# No Imodium for IBS!



## aellia (Jan 26, 2009)

I'm having a nasty flare up of D and bought some generic Imodium,when I looked at the leaflet it said "Not to be used by IBS sufferers".What's that all about then!


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## Ashers86 (Dec 31, 2007)

Seriously??That is interesting.. what's the brand name/make??


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## aellia (Jan 26, 2009)

I can't remember offhand but I'll get the packet out of the rubbish bin tomorrow.I was very surprised to read it!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

As far as I know all the clinical trials with IBSers say Imodium is OK. Should be the same generic or not.Probably the lawyers not the doctors adding that warning.


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## 19655 (Feb 26, 2006)

I've never heard that Imodium is not for IBS sufferers. My doctor, who specializes in motility issues, highly recommends Imodium. I agree with the comment about the lawyers. It's probably just to cover their arse. You can always check with your own doctor to be sure. I do know that they don't want you to use Imodium for longer than two weeks or so without consulting a doctor. That's only to be sure the cause is not an infection, which Imodium would not cure.


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## knothappy (Jul 31, 1999)

if that is the case..i never will be able to leave my house!!!! I will use it as I have done for at least 10-15 yrs or more...what will be will be.


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

I have Imodium and I use it fairly often, my doctor told me to keep it on hand. That sounds odd, maybe it is some other kind of generic anti-diarrhea drug similar to Imodium that you have there, but it may be a bit different than the regular?


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## Ashers86 (Dec 31, 2007)

Yeah I'm guessing it's just a legality - them IBSers would use it daily and who knows who would "sue" if it stopped working for them!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think it is more a problem that some people diagnosed with IBS may be a bit more prone to ischemic colitis than other people. There is some debate if Lotronex actually caused IC or people prone to IC have symptoms that lead them to try Lotronex.The same people that take Lotronex would be taking Imodium. I'm guessing some Lawyer added it just in case someone prone to IC was taking Imodium regularly even though it isn't as far as I know one of the drugs that has been linked. They act like Lotronex is the only drug to ever cause this, but lots of people get it after taking other things, particularly when they are old enough to be in the vulnerable population.If you put the don't take it with IBS then if anyone gets IC you can say I told you so and attempt to avoid the lawsuit.


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## sazzy (Nov 27, 2006)

There're a few doctors out there who say you shouldn't use immodium for regular use, possibly because long term effects have not really been studied yet so they're not 100% sure what will happen. I think the warning is just a not just in case something does happen long term.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

There have been clinical trials for months in IBSers.The big problem I know of is if you decide not to get diagnosed and really have ulcerative colitis (which the bleeding usually makes people realize it isn't just IBS) you may be more prone to a side effect of that.Pretty much every paper by IBS researchers (regardless of what random doctors worry about) say it is find for regular use in IBSers and there are studies for more than a few days at a time as I said above. Plenty of IBSers and people with UC and crohns (even with the risk to UC people) take Imodium every day with the people with IBD taking a lot more than most IBSers need.If there was some really really high risk there would be more than enough evidence.I think this is like the medical myth that laxatives used regularly must be bad. Doesn't matter how much clinical data there is that the modern ones are safe and aren't causing the problems we thought the ones now taken off the market caused (if they really did cause them) there is still the warning on the packages even for the kinds that aren't the kind people used to worry about and many doctors perpetuate the myth rather than the data.I tend to trust the data from the medical literature and the researchers more than the myths I hear doctors using even after they have been proven to be myth rather than fact.


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## lozzy (Jan 29, 2009)

that's strange, i wouldn't be able to leave the house if it wasn't for immodium, which my doctor has told me is perfectly fine to take. i was given "loperamide hydrochloride" tablets, which is the active ingredient in immodium. the doctor figured it would be cheaper than my mum buying immodium instant tablets (sometimes almost £5 for a 6 pack, i go through a pack a week sometimes), but because the loperamide tablets were only a 2mg dose, they had absolutely NO effect. i don't know the dosage of loperamide in immodiums, but it must be a hell of a lot stronger than 2mg.


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## alabama231 (Feb 2, 2009)

I just looked at my Imodium Capsules packet and it says it contains "Loperamide Hydrochloride 2mg" Maybe, you have got a different type of Imodium which has a stronger dosage in? But I agree the price is so expensive!


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## PeteC (Feb 4, 2009)

Hi, I was dignosed with IBS late 1980's, and until recently I got through 80 Imodium / Loperamide capsules a month on perscription. Then I started noticing red / orange spots on the tissue. Saw the doc and went for cancer tests (the most worrying time of my life) which were negitive... (if you want to read more, have a look at my blog at www.wadhurst-gardens.com/medical)But.... back to topic... i was advised by the doc to use them... I have been talking to some Lymphangectasia sufferers ( that was the result of the cancer tests - quite interesting) in USA who talked to their doctors about using imodium and their doctors also agreed it will help with the simptoms.


