# Imodium Over Dose



## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I have to Pass the Information along , as I know Many Here do use ALOT of Imodium to try to Stop your diarrhea.My best friend e-mailed me to tell me about what happened to her lady friend on the East Coast of the United States.This woman has IBS-D and she was consuming large amounts of Imodium on a daily and weekly basis ,She was driving to the grocery store and she passed out and crossed the center line resulting in a horrific accident to where she was injured severely.They did numerous test's and found out she was in extreme organ failure. Specially the Liver and Kidneys.They found HUGE AMOUNTS of Imodium in them.Doctor's attributed the accident and her passing out to The over use of Imodium.So this is just kind of a wake up call. Watch how you use your Imodium. Don't over do it and use more then recommened.And I know Many here that do.Be very carefull.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

In the medical literature there is at least one case report of an opiate addict that could take enough Imodium to get high.They were taking something like 160 pills at a time. Very little per pill gets into the body so you really have to take some pretty seriously high dosages to get any into the central nervous system or organs.I don't think taking 9 or 10 instead of the 8 or less that is the limit on the box will be enough to cause a lot of damage. Some drugs the effective dose and the overdose amounts are very close. Imodium doesn't seem to be one of those.We also don't know what other drugs she used. If she was used to doing opiates a lot of them have Tylenol in it and that will fry your liver at doses not much above the dose that relieves pain.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Thanks Glenda but this is anecdotal unless you have a link to an article about it. But of course, common sense dictates too much of _anything_ is no good for anyone.It IS possible that the severe D was contributing to the multiple organ failure from dehydration. (She HAD to be taking all of the imodium for SOME reason...)But of course making your Doc aware of how many you need to take during a day would help prevent "over-dosing". Also I know my Doc does bloodwork on me everytime I'm in there. So.. one could always ask for that bloodwork to be done to make sure one's organs are in good shape.BQ


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

If anything this should be a wake-up call to the medical community. More needs to be done to treat IBS then just telling patients to take Immodiium and relax. When people have to live and work normal lives its pretty difficult to do if you have to go to the bathroom every half hour unless you take massive amounts of Immodium. I know everyone already knows this but its really not the patients fault for trying to live a normal life?


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

There are No News links for this . This is just something that occured to this person by consuming Large amounts of Imodium.A Full bottle every few days.There were NO other contributing factors for her Organ failure ! It WAS the MisUse of Imodium the Hospital doctor's told her.I just wanted to Call this to everyone's attention > Never take more then the daily recommened dose , for anything !I know at times sheer desperation can make people do unthinkable things for any situation.But , Never over do your medication.Look at the unfortunate situation that happened to this woman.She said she was trying so hard to stop her diarrhea and she thought that taking Imodium would do the trick.It sure did , it almost cost her Her Life.Be very carefull when you take your medications.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

No one is saying anyone should overdose on any medication, especially without medical supervision.Just these one off stories when it is a friend of a friend can sometimes be misleading. Heck even the published stories in medical journals where everything that can be documented is well laid out can be misleading.If your doctor knows what you are taking and is monitoring your health and everything is fine you don't need to change your medication from a story being emailed around no matter how close to the origination of the story the person on reporting it is.Every single thing on the planet is toxic at some dose. Every.single.thing. The dose makes the poison.Here is a dead from Imodium case study to PROVE I believe you that people shouldn't take too much. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1641941...Pubmed_RVDocSumThe doses of the metabolite were about 100X what you see in the largest recommended dose.I'm just saying as far as things you can buy over the counter Loperamide has a pretty large spread between the seriously toxic dose and the recommended dose. Some drugs, like Tylenol that people pop like it is candy most of the time, the toxic dose is more like 2X the dose you are supposed to max at rather than 10-100X the dose. (and depending on what you take with the Tylenol the max dose on the bottle can cause liver damage)Everyone should always report all drug use to their doctor, and I can't believe this friend of a friend was told by anyone taking 3 or more full bottles of Imodium a week was safe or appropriate.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I just thought this information was worth passing on to the board since many here Do take alot of Imodium.In excess it could have a disasterous outcome.Any medication could.Just be very carefull in What you do.Keep your doctor informed about everything.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

