica.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Hi Angel RoseRead this article it will answer your questions:http://ibs.about.com/od/medicationforibs/a/imodium.htm


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

BQ said:


> Ah... no it doesn't. Probably not drinking enough water is what causes most kidney stones.I used it everyday for years. I would take 1 tablet or a 1/2 to a 1/4 depending... with every meal. I also took an anti-gas product WITH the imodium to prevent the cramping that can sometimes happen with imodium. You are NOT alone! Many of us have had accidents. And we can sympathisize.Have you read about the calcium carbinate supplements???? See the 1st page of the "Linda's Calcium" thread thumbtacked to the top of this forum for info on how and when to take them. Many people have had success firming up their BM's with calcium carbonate.


This contains good information as well:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imodium


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## cdawn (Feb 22, 2012)

I am pretty sure I am exeperienceing Immodium withdrawals and I have only been taking it daily for the last few months - and only about 1/4 - 2/3 of a pill a day - I usually never go over 1 pill. I have also been taking the Immodium AD. Last night though after a few days of not taking it I had all those symptoms - headache, hot flushes, chills, shaky, anxiety, diarrhea, nausea... and after reading through a lot of posts that's the only thing I can think of it being as it definitely doesn't feel like the normal flu. Today I've been back and forth to the bathroom all day and still feeling shaky and weak, with a mild headache. UGH. I had to call in sick to work today. Any suggestions? Should I start taking the immodium again but slowly start to taper off?


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I believe there is no such thing as imodium withdrawal as its simply the fact that the lower dose simply doesnt work.When I've stopped taking imodium its simply because Ive found a more effective medication than imodium.I also believe that imodium can be tolerated and lose its effect at lower doses.This happened to me with imodium and many other drugs Ive used for my IBS.I am currently experiencing this with Codeine again.


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