# Imodium (Loperamide) question



## 16467 (Aug 31, 2006)

I started using Imodium Advance (Loperamide and Simethicone) to stop the diarrhea and gas since a few months ago. I don't use it everyday but every 2 or 3 days or when I need to go out or something like that. It really works with my problems but I'm not sure if it will affect other organs. Since I have been taking it, I go to the bathroom at specific times and with more consistency. The gases are gone and with the gases the abdominal pain is gone as well.I just wanna know what happen if I use Imodium in almost a daily basis? Will affect my intestine to work by itself in a case of an emergency? it will affect other organs? Thank you for your help!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Typically daily use of Imodium seems to be safe for the vast majority of people with IBS-D.K.


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## Scorchedpath (Sep 17, 2007)

I take two Imodium Advanced every day. With it, I have gone from virtually housebound to leading a pretty normal life. I have been taking it daily for over three months after years and years of only taking it after I started to have problems, at which point it was too late. My GE insists that it is safe for long-term use. If you do a simple google search on, for example, "loperamide resistance tolerance long-term use" there are a lot of studies that indicate that no tolerance develops and that it does not seem to have any serious side effects.I plan to continue to use every day indefinitely. I will report back if I see its effectiveness start to diminish, though I will probably just increase the dose in that case.


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## clareuk (Feb 7, 2006)

Me too. I take it everyday and my doctors know all about it and said it is fine. It has allowed me to go to work and go out. Before the immodium I was practically housebound and absolutely terrified to leave my house. I still go to the toilet everday but I know that I'll be okay when I go out so normal things like going to the supermarket are now possible. Although I don't think I'll ever be able to go out again and not worry about it - it has made things much better.


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## knothappy (Jul 31, 1999)

If you were to stop taking Imodium after yrs of use, would there be withdrawl effects? Also what is the difference between Imodium and Imodium Advanced?


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## sazzy (Nov 27, 2006)

HeyaUnlike other drugs, Immodium is pretty darn hard to get addicted to. I think there was only one recorder case of it, and that person was taking over 100. It generally doesn't affect other organs unless you are allergic to any of the stuff in there.Myself i've been taking it for years, at one point I was taking it three times a day but now i'm down to once a day as i've got the hang of it. I've never had any side effects from it, and don't feel reliant on it. The ammount you're taking should be fine, the only thing you may find with it is that your body will build up a tolerance to it and you'll need more to achieve the same effect, how ever this does not tend to happen quickly and so long as you're careful with the ammount you take then it should be fine.oh and I think the difference between immodium and immodium advanced is - immodium just relieves you from the D whereas the advanced stuff also gives some bloating and pain relief.


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## Ravenous (Oct 25, 2007)

If you do a search of this forum for "loperamide tolerance" you will find quite a few who have become tolerant to it over time. I recall reading that one person was up to taking 15/day.This is why I chose to become part of a clinical trial for a new drug that has no tolerance and seems to have no side effects. I have been taking this drug for 6 months now and I have my life back. There is hope coming.... once it gets approved by the FDA.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

after 20 years of regular Imodium (4/5 each week) I became allergic to Imodium (I got hives [urticaria]).. that is why I always advise to try to switch from time to time to something else (diphénoxylate for example)


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## Scorchedpath (Sep 17, 2007)

Knothappy, Imodium Advanced has simethicone in addition to loperamide. The simethicone allows smaller gas bubbles to bind together into bigger ones theoretically allowing the gas to pass more easily. It seems to provide moderate relief for me from gas pain but taking just generic loperimide and generic simethicone, if you think you need it, is much cheaper than Imodium Advanced.


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## buttoneer (Nov 30, 2002)

I told my doctor I was taking one Immodium a day, every day, and he told me to switch to prescription Lonox/Lomotil, because he says it's a better and more stable drug. I take that three times a day, and usually things are all right, but then I'll go on these really bad streaks where the D just doesn't stop. When that happens, I switch back to Immodium, or a combination of the Lonox/Lomotil, do a day or so of the BRAT diet, and hope for the best. Downside of the Lonox/Lomotil is that it's a controlled substance, and I think it makes me feel a little exhausted in the morning, for about an hour. But I'm also on a very low dose of Ativan for anxiety, so it could be the combo.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

buttoneer said:


> I told my doctor I was taking one Immodium a day, every day, and he told me to switch to prescription Lonox/Lomotil, because he says it's a better and more stable drug.


Stable ? what does he mean? Both drugs are 'good' (well, if a drug can be good...). Imodium has been discovered after Lomotil (both were discovered in...Belgium) and is supposed to be slightly better than Lomotil (less side effects). But all drugs can provoke an allergy...


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## buttoneer (Nov 30, 2002)

Good question as to what "stable" means. If I remember correctly, it had to do with how much you can anticipate the effectiveness of the drug. I go for weeks, even months, doing fine, having D maybe once or twice a week, tops, all on the Lonox/Lomotil. Then suddenly, I get hit, and its D 6x a day--that's when I switch back to the Immodium, combine them, and just try to get my bearings--kind of where I am right now.