Great article kathleen , glad you sent the web link.And yes , it was the death factor for that person. How sad !!Too much is never a good thing , and should be a huge wake up call.Yes , everyone want's to live a normal happy life , and be as free as they can from all their ailments , including IBS.Just watch what you do while you achieve these results.Be sure your doctor is monitoring you , and you tell them everything , and never omit one thing for fear they will jump all over you.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

Just an addition , I doubt this lady was telling her doctor just How Much Imodium she was consuming.Other wise She would have been given a strict warning of the MisUsage.I think this was just something she took it upon her self to try.In hopes it would work.Thankfully she survived her car accident , and hopefully there won't be too many serious set backs due to the organ failure that has occured due to what she did.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> A Full bottle every few days.


THAT is *extreme* over use. I seriously doubt anyone here is using anywhere near that amount...BQ


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I can't seem to find the opiate addict report right now, but at 160 pills at a time the person required methadone to get off the Imodium because the dose was that high that a cold turkey detox was not safe enough.About the most I've generally heard of people taking regularly that their doctor knows about is some patients with IBD who are taking in the 12 a day range (not at a time, over the course of a day) and that is with their doctor's knowledge.It is pretty rare to find anyone here taking more than 8 a day even if they take 3-4 at a time before an event.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I thougth it was very thoughtfull of my Best Friend to tell me what had occured to her aquaintance with the over use of Imodium.She knows I have been a member of this board for Many Years , and she knows I have had "D" issue's that have required Imodium's use.She wanted me to pass this critical information along , as kind of an alert notice , for something that has the potential to occure to you if you MisUse this Prodect. (Or any Drug ).I sincerely hope her aquaintance recovers from the unfortunate things that happen by the over use of this OTC product.I view this as a Wake Up Call.I do know folks here that DO over use their Imodium! Maybe not bottles daily , but "almost" close to it.Just be very carefull when you take more then the recommended dose.This situation did occure, to an unfortunate person , that was trying so hard to relieve their "D". And the results were tragic.I am sure the Hospital will alert her primary care doctor to this situation , and I bet she'll recieve a good scolding.My only point in passing this information on was > This did Happen to someone !


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Ok thanks.BQ


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I am going to ask my friend if she can get this woman to come to this board at a later date and share her story.I don't know if this person would be willing to do this though. She might be pretty stressed out because of what took place. (Embarrased)I think it would be really helpfull to hear the story directly from : The Person , Themselves.But again , this is just something to be aware of , and what "could" happen , if you "incorrectly" use this product.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Oh Glenda I don't think that is necessary. The poor woman just needs to get better and focus on her _own_ health.. let alone ours.Good thoughts going out to her.BQ


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

I think that we get it Glenda.I would like to suggest that you leave the poor woman alone to heal.There is ALWAYS a side effect, over use or over dose story on ANY drug or treatment or supplement for that matter.There will always be someone out there that has an adverse reaction to ANYTHING that is mentioned or suggested as a method of treatment.We must all weigh the pros and cons of what our decisions are and we are entitiled to those decisions be they smart, informed, not so smart or just down right ridiculous.I have heard of NO one on this board that is taking anywhere close to the amount that you are speaking of in this case.And even it they were, I am sure they know that they are waaaaay over recommended levels.All they have to do is read the bottle.You go that far over and you take your chances.............and you have to accept that there are some people willing to do that in order to obtain relief.Sad? Yes, absolutely. A victim of the system? Without a doubt. But it is what it is.We ALL do what we have to.I recently took 1200 mg of ibuprofen at one time for back pain. It was either that or call 911. The pain was intolerable. It hurt to breathe...............It was never ending and no end in sight.Do I know I was flirting with danger? Yup.....was in the medical field for over 30 years.I know and knew and made the decision consciously.Please let this poor unfortunate person focus on getting better and hopefully find the help she needs.Thai