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## Dawn1061 (Feb 17, 2009)

My GI perscribed Imodium up to 4 times a day as needed. I do take a break from it on my days off from work. If it was not for immodium I would not beable to hold down a job well that and my best frien GAS-X


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## Airdale (Feb 18, 2009)

I love imodium, its a life-saver. But I've never thought of taking it daily and I'm not paying my doctor another $40 to ask him about it. I have IBS-D and I'm a pilot just getting back to work. My IBS started when I got laid off. I've already had to call out sick once and haven't been back to work for a full week. When taking imodium daily, how much and when do you take it as a preventative measure? My problem seems to be that food moves too fast through me. I'm trying some other natural things to help, but I need an instant cure for when I'm on a 3 or 4 day trip. I'm just affraid taking Imodium everyday is going to be a bad thing. I've never been constipated, and honestly anything is better than having to poop 3-4 times a day. Do you take 1 after each meal or just one at the start of the day?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

I take a 1/2 of one tab with my main meal in the evening or any other heavier meals. I take an anti-gas agent with it. This prevents major problems in the morning.Hope this helps and _Congrats_ on getting back to work!All the bestBQ


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## 3atres (Feb 13, 2008)

IBS D maybe caused by substances (food or chemical metabolites) that irritate the bowel mucosa casing ittitability and hypermobility, Immodium, although cause transient symptomatic relieve, by reducing the motility expose the bowel mucosa to the injerous substances for longer periods and higher concentrations.... causing worsining of the problem on the long term.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Really? Well maybe in some cases I guess.BQ


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## sweetdreamer (Feb 25, 2009)

Hi lozzy.... I have had exactly the same thing. I've been taking imodium instants everyday now for ages... usually about 2 tablets a day but they're really expensive and costing me about £6 a week so I went to the docs and they've given me a prescription for Lopermide 2mg but they don't seem to have the same effects as imodium instants...


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## WeegieCanary (Feb 27, 2009)

My experience with Imodium wasn't a happy one - ten years ago, it caused constipation that was much more painful and damaging than the diarrhoea I was trying to calm down. That was when my IBS was diagnosed and my doctor advised me to steer clear of Imodium. However, I was on holiday recently and was having a really bad bout of IBS. I took half the recommended dose of Imodium and it worked just as I needed it to. I suspect that the disclaimer is just to make sure IBS sufferers who have trouble with Imodium can't sue the company - every one is an individual, and it might be worth trying a lower dose to start with to see how that works.


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## Jesse13 (Mar 12, 2009)

I used to take an Immodium every morning and it worked great for about a year. Then my body seemed to have gotten used to it. I switched to Lomitil a couple of months ago and I am now having the same problem. I will be fine with the D for a week or so (I still get bloating) and then I will wake up in the morning (like this horrid morning) and be in the bathroom with D 5 times leaving me exhausted! I have had IBS for 7 years now and have tried everything from traditional meds to everything natural I can get my hands on. Nothng lasts long term. Very frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to thank the person who's post said "I couldn't get through the day without Immodium and my best friend Gas-X." I needed that laugh! B)


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## bigdavediode (May 5, 2009)

I don't know if this will help anyone -- I was diagnosed with IBS at 28. Very painful. Through one of life's quirks I wound up taking three months in La Penita, Mexico and went swimming in the ocean every day (undoubtedly swallowing a ton of ####). I also brushed my teeth with the tap water and ate tacitos at local food stands.About two or three weeks in I had one day of the runs, took an Immodium and haven't had IBS ever since. Whatever bacteria I was missing in my gut seems to have been replaced. I blame antibiotics for killing off some flora or fauna in my intestines.I'm very sorry for each and every one of you because I know how difficult and painful it is. If you have this option, unpaid leave, whatever, you may wish to try this. If it doesn't work you'll at least have a nice, relaxing time. (Fair warning, though, three months isolated in a fishing community is a LONG, LONG time. There's a nice beach nearby, however the first three weeks of isolation is the worst, then it gets easier.)Good luck, and I pray this helps someone. For me, IBS was a nightmare.


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## Housebound_1 (Mar 17, 2009)

To AirDale:It really differs from person to person how much to take daily. I usually take between 2 - 4 imodiums daily. 2 in the morning when I wake up and then 1 after each BM. I have to take it every day even if I'm not feeling sick, because if I don't then the D will return. THat's just my personal experience with Imodium. Hopefully you find something that works for you. I know people who take even more than that a day!


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## Friday (Dec 9, 2008)

Housebound_1How long have you been taking it daily? I've been doing so for a year now, just one a day seemed to work but now I need a bit more on some days. Am so worried my system is getting used to it. Have you found this? I know all the studies say that our systems don't get used to it but am still worried!


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Hi FridayI take immodium on a daily basis as a preventative measure, I was taking 4-5 a day when i was working, but now i take 1 on one day and 2 on the next day, sometimes this works, sometimes it doesnt, i dont know if its our bodies getting used to it or its us getting uptight over a situation and the gut is getting upset then , i know if i am uptight or anxious( i suffer anxiety as well, brought on by the ibs-d) my IBS-D is even worse, so then i end up taking more immodium.


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## Anglophile (May 16, 2009)

Ok- a couple of questions. I have just thrown in the towel on hyoscamine (cant get it now anyway) and Hyomax-sr which I think did not work for me at all. Hyoscamine did, but now is unavailable. I have decided, on my own, to try imodium advanced instead. Pharmacist was not thrilled and suggested I talk to my Md about Bentyl. Does imodium build up in your system, or just work for a day? Why does it say take only on an empty stomach? Can't take it in the middle of symptoms?? Help.....................I am really miserable.


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

HiYou can take immodium on a empty or full stomach, its usualy better to take after a bm, but you dont have to. My GI and doctor says you can take it every day as a preventative measure and that your body shouldnt get used to it or harm it.I take 1 one day and 2 the next, if i break from this then i can sometimes get bad D, i have found that by taking it regularly it does give a build up, but you must find what dose suits you, as you dont want to become constipated. Also try taking the Calcium carbonate 600mg with vit D it can help with the Diarrhoea, 1/2 a tablet after each of the 3 daily meals for three days then adjust to take more if needed.Hope this has been of some help.


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## mommabird (May 21, 2009)

My daughter's GI told her to take 1/2 of an Immodium whenever she was going out to eat. She can control her D if she avoids her triggers (milk, sugar, greasy or fatty foods) so at home it is not much of a problem. With the Dr's advice, she is now able to enjot a social life again!


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