# Imodium and Lomotil combination?



## Guest (Feb 4, 1999)

I think I've hit the wall with Imodium. Went skiing a few days ago and tried to achieve C (as a "guarantee" against D.) I used to be safe with 3 Imodiums (? Imodia) but this time broke through (not a full attack, thank god) FIVE (5) Imodiums. The next day I couldn't produce a quiet ( C ) gut with 3 Lomotils and was also bothered by dry mouth and drowsiness. Does antbody have experience with Imodium PLUS Lomotil taken together, each in a low dose, in an effort to get effects without side effects. I'm sure there are a lot of theoretical no-no's about mixing like this, but does anybody have any experience with trying it? I should also mention that I have been on daily Pepto, 2 chewables.


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## Judy (Jan 2, 1999)

Joe Joe,I'm curious, in all your years of having IBS have you ever tried any natural remedies/supplements? If so any luck?I hope yours is not a typical thing..getting immune to Immodium because as of right now that's the only thing that helps mine..I mean I don't want to try anything stronger than that anyway and I am so new to this that's all I've had to try so far but i'm already stepping up my dose from one every otehr day to one a day and this weekend two a day..now I don't like that...it's scary to think I'm becoming immune to it this soon! But I'm tired of cramping everytime I start to eat, then I don't want to eat then I can't gain any of my weight back, I'm weak...so I'll take the Immodium until it won't work.Anyway, have you tried acidophilus or this Jeruslem Artichoke flour etc/BEing a doctor I just wondered what you thought of some of these things and if you had ever tried any of them------------------Judy


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## Loretta (Dec 13, 1998)

Dear JoeJoe, I think we both agree that if you use immodium for many years it does have a tendency to lose its effectiveness. I haven't taken immodium since last July because I felt like I became immune to it. I used to take 3 immodiums every morning and it worked like a charm for many years. That's all the medicine I needed for the whole day. I am currently taking Lonox. which is a prescription and which is one of the generic forms of Lomotil (but I don't feel it works as well as Lomotil) and I still feel the immodium worked better than the Lonox. I am taking the Lonox in combination of the Pepto and it is working. Lonox alone doesn't really help me. I never thought of taking the immodium and lonox together but I feel the lomotil and pepto is a good combination. I am going to try the immodium again once my prescription runs out and see if it will work since I haven't used it in so long. I will definitly let you know how it works and maybe we only need a time period of not using the immodium for it to work like it used to. I'm sorry your skiing trip wasn't a happy one. I know the feeling. Take care of yourself, Loretta


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## Guest (Feb 4, 1999)

JoeJoe, I've tried both the Lonox and Immodium together and it doesn't help me at all. Have you tried the Calcium? I know it sounds simplistic but it really helps me--I take it two or three times a day, and also take Librax when I first notice that my stomach may be "going south" and I seldom have a really bad day. I've gone from uncontrolled D to some stomach pain--I'll take the stomach pain any day---THEY can't SEE stomach pain! If you haven't tried this combination, why don't you give it a spin. You have absolutely nothing to lose! And Joe--let us know when that new med _Aloestron (sp?) comes out-- it sounds very promising!------------------"Do not go gentle into that good night" JANICE


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

Both Immodium and Lomotil are similar, both opiate agonists. Immodium is more potent than Lomotil but Lomotil gets into the brain and could affect the liver. (That's why Lomotil is prescrption.)it is conceivable that they affect opiate receptors somewhat selectively and that taking both provides more broad coverage. Alosetron may come out in a year, but seems helpful only for women.


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## Guest (Feb 4, 1999)

i have a question to add to this , i to suffer from D-type and use the imodium-pepto remedie my question is i have D one day up the dose of imodium a little and don't hear from my bowel for 2-3 days then nomal 1 day D 1 day then not for 2-3 days again i usually seem to follow this cycle unless i over induldge does this sound like a normal cycle?


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## Joe (Dec 13, 1998)

JoeJoe,I've never hit the wall with immodium where it quit working for me permanantly but on my worst D day I took 8 immodium and 8 lomotil in a 16 hour period and it still didn't stop it. Luckily I haven't had a day like that in a while. One of the most effective things I have found for the D was xanax which is an anti-anxiety drug which according to my doctor won't help the D but it should calm you down. Well it helped the D but I decided against taking it all the time because it can be addicting but if I am going to travel I use it then. Now a question, do you drink coffee and if so do you add sugar to it. I never thought coffee (with sugar) was my problem because I went without it for 2 to 4 days at a time and still had D. On Jan. 1st I gave up the coffee with sugar. After about 2 to 3 weeks I started noticing a big difference. Formed stools and less urgency. I've been reluctant to tell anyone about this because it seems every time I find some relief I report it and then I have a relapse but it has been almost five weeks and I am feeling much better. The rumblings and grumblings are gone and I have only had D twice since the middle of January which I hear is pretty normal for folks without IBS. Also I was drinking anywhere from 6 to 10 cups of coffee a day with 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar in each cup so I don't know if the caffiene was the problem or the sugar or a combination of both. I think the caffiene and sugar stay in the system for about two weeks so you must quit for an extended period to see any relief.------------------*Joe*


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## Guest (Feb 5, 1999)

I'm quite touched at how all of you have responded in meaningful ways to my question.Judy-No I haven't tried acidophilus or Jerusalem artichoke yet. I'm slow to switch around on things as I've been fooled so many times on what I thought was effective. I may get to try some "natural" stuff, as I think I have an open mind about finding anything effective and harmless. Don't get too worried, if I actually have become resistant to Imodium, it took 7-8 years.Loretta-I agree that the brand name Lomotil works better than the generic I tried, as does brand name Imodium. I think it has to do with the absorption.Janice-I found calcium carbonate some help, but switched to Pepto hoping for more help. I wonder if the Pepto hasn't confused my bowel a little vis-a-vis the Imodium. I'm going back to calcium carbonate, and if necessary to calcium citrate ( Caltrate.) I think I'll stick with any apparently helpful change for at least a month.rockcandi-I often have a few good days after taking Imodium for D. I find that when I'm stressed though, like on an "active " vacation of golf or boating when I need daily "guaranteed" protection, I need to take Imodium or Lomotil.Joe-I drink a lot of black coffee. It increases my bowel activity, but not in a IBS way. I have found chocolate can be a problem, if I overeat it. I also found I was symptom-free on the old "Scarsdale Medical Diet", basically a low fat, low carbohydrate diet. That diet though is too hard to live on forever for me. I'd like to be able to eat reasonably normally (maybe that is too much to hope for.) By the way, my mother is intolerant to chocolate (gets D) and hasn't eaten it for 70 years; I don't think she has IBS though. If so, she's never told me. flux-I appreciate your observations on the mechanisms of action of these drugs, and your being open to the possibility that they may have different enough end-organ responses to supplement each other. I think I'll research this a little more, and might try it.


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