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## petra (Feb 2, 2009)

I was told to take 16 immodium per day by a gastro-enterologist in the UK. This doctor specialises in IBS. I can't get lotronex so my choice is a bit more limited. In the event it didn't particularly make me any better but I always have 8, sometimes 10 and have been doing so for years. I do this on medical advice. Many people with other gut disorders have to take more than the 8 recommended daily -it is acceptable and common practice. You don't find these patients on this forum so tend to get a rather biased view of what is safe and appropriate.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

People that I have become friends with , and e-mail with frequently on this board , have come right out and admitted to me they take Way Over the recommended dose. But they are abit frightened to admit it On Line because , they fear a good yelling at.They don't admit it to their doctor's for the same reasons.They just take it with the hopes it will eventually stop their diarrhea.I don't think they are thinking about the dangerous outcomes that it could potentially cause.And for the person that takes 16 Imodium daily. That's alot !Be Carefull.I am glad I could pass this information along.It was worth hearing about.


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## shyanna von banana (Jun 4, 2009)

People already know there are side effects to drugs. I would like to know if you could prove that there is an overdose story for any drug. In school we were taught not to overgeneralize b\c there is the possiblity that not everything fits into one category. this is a sad but useful story b\c it points out what could happen if someone took too many immodiums. There are people out there who may not be aware of how deadly too many immodiums can be plus some doctors will prescribe over the typical amount to take. Stories like these open peoples eyes to what is a possibility and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. I think it is best to stick with what glenda is trying to do and that is to show ibsers that immodiums can cause serious health issues with abuse.Thai i saw that you took 1200 mg of painkillers and it sounds like your in a lot of pain you kind of reminded me of the lady in the story and I hope you get the help you need too.


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

shyanna,If I had the help I needed there would have been no need for me to take 1200 mg of ibuprofen.I am Canadian and pain meds are far more difficult to get prescribed up here than they are in the States, so when the need arises, I do what I have to do.My point to telling my story was that in some cases, whether we know the consequences or not, we make choices based on our needs at the time. Yes, 16 immodium a day is a lot...so is 1200 mg ibuprofen.The person who is taking the 16 immodium doesn't want to let it be known here because of the retribution they will face, but no doubt they feel they require it just as I made the decision that I required the 1200 mg ibuprofen. Apparently this other person has no other course of treatment available to them to do what is needed in their case, just as I don't.That is ALL I am saying.................we do what we do when we need to do it!!Guess I could have called 911 but I chose not to.ThaiThis is it for me on this topic. Sorry I gave my opinion on the matter.


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## MonkeyBabyTimes (Jul 30, 2009)

I wish I had seen this post before I made mine elsewhere..but YES I stopped taking Imodium completely because it was giving me kidney pain and crystallized stones. I was taking it pretty much ever day for a while, and it caught up to me.


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

Amen! I agree with you 100%. You have got to do what you have to do to live somewhat normally. Lets face it, there is very little help from the medical community regarding our condition. I know for myself i often feel like im on my own regarding treatment. I used to take up to 5-6 Immodium a day just so i could leave my house. My body ended up getting used to the amount and it didn't work as well so i stopped taking them. I figured it was only covering my symptoms and not getting to the bottom of my cause. Fortunetly for me i have the type of job were i can do this, many people don't. After many months of trial and error i still have not gotten any better or figured out whats causing my symptoms and i probably should be taking Immodium every day. It has been my choice not to and because of that i have suffered, some people can't deal with that and i don't blame them one bit.I appreciate your story Glenda. Like i had previously stated i think this should be a wake-up call to the medical community and not the patients that have no other option but to heavily sedate or overprescribe themselves. Its there choice and they no there are possible consequences. I for one tried smoking marijuana because my symptoms were so bad and a friend with crohns told me it may help. Thats a decision i had to make based on the fact that nothing else would help. Would i reccomend someone else do that, no but its what i had to do at the time to try and feel better and get on with my life.


