I am a long term sufferer of IBS-D and had pretty much got to the stage where I realized that nothing more could be done to help me - I had tried pretty much everything - change diet, more exercise, more sleep, immodium (in the am), calcium, peppermint, cut out caffeine/chocolate, anti-anxiety drugs (effexor) - with no positive results. The only thing I hadnt tried was Lotronex (I am male and therefore wasnt sure of the impact of this drug). Numerous trips to the Gastroenterologist with the same response - you have IBS and there is no known cure and everyone is different! Anyway, just by coindicence I decided to try taking immodium in the evening after dinner before going to sleep. I started this a month ago and I have been completely IBS-free ever since - utterly unbelievable - this was literally an overnight "silver bullet" for me Anyway - I know everyone is different, but just thought I would share my experience with you guys Chris
Taking Immodium in the evening has changed my life!!!
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Don't want to be a bubble burster - but Imodium seemed to be controlling my diarrhea for an extended period of time ( 2-4 tabs a day) - and now, it's only 'randomly' effective, but by no means reliable. This seems to be the case with most IBS 'discoveries.'There are so many posts on this on other IBS support sites where the writer is asking ...'why did this or that stop working' - or 'I thought I was better after eliminating dairy, gluten, fatty foods, etc. - but the diarrhea is back again, etc.' I really hope Imodium keeps working for you.
Have you ever tried Glutamine?"There have been several recent studies into the effects of glutamine and what properties it possesses, and, there is now a significant body of evidence that links glutamine-enriched diets with intestinal effects; aiding maintenance of gut barrier function, intestinal cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as generally reducing septic morbidity and the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome."
It's been a miracle worker for me about 95% of the time too. I started taking it three months ago, half a pill twice a day and everything has been kept in check for the most part. I've been able to eat just about everything without major problems. I've done exhaustive research on Imodium. People really misunderstand the drug, mainly because of how it's marketed. Every piece of research done on it states there have been no signs of developing a tolerance to it with continued long term use. I'm sure it's possible and I know it hasn't worked for me 100% of the time, but nothing has even come close to it's reliability. I mean nothing works 100% of the time. I've had monster headaches that only go away with time, no excedrin in the world can stop them.I've been to two different GI's in the last year, and neither one mentioned Imodium. That's probably because they won't benefit from my taking it. They'd rather prescribe you something that you can become addicted to, something that will earn them some points from the big drug companies for prescribing it to me. The only time Imodium is constipating is when I take it after a D attack. That's because I probably have nothing left in my intestines and it slows things down for a few days.Finally, I've posted this before but it's worth mentioning again. Costco has generic Loperamide (same exact thing as Imodium) in a box of two 200 count bottles for $5.29. That's over a year's supply for me for 5 bucks. It works just as good as the name brand stuff for me.
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Justin2;I go by my day. If I have a couple of bm's in the am and then head toward the bathroom for my third, I take 2 to start, if after awhile I go again, I take two more. That usually does it. You have to experiment what will work for you. Start with the smallest amount and see what happens. I have read on this forum where people have to take 6-8 or more to get it under control.A perfect example of this is that my mom can take 1/2 tab and it works for her. 1/2??!!! Ha! That would not touch it for me. Then, she doesn't go to the bathroom for a couple of days afterward. Me, I can take 4 and sometimes 5 and still go the next day! Crazy, huh?!Hope this helps. Isn't it a pain in the butt? No pun intended!
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Ok here's the deal - I have been taking immodium for the past 5 years(!), 2 pills in the morning (sometimes more!), but I have never ever tried taking it in the evening - don't know why just never crossed my mind. Now approx 2 months ago I started taking it in the evening one day because I read something about it on here (another post) - this has completely revolutionized my life - I actually feel like a new person - dont have to worry about leaving the house in the morning, etc. I just take 2 immodium tabs every night after dinner/before bed and that is it. I am now drinking alcohol again (in moderation!), coffee, chocolate - unbelievable - long may it continue. Even if I do build up a tolerance to it I dont care - at least I know what it feels like to be normal again right now. Hopefully by the time I do build up this tolerance the FDA will have approved Lotronex again and I can maybe switch to that - who knows!?Chris
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Hey Chris,
Hope you are well mate, I know this is a very old post, just wondered if you had an update on the above, if you are still taking the Imodium daily and if it still works for you?
cheers
Ryan
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Hi Chris,
I hope you’re keeping well, I know this is a very old post and it’s quite unlikely you’ll see this reply, however I was just interested to know if the Imodium are still effective for you? I found I built a tolerance pretty quickly and wondered if the same happened to you? Look forward to hopefully hearing back from you. All the best. Ryan
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