# Immodium use



## sharanne (Aug 23, 2006)

How safe is prolonged use of immodium and how much is a reasonable daily dose? I tend to take only one or at most two during a day when I am experiencing a lot of D. My GI specialist doesn't like me to use it at all and keeps pushing Metamucil, but it doesn't do the job when I need a 'quick fix'. Does anyone have stats on immodium use or opinions? Please reply!! Thanks...


----------



## WARRAVEN (Mar 11, 2004)

My Doctor pushes Immodium and citrucel. Immodium helps sometimes, but this is new for me. My doctor also just removed all my medicines except immodium. I don't think constant immodium use has any problems, though apparantly pepto bismol does. Though how you swallow those damn things every day is beyond me.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Most of the studies of Imodium in IBS-D patients seem to show it is safe to take long term.Pepto bismol as noted if you take enough of it long enough can cause bismuth toxicity (but you can take like 8 pills a day for 6-8 weeks at a time without problems from some studies but it may be reasonable to take a short break every couple of months to make sure you don't build up too much).One study where I could find the dose range had people start with one dose in the morning and increase the dose until they found it effective or got too constipated.They found


> The therapeutic daily dose was most often 2 mg and 3 mg


This was a dose that reduced but might not eliminate all loose stools and urgency. They had patient go as high as 9 mg in this study.Another study (which didn't list the doses in the abstract, but I think we are talking the same range) found that people sometimes had better control if they took the same total amount, but in two dose a day (so 2mgs in the morning and 2 mgs at night were better than 4 mgs in the morning).


----------



## IBD/IBS Author (May 24, 2007)

My GIs - and I've had four in the last 10 years - have all told me to NEVER take more than 4 Imodium in any 24 hour period. There are places on this board where you will read that people are taking 6, 10, even 12 Imodium per day. To me those amounts sound risky. The potential problem is stopping the motility in your gut for so long that something called toxic mega colon can happen - your bowels stop working, waste backs up in your colon, and your colon can tear or rupture. Not good. It is always best to talk to your doctor about dosages of any medication - Rx or OTC - even though we don't always love them they have the best knowledge and understanding of drugs and their recommended doses. Cheers,Elizabeth


----------



## Gina_lola07 (Jun 18, 2007)

sharanne said:


> How safe is prolonged use of immodium and how much is a reasonable daily dose? I tend to take only one or at most two during a day when I am experiencing a lot of D. My GI specialist doesn't like me to use it at all and keeps pushing Metamucil, but it doesn't do the job when I need a 'quick fix'. Does anyone have stats on immodium use or opinions? Please reply!! Thanks...


I have had my primary doctors and two gi docs tell me it is safe. I have taken at least 2 a day for the past 2 years or more. I have to some days take 5 of them. I have had all the tests and this is what they came up with. If I am just staying home I don't take it. So I went to working 2 days a week for this purpose though. I went to HI recently and took so many but they almost didn't help. Not sure why. And then back to the mainland in CA I was ok again. I am from the state of Maine. gina


----------



## 20749 (Apr 22, 2007)

sharanne said:


> How safe is prolonged use of immodium and how much is a reasonable daily dose? I tend to take only one or at most two during a day when I am experiencing a lot of D.


My doc said up to six a day was fine. But if you are like me, it will eventually stop working for you. Sorry to be such a harpy....







Angie and the City Hall Several


----------



## springfever (Jun 7, 2007)

Kathleen M. said:


> Most of the studies of Imodium in IBS-D patients seem to show it is safe to take long term.Pepto bismol as noted if you take enough of it long enough can cause bismuth toxicity (but you can take like 8 pills a day for 6-8 weeks at a time without problems from some studies but it may be reasonable to take a short break every couple of months to make sure you don't build up too much).One study where I could find the dose range had people start with one dose in the morning and increase the dose until they found it effective or got too constipated.They foundThis was a dose that reduced but might not eliminate all loose stools and urgency. They had patient go as high as 9 mg in this study.Another study (which didn't list the doses in the abstract, but I think we are talking the same range) found that people sometimes had better control if they took the same total amount, but in two dose a day (so 2mgs in the morning and 2 mgs at night were better than 4 mgs in the morning).


okay, the pepto bismol thing scares me!! I take it about 3 or 4 times a week, is that too much?? do I need to take a break? immodium doesnt really work for me anymore.


