Immodium - how many do people use? Plus Lomotil?
#257578 - 04/11/06 11:04 AM
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Blondie13
Reged: 02/28/06
Posts: 641
Loc: Sheffield, England
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Hi all
My weekend's mixed success has got me thinking about Immodium. Until the last time I saw the doc I just used it before going out, taking 3 or 4 usually, up to 5 if I was really bad. However, after reading on here and talking to others I started taking at least 1 Immodium a day, and it has really improved my D symptoms.
However, at the weeekend I was taking more than usual and still having BMs, until I 'topped up' with 3 of my boyfriends Lomotil.
So... Just wondering how others use Immodium (daily versus 'when needed'), how much, and whether anyone uses Lomotil? I'm trying to understand more towards how they work, so I can use them more effectively. Part of the new and improved positive me! (Hmmm, it's been one day and a half so far - this positive lark is very tiring...  )
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http://ibsblondie13.blogspot.com/
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The only days I dont use it is if I know for sure Im not leaving the house that day(which is rare) and so I dont bother using it as it would waste my prescription when I dont need to. I take 2 first thing in the morning, then 2 after each bowel movement. Sometimes....depending on the consistency of the stool(TMI i know) if its more sort of mushy then I'll take 2 and then another 2 ten minutes later or so to slow things down quicker. I can easily take 10 a day...I DONT like using them but I NEED to to live a normal life....working my diet around my ibs is obviously a huge thing too...but I do use immodium as a preventative a lot. Especially when I want a night out where Im likely to drink. In those occasions, I usually take 2 immodium every half an hr as Im getting ready to go out....thats if I havent taken many in the morning....the most Ive ever taken in a day as probably 16 which is A LOT I know but I know some use up to about 20. I have used 15 before and still been able to go the toilet the next day. Most of the time though on days when Ive heavily dosed up then I find the next day is a good day. It all depends....but I seem to be in tune enough with my body now that I know how it works like that....I can pretty much stop an attack dead in its stop if I use immodium, not always the case but more often than not. Try using it the night before aswell...some people find that helpful for the next day....especially if like me your worst time is in the morning!
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 Natalie
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Like Nat I take Imodium everyday. I'm prescribed 8 a day, but I take more than that usually if I am to stay stable. It's usually 1-2 in the morning when I get up, 2 before meals and 2 at night. If I have D I'll take 3-4 to slow things down. Hope this helps!
~nelly~
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I take it every day. Since starting Heather's diet I only need 1 1/2 tabs in the morning after BM. I may need more if I'm stressed but too many and I'm constipated the next day. I also take hyoscyamine twice a day, that too will constipate me if I take more than 2 a day. Until I got stable I didn't know what constipation was!
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Franny
IBS/D
Celiac
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I now only use about 1/2 every few days or so. My general rule is after my 2nd BM of the day I take 1/2 even if the BM is a normal one. Immodium seems to help more as a preventative before attacks for me. It definetly takes more to stop an attack than to prevent one. (I tested this theory out with cheesecake twice)
Kat
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Kat
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Maybe prescription strength Immodium is different, but I've always taken it OTC since I was a kid. I really try not to take it unless I'm not going to have easy access to a bathroom (like a road trip, plane, train, etc.), and here is why.
I was told by my gastroenterelogist not to take immodium anymore because immodium actually contributes to the upset of the balance between diarrhea and constipation. I really didn't believe him b/c I had been taking it for so long and had come to depend on it, but I decided to try for a week and wean myself off it it and then go a week and not use it at all. I'll tell you what, it made a big difference. I really never paid attention to the frequency of needing to use it, it became a natural thing to reach for it after after loose BM, but that week I weaned myself off was HARD, I ended up taking a few days off work so I could be sure to be close to the bathroom when needed (there was only 1 stall for women on the other side of the building), but the following week, as each day passed, I noticed the IBS symptoms actually did improve. I still buy immodium just to have on hand "just in case!", but rarely use it anymore. I've gone down from using 5 or more a day to about 5 a month...and that's if it's a bad month. I had my gall bladder removed a year ago and had to go to an extremely low fat diet, I don't usually get more than 30grams of fat per day now, and I think having to change my eating to like was a big reason my IBS symptoms are a lot less frequent. I just found this site so I haven't yet tried this IBS diet, but I'm going to give it a shot if I can work around the other medical problems that restrict my food as well. I'm anemic, insulin resistant, and IBS and some of the foods I need for 1 thing conflict with another (like whole wheat for insulin resistance blocks absorption of iron!).
I really suggest those who take immodium to try and wean themselves off for a period of time and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes something can really help us and at the same time using too much can contribute to the problem. I've read things on this site that talked about other foods that contribute to the inbalance between constipation and diarrhea and Immodium can be added to that list. Of course that may not be true for everyone!
Good luck!
Erin
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Erin
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IBS-D, GERD...
I got it comin' outta 1 end or the other!
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My gastroenterologist told me that imodium is bad stuff and in habitual users the colon will sometimes turn black. I told him that I didn't care what color it was as long as it works the way I want it to. Since he had no good advice for me other than fiber (which makes the D worse since the birth of my baby), I take one every morning. And I never even worry about the color of my colon!
Laura
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I used Lomotil the first year I was diagnosed with IBS, but I really didn't like it. I think taking it in combination w/ too many other medications doctors prescribed to help me with IBS (Donnatol, imipramine, Pepto, etc.) constipated me for days and then when I finally went I would have a "complete evacuation" - going and going for hours, feeling like I was going to poop out my intestines or something. Those were some of the worst attacks I've ever had.
Currently, I take 1/2 - 1 Imodium caplet about twice a week, usually as a preventive if I'm going out or feeling those warning rumbles. I'll take 1-2 if I'm actually having an attack, but only if it's a bad attack. I went for years without taking it, but my IBS got worse last year so I used it regularly until I got stable. Now I try to use it only as needed.
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This is all just theory, but to me, the benefit of using immodium infrequently is that my body responds to very little. I only take 1/2 an immodium as needed. I define "as needed" as:
-starting to feel cramping when I'm away from home (usually in the classroom)
-having an attack away from home and feeling like more might be coming (sometimes my attacks are just one-time BMs rather than total evacuation)
I would say that I usually only reach for immodium about four times a month, if that. Of course, I'm also pretty stable at this point.
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Christine
Those who can do; those who want it done better teach.
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well I am one of the people that think immodium is addictive, but I still use it.. its just lost its magic in the last few years.
I started off taking pepto bismol when I was a lot younger and was first diagnosed with IBS-D. I ended up needing almost 8 pills to stop an attack so I quickly went off that.
For the next year, i'd take one to two immodium and do wonderfully (about once or twice a week).. however, after about a year of that I started to get so so gassy whenever I took it.. so I decided to switch to immodium advanced.
well I was fine for about a year on 1-2 immodium advances a few times a week to stop attacks or as a preventative. However, in the recent year, I've needed to take up to 4 or 5 at one time to actually prevent attacks. I agree that stopping attacks is a lot harder than preventing them. Somedays, three immodium advanced will do the trick perfectly, but on others 5 won't even work as a preventative. Its quite annoying.
I have also noticed that when I take four in one day, I wont go for a few days, but the next time I go its SURE to be a huge D attack! I seriously have a love hate relationship with immodium! I hate the effects of it sometimes and that it doesnt' always work and usually ends up with D after it wears off.. however, I refuse to limit my life bc of IBS and need it to go out and get on with my life. Without immodium my life would be pretty sad, so I do kinda love it because it allows me to get out and have a little fun!
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