Diarrhea after taking immodium
#347019 - 06/08/09 07:58 PM
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mrae
Reged: 02/05/09
Posts: 481
Loc: California
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My doctor has been having me figure out how much immodium I can take a day to stay stable until we can find out exactly what is wrong. I take 2 immodium a day and it does me good but I have notice if I take 2 each day for to many days by the 4th day I get cramps and sharp pains,nausea along with diarrhea. (I usaully don't have diarrhea just urgent bowel movements) Its almost like my body just has to get the stuff out. When I take 2 a day I still use the restroom at least once in the morning so I am not getting constipated or anything but that 4th day or so it just kills my stomach. I figured if anything I would get pain from getting constipated. As anyone else had any experience with this?
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My GI guy has me taking four Imodium a day when the diarrhea is acting up. It usually stops the runs after two days and if I continue with the Imodium I soon get (painfully) constipated so I stop the pills when I have no diarrhea. The only problem is the floodgates will open up a day or two later and the cycle begins again.
For whatever reason, I seem to be less stressed of late and that is certainly helping my diarrheal issues. I've slowed down on the Imodium and aside from a recent three day trigger I've been doing better.
BTW and FWIW - I stopped taking Mobic, a prescribed medicine for arthritis. My doctor told me that was a major contributor to triggers for diarrhea.... (my orthopedic surgeon who had prescribed the Mobic, fully knowing my IBS condition, never mentioned a possible side effect).
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Saul (IBS - D)
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mrae
If I take it at all, (it is few and far between), I can only take 1/2 tablet. It gives me extreme pain in my upper abdomen. Since, I run more towards C, and only have occasional D, I think it is just trapped stool and gas, but I have to be real careful with the Immodium.
As far as the urgency issue, have you tried sphincter exercises for bowel control? I don't know that they would stop the ungency, but I think they would give you the assurance that you can handle it until you get to a restroom.
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A few years back, we were on vacation and the wife was itching to get to the beach. I was not feeling well and was sure an attack was on the way (hot flashes, mild cramping, feeling weak). She really wanted to go so she suggested I take an immodium...in the past I had always taken half a pill AFTER D...never before. We got to the beach and I started having the worst cramps in my life, so bad I could not walk. She drove me to a nearby restaurant, where I occupied the restroom for Lord knows how long. The immodium initially made me C, then bad D. Directions say to take after D, be sure you are doing that. Maybe adjust your dose...maybe you are taking too much. I know if I took a whole pill, I wouldn't go for 3-5 days. And when I did go, it was painful C. Good luck!
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I so agree lardman. I just avoid it most times. One day I took 2 of them, and I thought I would die. It wasn't cramps, but just plain upper abd pain, and it felt like a brick. Needless to say, I never did that again. The most I can handle is 1/2 pill, and that works fine for me. I would be C for days, too. UGH!! 
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I know 1 pill a day doesn't seem to always help so maybe I can try 2 pills if I have an appt or somewhere to be and just 1 a day if I am not planning on anything major. I am just trying to find something to help keep me somewhat stable.
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Yes, you will probably have to experiment. You are more D than me, so that is probably why 2 pills hurt me more, and I only need 1/2 to stop the D, which is only occasional.
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My big issue is urgency and immodium seems to slow that down alot. I have tried Lomotil. Its works great for that day if I take two at a time but by the next morning I seem to have alot more stool.
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The thing with urgency is that it is a vicious cycle. Once the urgnecy is there, the anxiety of the urgency makes the urgency worse. Try the sphincter exercises for bowel control. Once you know you can handle the urgency, without it freaking you out, the anxiety will lessen, and the urgency will lessen or go away completely. Try some relaxation, stress relief, meditation, or the hypno cd's and stick with it. Give it time to work. After all, the fear involved with urgency is not the urgency itself, but the fear of soiling yourself in a public place.
