Immodium made me C, Now I can't go, & I'm throwing up.
#357673 - 04/11/10 06:04 AM
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littlelani
Reged: 06/17/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Asheboro, NC
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First, I apologize for the long post. I haven't been on here in a long time because, thankfully, I have been stable. Until now. I was just diagnosed with narcolepsy, and have been taking a medicine call Nuvigil for about a week. It's a mild stimulant & so far it has not caused any cramping for me. But it has caused me to be slightly D, not bad, just more than I'm used to. Yesterday, however, I had a MAJOR attack. I think it was a combination of the med, having a cold, & being very stressed out at the time. I spent 20+ minutes in the restroom, was in intense pain, thought I was going to pass out. So I went to the store & got some Immodium. I am IBS-A, so I know I have to be careful with Immodium. The directions said to take 2 pills. I took 1. That was at around 6pm. I haven't gone since then, even though I feel the need to. And I woke up at 5am this morning & threw up. I threw up again a few minutes ago. I am afraid to eat because apparently everything is backed up now, nothing is going any further than my stomach, & then my stomach has to get it out somehow so I throw up. How long do the effects of Immodium usually last? (I haven't taken it in years.) And is there anything I can do in the meantime? I actually feel hungry, but I'm afraid to eat anything.
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IBS-A...I can never make up my mind 
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Hi, this sounds exactly like me. I am also an A, and when I am in a period of D, I can only take 1/4 to 1/2 of Immodium, otherwise it will throw me into C, for a long time. So, I am very careful how much I take. And also, I only take it if I am D during the week, and need to get on the road, for work. Otherwise, I let the D run it's course.
I have also thrown up on occasion, and I used to think I had a stomach bug. Now I know better. It all depends on how backed up I am. I have been known to use a laxative (not recommended on these boards), but when you don't want to end up in the ER, you will do what it takes for the immediate relief, then you can work on long-term. I would not recommend that to you, since I am not a doctor, and you are throwing up now. You could also have an impaction, so you may want to make contact with your doc.
You sound so much like me, it's incanny. Usually, once I baby my stomach somewhat, use a laxative, and can finally go, I find relief from the vomiting. I also experienced, at least twice that I can remember, the cold sweat, weakness, and feeling like I was going down. It was because I was so extremely backed up.
I would be very careful in the future about how much Immodium I take. For some of us, who especially run C most of the time, it only takes a little bit.
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If you had a bowel movement yesterday, not having one today should not be dangerous. If you had severe diarrhea yesterday, your lower digestive tract may simply be empty rather than your being constipated - when I have a severe attack of diarrhea it's usually 48-72 hours before I have another bowel movement. The feeling of having to go - incomplete evacuation - is common when IBS is flaring. Since you say you have a cold, I would lean toward your having some type of viral infection that explains the vomiting.
All that said, however, you know your body best. For me, Imodium wears off in 24-48 hours. See if your stomach will let you get some liquid down - that's very important in relieving constipation. I usually tolerate ginger ale well even when I'm nauseous (yes, it has HFCS but any port in a storm). If you don't want to go that route, try whatever tea you usually drink or warm chicken broth. You can also see if you can eat a few saltines - take it very slowly. Or put a little cooked white rice in your chicken broth. If you can stand up without throwing up, try to walk a little, just inside the house even just a few minutes at a time. When I've taken something - usually painkillers - that constipate me, I try to drink 8 ounces of liquid every hour and try to walk - just pacing back and forth - for 5 minutes every hour. If all else fails, I eat prunes. That's absolutely, positively NOT a good thing IBS-wise but desperate times call for desperate measures. I get unconstipated and accept that I'm going to have to pay the price with a day of D.
If you can't keep liquid down by tomorrow at the latest then you probably want to go to your doctor or a Doc-In-The-Box to be sure you don't get dehydrated.
I hope this helps. Feel better soon.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Hey there,
Sorry you are feeling so poorly - that's rotten. I am IBS-D and so take immodium pretty regularly during bad flare ups and have also experienced it making me a little bit C if I over do it... I agree with what Sand said, though, and that a day isn't all that long to not have had a BM... especially considering having had D the day before and not eating very much. When my D flares up I also tend to back off food and definitely find my BMs fewer and further between until I am back to a regular eating schedule.
I don't think you should be concerned at this point about being blocked up or anything more severe unless it goes on for several days at a time.
I think immodium can last different amounts of time for different people... If I am having a severe flare-up, it may not last as long as if I am taking it as more of a precautionary measure for a long driving trip or something. Having said that, I would have thought about 24 hours usually.
I'm not sure what the throwing up might be, it sounds like it could be a bunch of different things right now... If that has resolved itself and you are able to keep food down, it might just remain a mystery. If it continues and you aren't able to keep liquids down, you may want to check in with your doctor. For the record, though, I have taken a lot of immodium over the past 7-8 years (so much at times in the past where I couldn't have a BM for 5 days in a row--Not recommended!) and it has never made me throw up.
In the future, if you experience a major flare up of D because of your new medication I would try some other things first. Can you tolerate peppermint capsules? They are really good anti-spasmodics and won't have the same constipating effect as immodium. If you can't get the capsules, some really strong peppermint tea should help calm your tummy down. While you are adjusting to the medication, you also might want to strip down your diet a little bit to easy-to-digest foods and add them back in gradually until you know you are stable again. It might not make a big difference if the medication is going to cause you D no matter what, but it's worth trying.
If it's bad enough that you really want to try some more medication, you can split generic immodium pills into halves... or even smaller if you wanted to give that a try.
Good luck, hope you are feeling better,
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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Oh, I am sorry, I misread you post when I responded previously. I thought you hadn't gone to the bathroom in awhile, and believe me, I know what that is like, and I do throw up from it, at times.
You know, you could just have a bug that will run it's course. And another thought, maybe it is the new med causing you the grief. Just a thought.
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I guess it was just a stomach virus because I feel fine today. The timing was just weird. I still haven't gone yet, but that's okay. I can handle that, LOL!
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IBS-A...I can never make up my mind
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I am IBS A and well familiar with the cycle of D then C then D etc. I don't think you have that yet. Most likely your issues were more from being overly sensitive and touchy after the D. Take fennel and pep tea and caps to soothe the gut. Eat gentle foods when you can. Start small. Take your SFS and even up it temporarily. Use a heating pad to soothe the gut.
For future reference, I only take immodium if I have to- like I am somewhere I just can't deal with D. I only take it early in the day and try to never take it in the PM. Even without the immodium I will often get C following D. To help I up my acacia and drink a lot of tea. I also make sure to eat plenty of bulky foods. Most of the time I don't go the day after D since I am cleaned out but if I don't go a second day it leads to pain and issues.
Light exercise will help prevent the backlash C.
To try to not take immodium I do this: stay safe with my diet, take Bentyl or pep caps when gurgles start, take pep caps before dinner out or when stressed, get used to having some D now and again, even at work, and riding it out. The backlash to C creates such a bad cycle for me that I really work at not taking immodium- especially in the PM.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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