# Yet another dumb question about Imodium.



## 20250 (Jul 14, 2005)

I am wondering if Loperamide, being in the opiate family, could it make your Bowels addicted to it. I know this sounds far fetched but I was able to stop taking Imodium for a year back in 2000, but it took about a month for my gut to act right. I have been searching the web to find the answer but so far am striking out.Any thoughts from long term users?


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

I am no expert... but.. the action of it is to slow down motility of the intestines... I would think with repeated use.... your body would become acustomed to using it... Therefore stopping it would cause some difference... but after a time I would think it would all go back to normal...I don't take it regularly... but when I do take it... I know it takes a few days for things to move normally again.. Actually I get a little paranoid... as sometimes when I take it.. I will go the next day with no stool... Then I panic thinking I have plugged myself up... So I drink lots of water.... and up the fiber food..Just like when people use laxatives for long periods of time.. They can't go without them.. their muscles to move things along can't function on their own...Also... the older we get... things don't work as well anymore.... IYKWIM...That's me.. tired old body... tired old parts... they need overhauling..


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## 20250 (Jul 14, 2005)

You put it a little better than me. I think my gut is so used to it after 18 years of nearly everyday use that my gut doesn't know how to act without it. I just wonder if it's because it's addicted to it, since it is a drug. I know it's not herione or nicotine, and I think the makers of Imodium would knock down our door to tell us if it was. Thanks Prudy, and know what you mean about body feeling old and tired.


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

I don't think they would sell it OTC if it were addicting as say... Heroin. Well gee, cigarettes are... and they sell those..that's a whole nother subject though...I think what probably better describes it is dependency... for function.. It isn't that one is addicted to them... more the dependency one needs them for the body to function as it should from the use of them...There are many OTC drugs that can be abused.. I work in a Substance Dependency Treatment Facility... and I can't say that I have run across anyone addicted to Imodium YET..... Cough medications... cold preps... yes.. Laxatives...yes, they can be abused.. People use them for weight loss.... under eating disorders.. yes.. those can be There is a certain criteria that dictates what makes certain drugs addictive..


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I do know some people feel the need to take drug holidays from Imodium to keep it working, but others use it every day for decades and don't notice any change in how well it works. If the underlying problem is still there, stopping the drug will cause the symptoms to come back. You wouldn't say I am addicted to high blood pressure meds if I stop them and the blood pressure goes up would you? There is something called symptom bounce back that is a problem with other drugs where the symptoms come back worse than they were for a short period of time when the drug wears off, but that is usually a day thing, not weeks of symptom bounce back.There was one case study where someone was the standard getting high/addicted to Imodium. He took something like 180 pills at a time. He did need methadone to come off of it. He was already an opiate addict before he did this. I don't even want to know how constipated that sort of behavior mad him







K.


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## 20250 (Jul 14, 2005)

LOL, Prudy, I don't know anyone addicted to Imodium either. Not in the sense that I would get the shakes or cold sweats if I didn't have it. Maybe Dependency is a better word. I'm not trying to start a conspiracy or anything against the makers of Imodium, but say someone is in their early twenties and eats something bad and gets the craps... He takes Imodium for a couple weeks trying to offset the effects of eating something bad... This person's gut get used to, or addicted to imodium's Opiate qualities and will not function properly without it... and must rely on imodium for the next 20 years. So, if this crazy thought turns out to be true someday remember this conversation. Look how long peeps smoked ciggies before it was discovered they were putting chemicals in them to addict us.Kathleen, I would be one of those in the class of taking it forever and it still works basically the same as the first day. I think I found a picture of that guy who took 180 imodiums...







Thanks for sharing your input guys and gals.


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## phillipm2 (Sep 24, 2004)

I would think that parts of the body could get "addicted" to some pills or over the counter drugs. When people stop using opiates or heroine their body goes through those violent mood swings. You can say No but your body will almost take a mind of its own because it is so used to what you have been giving it, especially heroine. Not that i have experience in doing heroine, but i have done research in this area. Cigarettes are the same in this manner, your body lets you know when it wants a cigarette like after dinner or trembles are also likely to happen. There may be some withdrawl effect from taking imodium (loperamide) but dont know how bad it is or even if it would make one sick. It would be interesting to know


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

You know I honestly never thought of Imodium being addictive with the potential of abuse..... but I guess if it gave the classic CNS side affects to someone who could potentially become addicted to it... I guess it could be used in the same manner as heroin....One would have to have a potential for the addiction though... and know just how much of the drug to take to get the desired affect from it... I don't think they would be looking for just getting normal stools.... not hardly.. I would hate to think of how constipated they would get and be from taking it that way.. I have seen how constipation occurs with people who take methadone for their heroin addiction..Most often they are prescribe Mirlax to get them regular...Only thing I am ever concerned when I take Imodium... is that I don't make myself go the other way from taking it... and I only take it when I absolutley need to... and only one.. so I hardly notice any side affect .... Can't say it ever made me feel anything actually...