Thai said:


> shyanna,If I had the help I needed there would have been no need for me to take 1200 mg of ibuprofen.I am Canadian and pain meds are far more difficult to get prescribed up here than they are in the States, so when the need arises, I do what I have to do.My point to telling my story was that in some cases, whether we know the consequences or not, we make choices based on our needs at the time. Yes, 16 immodium a day is a lot...so is 1200 mg ibuprofen.The person who is taking the 16 immodium doesn't want to let it be known here because of the retribution they will face, but no doubt they feel they require it just as I made the decision that I required the 1200 mg ibuprofen. Apparently this other person has no other course of treatment available to them to do what is needed in their case, just as I don't.That is ALL I am saying.................we do what we do when we need to do it!!Guess I could have called 911 but I chose not to.ThaiThis is it for me on this topic. Sorry I gave my opinion on the matter.


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## shyanna von banana (Jun 4, 2009)

Yes "you got to do what you got to do" but it would be foolish not to be aware of the consquences that's all. In war, soldiers have to kill b\c "you got to do what you got to do" but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be aware of what their actions are doing to them and others.The maximum amount of ibuprofen that can be safely taken is 3200mg a day. If your pain is that bad maybe your doctor can get you a more powerful pain killler.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Well.. I would just venture a guess here..... that we all now know what the consequences of taking too much imodium can be. How about we leave it at that?ThanksBQ


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

The only thing that I was trying to do here was > Call to your attention , What happened when they consumed Large amounts of this stuff.She destroyed her Liver and Kidneys and is gravelly ill now I have heard.Yeah people do resort to "Doing what they think they gotta do" , but for christ sake , don't be completely stupid in the process.My box of Imodium says NO MORE THEN 4 Tablets in 24 Hours.I have never even taken 4 tablets in my life for diarrhea controll. 3 Yes , and that was afew days apart if repeat was needed.But when you consume a bottle or more every day or so. That is down right insanity ! You are on a death mission.I told my Pharmacist about the person who is mixing Codeien Phosphate with the other drugs and the pharmacist said that is dangerous and you risk MAJOR Liver Damage. And need to be tested very frequently.And about the person taking 16 daily , the pharmacist again said > Major Liver damage.Never take more then the recommded and prescribed dose.I don't care how desperate you become , you have to consider the out come could be lethal for you.Do you want to inflict that much damage on your organs ? Do you want to kill yourself as a last ditch possibility ?I sure the Hell don't. That is why I refuse to take any of these medications.Again , this story is so tragic because this lady became so desperate to find a final fix for her Diarrhea, and look where is in now , ICU.Just let this be a wake up call. It does happen to people , It did happen.Yes the medical community does need to do more for IBS.But they too need to be very carefull in how they take care of it.Don't load folks up with mulitpule pills in the hopes we'll shut up and go away and never grace them with our presence again.And I see folks here that will actually take every pill imaginable because it has a possible side effect of Constipation.Stop and Do RESEARCH on all these drugs.I Research Everything. It's easy to do.Just be very smart in how you handle your medication. Don't be foolish and try to raise your dose in hopes it might finally work.You just might end up on the Morgue Slab.I want the folks here to get better. Just be smart in how you achieve those results.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

While I agree people do need to be careful and smart I don't think a never take any medication for anything ever no matter what is going to be a reasonable answer for a lot of us.Sometimes I feel that you think every medication at every dose is always far too dangerous. One always has to weigh the risk of no treatment at all against the risk of doing something. For a lot of us zero treatment really is not an option as most of us do have to work and can't afford to have all food. etc. delivered to us.Everyone should be honest about what they take with their doctor so any testing the need to make sure they are OK is done on a timely basis. This includes all supplements and herbs and restrictive diets you may be doing to try to control something if you will not take any pharmaceuticals. Natural remedies can be as problematic as something from big pharma.Unfortunately the belief that all medication must be way too dangerous for something as mild as IBS is exactly why we don't have more treatments available to us. No one will spend the million if nothing can ever be approved and the people controlling the FDA believe fiber is the only thing we need and if fiber doesn't fix you well then too damn bad you aren't getting any safe and effective drugs out of them.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> The only thing that I was trying to do here was > Call to your attention , What happened when they consumed Large amounts of this stuff.