Something else you might want to try is while you are home, practice with the urgency. Let it go for as long as you can. I bet your urgency is not quite as bad at home, where you feel safe and near a toilet, but I bet when you are out or ready to go out, it exacerbates. This is all part of the anxiety connected with the urgency. Practice at home and do some exercises for bowel control, and see if that doesn't help. HTH
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I soooo agree with you osbo54. When I was at my worst, it didn't matter what sensation I felt "down there" I got nervous. My gastroenterologist told me "it's all in your head". We all know that is not entirely true because of the benefits of controlling your diet. I thought that was a rude comment from him, but it made me think. I started to force myself to take on a "I cant control it, so it shouldn't bother me" attitude. I knew I did my best at everything, if the outcome was not optimal, oh well...I gave it my best shot.
At the the time, I was working on my bachelor degree. I did my best, if I got a B or a C...oh well.
For years I worried about what my family thought of me and my decisions. Not any more.
I can't make everyone happy all the time.
I can only do so much at work in an 8 hour day.
It is tough to do, but it helps.
I never did let the urgency go as long as I could...on purpose anyway. One time I was driving to work (42 mile trip, takes about an hour...great drive for someone with IBS:), I just got on the expressway and started felling not-2-good. By the time the cramps started, it was too late to turn around and nothing is open at 5 am...so I had to test the urgency. Some days I would carpool with my friend who lived half-way to work. When I got to his exit, I got off-hoping he was home. If he wasn't, I already decided that him being the owner of 2 large dogs would make it possible for me to have a BM in his secluded backyard, and he would thingk it was one of his dogs. I know that is kind of sick...but I had to go. I rang his door bell at 5:30. Unfortunately he was gone, but lucky for me (unlucky for her) his wife answered the door. She said, "he already left." I said, "I don't care, I need to use your bathroom NOW!" She knew all about my problems and let me in-thankfully.
Lardman
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Lardman,
Sorry, but that is quite funny!  I wonder what those dogs would have thought. LOL Too funny! I know that any sensation down there is a scary thing. I went out to dinner last night, and most of the time, I am fine. I don't suffer from cramps, and only occasional urgency. Most of the time, I don't have any sensations, but when I do and I am at home, I don't bother with it, and it passes. Last night, at dinner, I suddenly felt windy or gassy, but I wasn't sure, if you know what I mean.  LOL
So, I excused myself and went to the john and it was nothing, as I figured it was. Sometimes we freak ourselves out for nothing. That is where the anxiety comes in. I have noticed, mine is worse in the AM, if I am going to have it at all that day. Once, I get on the road, and stay out for the day, and prove to myself I am fine, I don't give it a second thought the rest of the day. It really is a mind game. The cd's have helped me so much.
What I meant by playing with the urgency at home, is it kind of gives you a sense of control. If I feel a sensation, I will let it be for awhile, and most times it passes. If I feel the need to go, I don't hurry. I have tried to train my bowels to wait on me, instead of the other way around. I even have pet names for them on any given day. Now, that is sick!
By, the way, that was a very rude comment your doc made. I don't even deal with a******* anymore. I just turn around and walk out the door and tell the doc, I don't need your kind of help. I speak my mind, because if you don't, sometimes they play GOD, and I hate that. I am paying them, after all, so they will agree to work with me, not dictate to me, or I am out the door. I don't care much for docs. 
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I'm prescribed 8 a day by my doctor. If I folowed my diet to a T, that would be enough.
But I don't, so for the cookout I'm attending this afternoon, I took 2 this morning as I woke up, and I'll likely take 4 as a preventative before I even go. Then it'll be 2 at a time when I eat anything suspicious. If I have to go urgently, depending on the shape, runniness and color of the BM, and other factors like how much heat, sweat, gas and pain are involved, I will take 3 to slow everything down, eliminate some more, then take another 4 to stop going to the bathroom.
It's a balancing act, like sugar and insulin to a diabetic. Maybe you need to cut down, focus more on eliminating bad foods, or drink more water when you're taking Immodium... Everybody's different. Maybe it's because you have too much food in your system and you need to evacuate before taking Immodium to stop the attack. Only you will know, through lots of practice and trial and error.
Or you might try an anti-spasmodic like Donnatal. Could these be spasms (sometimes they present as a stitch in your side so sharp it makes you grimace ).
Anyway, don't let anyone tell you which is the only way for you to take them. Everyone Is Different. It's only through many years of trial and error I know what my body can take as far as food and medicine.
Best of luck to you, and don't give up on Immodium! I know it saved my life, more than anything else I've tried! 
~nelly~
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