# Succumbing to immodium



## sunspot19 (Aug 31, 2007)

So although I have found partial relief solutions through a variety of approaches, including the Mike Mahoney CD's, I had a trip to europe this August and ended up for safety sake taking immodium the whole trip.Once I returned, I found that the immodium was working so well to control my symptoms (one in the morning and sometimes one in the eve too), that I kept up the regimen.I actually fell off the wagon with the CDs but have kept up immodium which was really been a godsend. But I realize two issues: (1) lots of people here suggest eventually the body catches up with immodium use and (2) it really just masks things, no fundamental fix.So I guess a few questions for people1) What is the average time people find for immodium effects to start wearing off? Months or years?(2) Are there any identified long term safety issues that have come up with immodium use long term? I don't think I have seen much other than the addictive aspects.(3) Have people even after maintaining immodium use used hypno or other therapies and finally weaned themselves off of immodium?Just curious. It really has been a huge help to me to consistently get through the days, including having to have a trip for a week to Asia two weeks ago (which could have been a disaster but was relatively easy with my regimen).BTW, I also take probiotics, omega 3-6-9 and quercetin, as others may recall from my prior posts (many of which are now gone!!!)Sunspot


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

As long as what you have is functional there are some relatively long term studies that show that it seems safe in IBSers for the long term. Just take the lowest dose that gives you control most of the time and doesn't constipated you. Most of the reviews of IBS treatment include Imodium. In some studies taking it 2X a day (so 1 pill breakfast and dinner) is better than the same amount all in one dose.While there are some people that seem to either need an increased dose or move on to another drug it seems that is more in the range of the percentage of people that get worse at some point with their IBS more than everyone always gets immune to it. Lots of people take the same dose for years and not have any problems.The only addiction paper I saw in the medical literature was someone already addicted to opiates and they had to take like 100 pills at a time to get enough into the central nervous system to get the usual opiate addiction thing going on.


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## AmandaP (Jan 12, 2003)

I have found that imodium is a quick fix if I am desparate - but not for long term. It binds me up for 2 or 3 days but usually on the 3rd day I have a big explosion with no warning. My doctor told me there are no bad side effects from taking imodium long term. But, you do have to continue to ingest alot of water, as with all drugs for IBS-D.


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## 19120 (May 4, 2006)

When I worked I used to take 4-8 of them every day 5 times a week, and didn't take them during the weekends. The problem was that I started bleeding, and usually when I stopped taking them I got a lot of cramps. For me the problem with imodium is that sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and that makes me insecure. There's no good protection the way I see it, unless you got morphine or something but that would never happen.


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## degrassi (Jun 10, 2003)

I've been using Imodium pretty much daily for 10 years. I've never had a problem with it constipating me or it loosing its effectiveness. I use between 1/2 to 5 pills daily and sometimes none. I base it on how bad i'm feeling. If my IBS is a bit better I take less. If its a really bad few days I might need 4-5 pills each day. I think it depends on the person. If it works for you keep using it. If you start to need more and more to notice any effects then maybe its time to find a new medication.


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## bettybeatrice (Nov 29, 2008)

Immodium is my life saver especially when I have sudden attacks and severe stomach cramps. I don't take it frequently though. I only took it when it is really necessary. My IBS is not that severe that if I take it I am not able to move my bowels the following day which is not good since it give me headache sometimes and sometimes also I have a different kind of stomach pain when I took it frequently. I think that you should not take it frequently if it is not really that necessary give your stomach a rest, but if you are used to taking several imodium a day then gradually decrease your dose as days go by.


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## tummytumbles (Nov 24, 2008)

Hello I've taken immodium daily for the last 5 yrs or so and it worked untill about 8 months ago. It helps somewhat but I still have D issues. Im finally going to the GI dr and getting a complete I mean complete workup. I also take calcium and herbs but nothing works 100% it depends on the person I suppose. See what works for you.


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## Bootsie (Dec 3, 2008)

When I worked I took immodium but I found that it didn't work all the time for me. In the end there I found that it just ended up going right through me. My specialist told me that immodium works by stopping your bowel all together. He didn't want me taking it all the time but hey you gotta work right? Finally he put me on this, what to me is an extremely nasty and smelly powdered medication called cholestyramine. Originally it is for high blood pressure but they found that it tends to constipate so its perfect for IBS-D, or so they think. I have to figure out my own dosage and my stomach still hurts when I take it. Things really haven't gotten better for me. I'm still getting the D but not as much. It's just that I was told that immodium isn't a safe option to take permanently.


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## clareuk (Feb 7, 2006)

I don't really know what I would have done without immodium. I started off taking them on days when I knew I would need them but I found that it seemed to make everything worse. I decided with my Doctor ( who said it was fine) to take them every morning as soon as I got up. I took 2 everyday and sometimes I did take another later on in the day. I never found any problems and still went to the toilet every morning which was the same as usual. The tablets did help me block up during the day so that I could go to work with reduced problems. I was usually fine all day and it worked much better taking them everyday even days off. It was much more effective that way than taking them one day and none the next.I don't honestly know what I would have done without the immodium. I took that quantity for about 4/5 years and I didn't find that amount lost its effectiveness over that period.Claire


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## sazzy (Nov 27, 2006)

Immodium does not normally have any side effects but, like you said eventually the body starts to build a tolerance and you find you need more and more to achieve the same effect so it starts to get both expensive and stressful after a while.At one point I was wholly reliant on immodium, and it was a vicious circle because when I felt worried I took an immodium and it became a habit and then I started to build a tolerance to it and then started to take more because I wouldn't accept that it was no longer much use.Finally I went to the doctor about it, and I was put on a high fibre diet which has been a god send. But even now I find i'm still having difficulties getting off immodiums. It's taken me over a year to finally start going out without an immodium, and then I get stressed and worried and start trying to take them again because of the worry, but i'm finally getting some where with them. So yeah, I wouldn't advise immodium on a regular basis, I think it's more effective to find something that long term you're not going to start relying on or build a tolerance too because in the long run it's not helped me.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Since the quercetin is working somewhat for you, you might well benefit from taking grape seed as well. (Since the Provex I take has solved that absorbency issues with those flavonoids, that might be a better place to start. I am now almost 10 years D free without any other meds to treat it.)This will give you an idea of the number of conditions grape seed can help with:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...2e44f23dd603f6fCheers, Mark


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## sunspot19 (Aug 31, 2007)

Thanks Mark.Yes, still doing the Quercetin, but as you noted it only partially appears to help. I felt great doing the Maloney CDs and I need to get my act together and get back on them. Although I have gotten myself hooked on the immodium "solution" the last 3 1/2 months, I feel like i need to take another attempt at the CDs, continue on with the Quercetin, and see if I can get things boot-started again without relying just on immodium consistently.Oh well. Frankly even with immodium some days I am better than others. Feels to me a large part of this just is whether or not I am getting proper exercise, sleep, relaxation. Which of course makes perfect sense...Sunspot


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

After 20 years of Imodium I became allergic to it (I got urticaria). That side effect has been described in the medical litterature. I had to switch to Lomotil. Lomotil is no more available in Europe, except,?? in the UK. (btw if somebody could tell me the situation of Lomotil in the UK, it would be nice)


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

anybody from the UK ?!


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