# Imodium/Loperamide & shingles/herpes zoster?



## cbdh19 (May 11, 2004)

I have had IBS (diarrhea/loose stool prevalent) for 30 years. My typical approach was to take loperamide/imodium prior to situations in which I didn't want to have to run to the bathroom. Usually 3 to 4 2 mg loperamide ensure no bowel problems for the next day for me. This year, I wanted to try something outside of the medicated approach. I tried each of the following separately: 30 days Gluten Free, including 14 days gluten AND dairy free; 2 weeks of only drinking bottled water; 1 week of not drinking before, after meals; and even 1 week of rice and bananas only. None of these helped.So I decided to go back to imodium and to use it regularly, every day. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if taking 3 to 4 2 mg loperamide pills every day might be possibly re-triggering shingles (herpes-zoster) in me. One year ago exactly, I had a bad case of shingles (I'm a male and 45 years old, BTW), including 2 months of painful post-herpatic neuralgia. I don't remember what I was doing back then in terms of loperamide, unfortunately. I have recently begun to experience pains similar to those that were a presage to my bout with the shingles last summer. Needless to say, I'm very worried, as the shingles put me totally out of commission for a good 5 weeks back then, with another 6 weeks of bad pain after that. It occurred to me that loperamide is an opoid and that it operates by somehow affecting the body's nervous system impulses sent to the small intestine. Perhaps not coincidentally, shingles/herpes zoster is a nervous system disease. I'm inclined to stop taking loperamide now, just to be safe. But, of course, that means moving from 1 or 2 trips per day to the bathroom to 3 to 6 per day, and losing the sense of control I had over my IBS. Has anyone heard anything about loperamide and shingles/herpes zoster, or does someone know of an official study that looks at this?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> Has anyone heard anything about loperamide and shingles/herpes zoster, or does someone know of an official study that looks at this?


Never heard or read of a connection.. ask your Dr maybe.


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