# Does Imodium Work For You If You Have a Panic Attack A While Later?



## susie419 (Jul 14, 2009)

I have to take a short train trip (no bathroom, subway) in the next day or so. The subways have a knack of stopping between stops, the motor goes off, no announcement. I start getting edgy. I do plan to take an Imodium beforehand but I wonder if that really worked if you had some panic. I wear Depends PLUS plastic underwear, great one I found with soft cotton on both sides, fits well...plus a long black skirt. Afraid to travel in jeans for obvious reasons :-(I hate this, to be so scared of an hours trip but you all understand. I just don't know if the Imodium can work if the food is sitting close to where it has to come out and if it can really prevent it if we have a bad panic feeling/attack. I know on a logical level that the train will start moving but every minute seems like an hour when the train stops and on an emotional level, I just lose it. I have to make this trip often because it's my Mom who I adore and as understanding as she is, I have not seen her in 2 weeks, it makes me so frustrated and upset. Any advice or input based on your experience, especially with the panic situation would be appreciated.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Imodium doesn't work just where the food you ate it with is in the colon. So it doesn't work 3 days later (the max normal time when the food gets to the other end). It gets into the nerves controlling the gut and slows everything down and also tends to make it easier to keep the anal sphincter closed.Imodium usually takes about 20-30 minutes to start working and then works for several hours after that. Usually for IBS if people need to take it all the time for control 2X a day is enough for good all day control. In the studies taking the same total amount once a day doesn't work as well as the twice a day dosing.


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## piper777.1 (Aug 8, 2009)

HI - So sorry to hear of your belly troubles! I am right there with you. My IBS has really ramped up this summer and I am trying to figure out why - and the anxiety of course comes with the territory. I have been taking Immodium only for a couple of weeks and I'm really impressed. I used to use Pepto Bismol but after drinking a bottle of it in one week, I figured I needed something stronger. I do not know if it would work once a panic attack sets in though. I am in the midst of working up the nerve to talk with my doctor about an anti-anxiety medication. I truly feel your pain - it's not fair to have to deal with this daily and people who haven't experienced it have *NO IDEA* what we go through. I was housebound for nearly two years until I started taking an SSRI which really helped a lot with the horrible pain. And for the last two years I was doing really well but this summer it has come back full force







. Keep me posted - and try to relax. I find that if my anxiety starts to kick in and I start talking with someone on the phone or listening to my ipod, I can calm down and focus on something else. I usually call my Mom and talk about something completely mundane... good luck.


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## susie419 (Jul 14, 2009)

Thanks! Piper, may I ask which SSRI you took? I don't know why I got worse this summer either. This doesn't seem to have much of a rhyme or reason. During high stress periods, I am often fine. Nothing much happening now but the IBS is worse. One thing I know, panic leads me to diarrhea instantly, I have had this all of my life. Within seconds, I pass wind. Then comes the runs. And yes, nobody can know how this is until they experience it but I ask people if they ever had to go badly and had no access to a bathroom and everyone says yes, it's happened on a subway or in the street. So this is the way I explain it so they'll understand that this is the way I deal with it on a daily basis. It's fine in my neighborhood because I can always run home or into a store but the train or bus is my biggest nightmare.


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## ISDExecutor71 (Aug 12, 2009)

I use Imodium daily, and my IBS is triggered mainly by anxiety as well. Ive found that taking Lomotil and Imodium work fairly well together. I take anywhere from 1 to 2 Imodium before I leave for work. Traffic tends to start feelings of anxiety for me. Feeling like Im trapped and have nowhere to go tends to make me feel like I need to go to the bathroom. Its a vicious cycle. What I have done to help me avoid anxiety however is to go buy a handheld game system, like a PSP or a Nintendo DS. Load up the game of your choice and take your mind off of the bathroom for a while. It works for me most of the time. I will admit though that sometimes once in a great while there are those moments where just taking my mind off of it doesnt work so well. Personally, I wish Motofen was back on the market. That was quite the excellent medication for me. I hate that they took it off the shelves.


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