You have and thank you.BQ


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I think Low doses of medication is perfectly safe for someone , But , Watch what you start Mixing it with.That's where people start getting themselves into trouble.Some mix multipule things that have No business being combined.Then they start upping the dose , without permission sometimes , because the are looking for a end for their diarrhea.They either find out it still don't stop the "D" , or they soon learn , wow , I feel like Dirt , why I wonder.I am very carefull what medication I allow in my body. Before I fill any prescription , I Research every aspect of the stuff.The Good , The Bad.Then I get my Pharmacists opinion on it.If he thinks it isn't advisable , I search for an alternative that is beneficial.My Pharmacist has been one over 30 years and he is very knowledgable and Intelligent.I value every bit of Information that I am given because I know it is 100 % accurate.And I was brought up to know "Right From Wrong" , and over doing your Pills is WRONG !The outcome could be hazzardous.And people need to wake up and see this.Most of them do , and alot of them don't.I know many that don't.Hopefully folks will take a long hard look about this and see what could happen if they did something simular.Good Luck to you though at what ever you do.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I guess sometimes I just feel like you fear we are all way too stupid to read the labels or confer with our doctors or pharmacists.I mean it isn't like you are the only one on the site that ever figured out how to get information about drugs.I understand the way too desperate, and some people do assume OTC means safe at every possible dose, but I think we on average are a lot smarter and a lot more careful and don't really need to be battered repeatedly to get the point.Yep people do sometimes do stupid things behind our doctor's backs but it really isn't that you are the only one that can ring the warning bell and all of us are telling you that we intend to completely ignore you and we think you are wrong. You really don't need to be so intense about it. We all believe you, really!


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I have had people e-mail me and actually send me their entire medication list and the food they eat and ask me if I can research it because they don't know how to do so.I have spent hours out of my day doing so for them , because I know they need help. And I have gladly helped.I have seen people say via e-mail to me , they didn't know this would create a problem , That is Why I tend to preach the saying > RESEARCH IT and you'll get your answers.


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

Shyanna,Here I am, totally going against what I said this morning that I would not do and that is to post here again.Please please read what I have written before making such responses to my posts.On topic one...............more powerful pain killers. Read my post. It said that it is not that easy to get pain killers prescribed here in Canada.Do you honestly think that I would be taking 1200 mg ibuprofen if I had something stronger to take?Give me a break....On topic two..............that being that it would be foolish to not be aware of the consequences of my choices.Again, I ask that you read my post. I said I was fully conscious of what I was doing and was aware of the consequences having worked in the medical field for over 30 years.For me the choice was 911 or the meds and I chose the meds..............AND I BLOODY WELL KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING!!!!!!!Thai


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## shyanna von banana (Jun 4, 2009)

What the heck are you talking about thai. All I said is I hope you get the help you need. There is no need to get spiteful about it. I was just hoping you get help for your back pain and that if you needed to you could take 3200 mg a day not 1200mg b\c I read that it is safe to take 3200 mg daily. Plus if you read my post you will see that i was just trying to help if you didnt want any comments on your back pain maybe next time it would be best to leave it out b\c I have the right to try and help. Anyways I thought this thread was suppose to be about immodiums not other drugs. I think it is just about done tho or was.


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## petra (Feb 2, 2009)

I don't really follow your comments. I'm not ashamed about having to take 16 imodium-I was advised to take this amount on expert medical advice. As regards side effects-often mentioned-some of the most toxic drugs are chemotherapy drugs. Patients take them to save their lives-their hair falls out and they become very sick. Patients take them because the alternatives are worse. In my case it could be argued that they save me from jumping off the bridge!


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

shyanna von banana said:


> What the heck are you talking about thai. All I said is I hope you get the help you need.


No, that is not all you said which is why I responded the way I did.I'm done here.Thai


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

This thread is now closed. Please do not continue this conversation on another thread, or further action will have to be taken. Thank you.


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