# Acute diarrhea the day after Imodium



## lili32 (May 5, 2012)

HiI suffer from ibdOccasionally taking ImodiumThe problem a day or two after I have very severe diarrhea than usualIs this about Imodium?Would love to hear talk about your experiences


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sometimes if you back yourself up a little too much then you get looser stools to "flush" it all out.So it may be a bit too high a dose for you.


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## lili32 (May 5, 2012)

I take 2 mg of it, I did not understand what you wroteCould you please elaborate?Can be after all the stops have diarrhea?Could be the drug "freezing" the bowel movement and then when the effect wears off it as erosion?Thanks for the response


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Tell me which part does not make sense.I do not understand what you mean by "erosion" there is NO damage to the lining of the colon from taking Imodium which is what that sounds like to me.One of the problems with Imodium is the drug lasts for many hours after you take it.Often IBS diarrhea only lasts an hour or two.A side effect of Imodium is constipation.If you take enough (no matter how small the dose) that you end up constipated a bit. Like you don't go for a day, or don't go your usual amount the next day sort of thing.It may not "freeze" it. Which sounds like a complete obstruction where nothing can move, but it does slow the whole colon down.When the colon runs slow you may be a bit constipated (or more constipated than your colon tolerates).The colon has a very normal reaction to being more constipated than it wants to be.It goes into "flush mode" where it reacts to the "too slow" by going "too fast" to make everything that was slowed down get out NOW.So that can be a "symptom bounce back" kind of situation.For some people 2 mgs of Imodium is too much for the IBS diarrhea and how long the diarrhea lasts when they get a bout of it. So they may need to cut the pill in half or such to drop the dose so they don't end up with the constipating side effect for several hours after the colon goes back to normal on its own.Imodium slows the colon for something like 6-10 hours and if you only need 1 hour of that, constipation is a likely side effect (even if not severely constipated, in IBS the colon tends to over-react to everything)If your bouts of diarrhea only last for a short while, you may not want to take Imodium and ride it out as it may be over by the time the Imodium is taking effect. So then all you get is side effect, and not much benefit.If you have diarrhea several times a day rather than once a day for an hour or two then Imodium is less likely to get you backed up.I don't know your diarrhea pattern, but often when people say the Imodium makes things worse a couple of days later they may only have one bout of diarrhea a day and may not have that every day.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Did you mean to say ibs d rather than ibd?I ask this because ibd's are different and mean colitis or crohn's disease which require anti inflammatories such as mesalazine or entocort?


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## lili32 (May 5, 2012)

thank you kathleen i would love to hear moרק Experiences


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## miss sick (Apr 14, 2012)

This happens to me. I just got used to it.I take one immodium a day, for 4 or 5 days in a row. It slowly starts backing me up more and more. Then when I know I have a day or two at home I take a couple of days off of it. Horrible diarrhea on the second day off it, but then I feel a bit more cleared out, and am comfortable to take it again. Its not a fun cycle, but if I take it everyday, I get completely blocked up. And if I dont take it, I get diarrhea and dont feel like I can leave the house.


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## megz123 (May 9, 2012)

Hi, immodium is basically like a plug. Once you take it it will freeze the bowel not stop it. So yes within a few days it is like for you D to run out of you. Sometimes when immodium is used the D gets worse! I have never trusted the immodium, my doctor told me to take it routinely which i was surprised at because it will just make me worse. Also, it could then make you severly constipated and you intestine will then be a little confused on how to digest. You should maybe ask your doctor for a different type of loperamide. My opinion is that immodium is prob one of the worst to take.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Imodium is completely safe but its dose is dependent on the person who takes it.You dont need to stop taking it. You could take it every other day,you can take it when needed,take it every day or adjust the dose to a lower one on the day you want a bit more of a clear out.It requires experimenting before you find how it works for you as an individual.


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## matt1234 (May 15, 2012)

I only have imodium when I really need it, I try not to take it every day. I quite like the constipated feel at least I know I wont be needing the toilet anytime soon. Instructions say take 2 initially then 1 more for every other trip to the toilet, I find 2 usually sorts it out, no trips to the toilet for 15-18 hours!! Great!!


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Glad its working for you.Good luck.


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## SalvationSeeker (Sep 1, 2011)

Imodium is not like a "Plug". Imodium is similar chemically to heroin or vicodin. It is an opiate-based drug which functions the same in your body as these other drugs, except without the psychoactive effects of euphoria or "feeling good". It paralyzes contractions of the colon muscles preventing movements even if there is waste or excess fluid. Which means even if your body wants to flush itself out, it cannot, no matter what. When the contractions begin again, they will spasm, trying to deal with the excess waste, and more water will be drawn into the colon to remove the excess toxins which were trapped in the colon.basically, this means that you are forcing constipation, which results in diarrhea, because whatever reason you had for diarrhea at first, worsened. It is also bad for your liver, and despite what you may read or are told from your doctor, is not a drug you ever want to use on a daily basis. You'd be better off having diarrhea then to take imodium daily. I would suggest using fiber supplements such as acacia powder or some raw fibers you can find from various supplement companies that contain blends of flax seed, sunflower seeds, lentils, and other ground up seeds legumes and grains. Once you find the right fiber, it will help slow down or stop your diarrhea, or eliminate constipation the "proper way". Finding the right product, and perfect dosing can be difficult. Message me if you have any further questions and I can recommend some products that worked for me. Good luck.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Salvationseeker said:


> Imodium is not like a "Plug". Imodium is similar chemically to heroin or vicodin. It is an opiate-based drug which functions the same in your body as these other drugs, except without the psychoactive effects of euphoria or "feeling good". It paralyzes contractions of the colon muscles preventing movements even if there is waste or excess fluid. Which means even if your body wants to flush itself out, it cannot, no matter what. When the contractions begin again, they will spasm, trying to deal with the excess waste, and more water will be drawn into the colon to remove the excess toxins which were trapped in the colon.basically, this means that you are forcing constipation, which results in diarrhea, because whatever reason you had for diarrhea at first, worsened. It is also bad for your liver, and despite what you may read or are told from your doctor, is not a drug you ever want to use on a daily basis. You'd be better off having diarrhea then to take imodium daily. I would suggest using fiber supplements such as acacia powder or some raw fibers you can find from various supplement companies that contain blends of flax seed, sunflower seeds, lentils, and other ground up seeds legumes and grains. Once you find the right fiber, it will help slow down or stop your diarrhea, or eliminate constipation the "proper way". Finding the right product, and perfect dosing can be difficult. Message me if you have any further questions and I can recommend some products that worked for me. Good luck.


There is absolutely no harm in taking imodium every day.If you would prefer Diarrhoea than take imodium then thats your choice but there is no medical evidence to suggest that taking it every day is harmful.


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## jellybelly72 (Jun 26, 2013)

I took one 2mg Imodium every morning for three days after a bad IBS D attack, I am now badly constipated! I have been today, but half hour sat on the loo just to get a few bummbles out kmowing I am still blocked is a night mare... but better than constant runs! who needs it, then again being this way is bad two, but I am in the middle of trying to find what works for me.

I think we all have to do what works for us as inderviduals, after all life is hard enough!


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## IvyWinter (Jun 1, 2013)

I can vouch for the no harm. My gastroenterologist advises me to take as needed, which on a good week is 1-2 days, a bad week 5 or so... and she said it is absolutely harmless, save for possibly causing the opposite effect, IE constipation. I've also heard the same from other doctors. I'm going to go out on the limb and say if it is coming from several medical professionals, it's likely true.


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