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## 20250 (Jul 14, 2005)

Philm, I would think the withdrawl effect would be worse D. I know this was a dumb subject to start but it was on my mind and I had to get it out of my head. Prudy, I could not imagine anyone being that addicted to opiates to take 180 imodium's, but heroin is a powerful drug. I pity that guy who took them, for sure! I think I said earlier the only time I stopped taking Imodium long term was about 6 years ago, and my gut went crazy for a few weeks before it leveled out. Kathleen's probably right, the gut is experiencing symptom bounce back.


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2006)

Bret, I was told once by a doctor that actually if you take immodium to often and in high dosages it actually can cause you to have more diarrhea, and need to contiue use and keep upping the dosage... I personnally use to use immodium every day of my highschool life things never immproved, for taht matter still haven't, but I did notice that when i stopped using it all the time, my stomach wasn't normal or I guess as normal as it ever is with IBS for several weeks... I now use IBS for Big days out and stuff like that... Now the other day when I say my new doctor, she suggested trying one immodium a day at the same time each day as a preventative meassure, never exceeding the 1 tablet... I just began this "ritual" so I can't tell you if it helped yet... But its a thought and something to try...


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## 16268 (Jul 5, 2005)

I've been on immodium daily for about a year now, when my ibs-c turned into ibs-d. My daily ritual is 1 pill a day at 1 o'clock, 2 hours before I go to work. Then, about 15 min before I leave for dinner break I have a cup of hot coffee or two and a cigarette on the way home (I know how bad they are) and by the end of the 7 min ride I feel urgency but not D, and I can walk up to my apt. and make it to the toilet, and have a semi painful, somewhat crampy bug solid movement that usually leaves me feeling emptied. It has worked for a while now, but I do up the immodium on days when I can't take a dinner break or am going someplace on the weekends, a date, that type of thing. In a sense I do think I abuse immodium, I use it to control my bowels. If I'm going on a weekend trip I'll take enough to stop me up for 2 or 3 days. I also can't get off immodium. It probably is just the reboound effect on your bowels, but it's just to painful and I don't have the time (or easy access to bathrooms at any moment) to go through "withdrawl" from it. So I stay on it, hope it doesn't cause any long-term effects. It does allow me to live a somewhat normal life though. I really tried hard to do the calcium, but I have trouble eating and taking it on an empty stomach caused some major discomfort. I just couldn't stick to the routine. Mabye when life changes a bit I can take some time and switch, but for now, I love my immodium.


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## phillipm2 (Sep 24, 2004)

Most of us have to use imodium to make it though the day. I use imodium when i have to like today when my system is really spasing out. I hate having to take it all the time, because i really dont want to be this way. I hope the international focus on IBS is becoming more visible. Seems like after all these years or even the people with IBS who have never been to this site, they (physicians)would have at least found somehting that halfway works. I found that most treatments are hit and miss. Some will work awhile and then just stop and i cant figure out what it is. Sorry, i think im releasing a lot of steam.


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## 20250 (Jul 14, 2005)

Hey I have IBS and I don't know what to do, I can tell you from personal experience that I don't need more to stop having D, as long as I take it every couple days it still works the same as it did 18-20 years ago. Maybe for some what your doc said may be true, just not in my case. I don't know of too many people who have taken more Imodium than me, I've taken at least 13,140 little green pills and the dosage that helped way back when still works today, I was just wondering if my intestines are addicted to Imodium after all these years. PS, We need to find a way to shorten your name,LOL, or maybe sign your first name at the bottom of your posts.


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## 22697 (Feb 22, 2006)

I've been using Immodium on and off for 14 years now. I had the same concerns at one point when I noticed that I needed two pills to do what one did. It was better when I didn't use it all the time. I just use it for travel (anything more than 15 minutes away is travel in my book - LOL!). When I asked my dr she said it isn't addictive and won't permanently mess up your system, but I don't know based on my experiences, I think my body did get used to it. Given time off of it, though, I don't think it causes permanent harm.


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## 21422 (Mar 2, 2006)

My doctor warned that the dosage of Immodium would need to be increased in time since the intestinal tract does adapt to its use. I'm really tired of this lifestyle and can't believe it's become the center of my universe: when, where, what to eat and where will I be afterward. On top of IBS I've had GERD since the age of 12 (I'm 55 now). Anxiety must be the driving factor.


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## clareuk (Feb 7, 2006)

I have just started taking calcium - with no effect as yet. I am wondering if it is still alright to take imodium at the same time? Is anyone else using both? I will only need to take 2 imodiums.Any help appreciated.Claire


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well since both medications can be constipating I might try like 1/2 the dose of Imodium than I usually take, first then only take more if I need more.I don't think there is anything dangerous other than you might over constipated yourself.K.


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## Pat_H (Aug 31, 2000)

I take calcium 3 times a day and 3 immodium a day, one each with each meal. Calcium alone does nothing as far as helping with IBS -D for me anyway, I take it for my bones. I used to take Lotronex, but the immodium works better and is far less expensive. This is not perfect but it helps me to lead a fairly normal life. BTW I have 1 - 3 BM's a day, not completely solid, but at least I don't have accidents with this routine.


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