----------



## BeverLu (Jul 7, 2002)

sharanne said:


> How safe is prolonged use of immodium and how much is a reasonable daily dose? I tend to take only one or at most two during a day when I am experiencing a lot of D. My GI specialist doesn't like me to use it at all and keeps pushing Metamucil, but it doesn't do the job when I need a 'quick fix'. Does anyone have stats on immodium use or opinions? Please reply!! Thanks...


Hi Sharanne,I have used Immodium for years and not had a problem with it. Follow the instructions in the info. Most times one or two is enough depending on your sitiuation. I was told to try Metamucil at first also but it made me uncomfortable and didn't really help the immediate problem. Imodium made it possible to pretty much control my diarrhea and have a normal daily life. It's hard when you don't really know when diarrhea will hit you. I find that caffeine is a trigger for me and of course stress. Once you key in on your triggers that will help you also.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A few times a week of Pepto Bismol is probably fine.If you are taking the max 16 doses a day every day for weeks on end I would recommend taking regular breaks from it.People taking 8 doses a day every day for 6-8 weeks were fine, so I can't imagine that 3-4 doses a week would be a problem.K.


----------



## anniemac (May 30, 2007)

Hello fellow IBS-D. sufferers- I live in Australia, & I have found Gastro-stop, which has the same thing in it as immodium-loperamide hcl 2mg. but it is only $5.95 ( Australian dollars) which is HALF the price of immodium. Of course I dont know if it is sold over there, but its worth checking it out! cheers, anniemac


----------



## Senin (Jun 7, 2007)

anniemac said:


> Hello fellow IBS-D. sufferers- I live in Australia, & I have found Gastro-stop, which has the same thing in it as immodium-loperamide hcl 2mg. but it is only $5.95 ( Australian dollars) which is HALF the price of immodium. Of course I dont know if it is sold over there, but its worth checking it out! cheers, anniemac


Immodium does work for me, after about an hour. It does a good job. The problem is, it's side effects are terrible for me. Drowsy, fatigue, red eyes, sinus pressure, headache. I have to say its almost as bad as the D. No, I guess I have to choose. Is there anything else for D besides Imodium?


----------



## Curious Canuck (Jun 26, 2007)

I have, when my IBS was at its worst, used Imodium three or four days a week, anywhere from one to four pills. There were no negative side effects, other than occasional Imodium induced constipation. I'm on several other non-IBS medications and my doctor never had a problem with my Imodium use.Long term, I found Metamucil did little for me. I took it as prescribed and had no change in my diarrhea-if anything, it got worse. What did work was a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats every night with my bedtime pills. Within a couple weeks, I had gone from multiple flare ups a week to two or three a month. Now, I only have one or two flares most months and they rarely, if ever, require Imodium. Instead of running back and forth to the bathroom a dozen or more times, I'll need two or three trips and the flare is over. It's a bit more expensive than Metamucil, but given the positive effect, I'll pay for the cereal.


----------



## Wotan (Jun 26, 2007)

Curious Canuck said:


> I have, when my IBS was at its worst, used Imodium three or four days a week, anywhere from one to four pills. There were no negative side effects, other than occasional Imodium induced constipation. I'm on several other non-IBS medications and my doctor never had a problem with my Imodium use.Long term, I found Metamucil did little for me. I took it as prescribed and had no change in my diarrhea-if anything, it got worse. What did work was a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats every night with my bedtime pills. Within a couple weeks, I had gone from multiple flare ups a week to two or three a month. Now, I only have one or two flares most months and they rarely, if ever, require Imodium. Instead of running back and forth to the bathroom a dozen or more times, I'll need two or three trips and the flare is over. It's a bit more expensive than Metamucil, but given the positive effect, I'll pay for the cereal.


----------



## Wotan (Jun 26, 2007)

I find Immodium--even 1 pill (2 mg) taken rt after my 3rd or 4th BM in the morning--sets me straight for the rest of the day. My Dr. told me there is no problem w Immodium. -Wotan


----------