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## DeeDee (Sep 30, 2004)

I have a question using imodium I have been having lots of diaharia the past few days. I took three imodium over the weeknd, and then of course, after doing that sometimes I get constipated.I use soluble fiber each dayLast night, and a few other nights this past week, I had the worse pain in the lower part of my stomach, bad stabbing pain.Today I have ben having IBS D so bad.I have anit-diahara tablets I got from Walmart, and eneed up taking two this eveningMy question is has anyone heard of the anti-diahara hurting anyoneLIke, for example, My brother in law, 61, had a bowel obstruction this past year, and ended up dying.He had constipation real badI am scared to take anything like anti-diahara tablets or immodium as I am so afraid of me having problems and ending up with a bowel obsturctionI know I am probably freaking out for no reasondo you know if the anti-diaharia tablets are as good as the regualr imodium?tannks for listening and for helping me outI really need help right nowI am almost to the place right now where I am thinking I should take anti-diahara tablets maybe two a day or so until I get this straightened outI am to the place where I am scared to leave the house.thanks so much


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## sazzy (Nov 27, 2006)

as far as I know, anti diarrhea tablets are exactly the same as immodium - they're just not the commercial type. Immodiums on their own do not often give pain relief aswell, and it's pretty normal for you to have no D but still get pains. If they're really bad pains, immodiums may not be the best thing to take - there are other things out there that may work better for you.


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## mooncat26 (Jan 3, 2008)

i take anti - diarrhea tablets (usually tescos own), and i find it really helps me, although it freaks me out as well that maybe i shouldnt be taking it all the time, although i spoke to the nurse at my work an he says its ok. but am worring now its more psycological as the ibs is usually brought on by anxity, so im taking the tablets when am going out, even though i dont know if ill have diarrea, but if i dont ill constantly worry and that mostly brings it on, does anyone else fel like this?


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## DeeDee (Sep 30, 2004)

I freakout every ime I go out of the houseTwo weeks ago when I wen out, I ended up haing to come out asI had an accident,and cried allthe way home and all evenng. It s horrible.So I am right there with yo. Don't knw what to do but take the imodiumGood luck to you


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## Scorchedpath (Sep 17, 2007)

I had a bowel impaction a few months back. I was on a long car trip and I overloaded with loperamide, lomotil and calcium. I also did not eat or drink anything while in the car for eight hours. Forty-eight hours later, I had an impaction. I will not go into the gory details, but it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I clearly overdid everything and shut my digestive system down. I have been more measured and moderate since then and have not had a repeat.On the other hand, daily use of loperamide has given me my life back. I only take two; one in the morning and one in the mid afternoon. Just start low and work up to the point that it helps and go no further. The lesson for me is not to combine the various medications and then add calcium and then not drink anything. In retrospect, it is not at all surprising that I had an impaction.


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## DeeDee (Sep 30, 2004)

Wow, what a scary thing that must have beenI am glad you ae okayI will continue to take imodium but will be real careful. thanks so much for your imput. I am a bit nervous lately about taking anything but I sure do need help


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## Scorchedpath (Sep 17, 2007)

I fell into that terrible cycle of worrying about having an accident while I was out which further increased the likelihood of an accident. It is a large part of what made me pretty much housebound for the last year. The Imodium has slowed everything down to the point that I have enough confidence to venture out almost to a normal degree. For reassurance, I still carry medication and TP with me whereever I go. I guess my security blanket is made of toilet paper.


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## 16467 (Aug 31, 2006)

thank you all for your answers. I don't use Imodium everyday because I am afraid that something like an Impaction could happen to me. I just use imodium when I need to go to places I have never been before, if its a crowded place but mainly when is not a bathroom near by. I try my best to use just one a day and thank God thats enough. When I have pain I use something called "Sertal" that is a antispasmodic and combined I never had a problem. The messed up thing is that every day when I wake up, I have the urge to go to the bathroom.. no exception.. I have to go to the bathroom before leaving my house. After that I get constipated and I only have D when I'm stressed so it can change in a few seconds. Yesterday my constipation was so hard that I ill my sphincter.. and few hours later I was going back to the bathroom thanks to the damn D. At least at home I don't need to worry about that, and Imodium is helping me at lest to have the time to go to the bathroom outside my house without struggling. Now, I was asking this because in a episode of Gray's anatomy (who supposedly uses real hospital situations) that one lady was taking ibuprofen everyday and she started puking blood and almost died. Imagine leaving this sickness to get into another thanks to same medicine who helped overcome the other sickness.. this is just mortifying.


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## had-enough (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi,I have been taking prescribed loperamide (after heavy use of bought immodium my gp put me on loperamide) for 2 to 3 years. I took it every day (two a day) for seven months and I ended up with stomach cramps every time I ate and chronic diarrhea. After 8 weeks of being off it, things are still the same. So I am not sure if it was the loperamide or just a coincidence. I have just been put on averline (sp?) helps with the stomach cramps but not the diarrhea. Not sure how much more I can take. Nothing helps. I went to get my prescription of loperamide a few months ago (was getting it every two weeks) and my pharmasist told me its not a medication to take over a long course. He said it would have to stop. I hear conflicting info from gp's and chemists.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Lilith2014A bowel moment around the time you get up is really really normal.The colon in every person is most active around the time you get up and that increase in activity tends to get stool to the end for a BM.Had enough--I'd go with the clinical studies that looked at Loperamide in IBS patients and found it was OK for long-term use.All the "short term" use information seems to be a cover your butt legal thing to prevent people from avoiding getting their GI disorder diagnosed. There some things you don't want to take it for so if you have diarrhea for more than a week or two you don't want to just stop it up to avoid the doctor.Which advice you get depends on who actually reads papers on clinical trials with IBS patients.K.


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## ibsiguess (Feb 28, 2008)

Imodium gives me the worst gas. I feel like I'm dying.


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## had-enough (Feb 26, 2008)

Kathleen MI wish I had known that before, in a panic of new symptoms I threw all my loperamide away and my gp cancelled my repeat prescription thing. For a while I think they thought that I was just getting addicted/too reliant on loperamide. Although it definately stopped working after 7 months of taking it everyday. I wish it hadn't stopped as it made me able to leave the house without needing 3 hours of going to the toilet first.


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