Immodium - long term use & Withdrawal symptoms

Have you tried loperamide for withdrawal? Are you addicted to or have you ever been addicted to opiates? If not,, then how the f--k do you know what this drug does?

I'm so confused, how do some of you take 20 to 40 pills a day, if I take my normal 4 pills only when I have to leave the house, and if I  take them for more theme 4 days in a row then I can't poo for a week or 2 and it hurts really bad when I do, I'm surprised your intestines Have not exploded yet. I fell so sorry for us all but that's insane, I've been taking them for 4 years, it is amazing they help so much but I feel the after effects too, I get the wal mart brand 2 bottles of 72 for $8 not that bad, I hope to soon never have to take these stupid pills again but untill that day comes I'm glad I have them, p.s I never knew they were addictive, I just thought it was a mind thing with me 

wHY DONT YOU TRY IT OFR YOURSELF FOR 6 MONTHS THEN QUIT THEN YOU CAN SAY IT IS ALL BS???

You are an id**t, It DOES CROSS THE BBB!!! But it is quickly rejected back but residuals, if taken in high doses of 60mg or more, remain behind, I speak fromexperience also. Lope is the STRONGEST opioid available but due to its molecular structure and size, it has an affinity for the Mu receptors in the gut. The withdrawals are just as bad as when I detoxed off of Opana which I took for 2 years after being blown off an aircraft carrier, caused by an A6 Intruder engine explosion while on duty in the Coral Sea. I broke 4 vertebrae.

yes you can and will with drawal from immodium after prolonged use even at a low dose and tolerance is built quickly. immodium is an opiate it just does not cross the blood brain barrier and casue an euphoric feeling unless taken in extremely high doses 75-100 tablets.

how do u reccoment tapering off the immodium? im taking around 20 a day and without them i am sick, worse than methadone detox and i dont want my severe diahrea to come back either... i have IBS and colitis

Hi Katy. I really feel for u. Just had the jpouch surgery due to batteling ulceritive colitis for 7 yrs. I understand the eating bathrooms embarrassment and depression. If u still follow this thread feel free to email me. I met a girl who had a story similar to mine and she really Helped me. Sometimes just communicating w someone who really understands can help a little:) I had no idea about the Imodium effects until my pharmacist advised me to look into it. Best wishes! Hang in there.
Jen

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How long did your withdrawal symptoms last? I am currently going through this? Cold sweats, can't sleep at all, headaches, butt is soaked all the time and oh yeah, the WORST diaherria of my life. Been off it now almost a week but symptoms only started 3 days ago!!!!

took loperamide daily 4 a day and this morning I passed two painful kidney stones and still in pain.

This is in response to a medical student posting.  I'm just reading over the amounts different people are taking.  My husband used immodium to cease his withdrawal symptoms for opiate addiction.  He went from 40 daily to 426 pills a day.  That is 426 of the 2 mg. pills.  The medical student posted that you can't get addicted.  What do you call my husband.  It makes me sick.  Right now, he has cleaned out every shelf in the stores in our town.  He had none today and he can't even raise his head. 

I know it's very late but I have IBD and lost the remaining piece of my large colon. After I got reattached, I was going about 20-30 times a day. Even taking 15 Imodiums, it still didn't help like I wanted but at least I dropped down to 10-15 BM's a day. I've quit these before. I never had a withdrawal. I'm having surgery tomorrow to rectify the problem because I' still physically and mentally depleted. Paying upwards of $45 a month on Immodiums alone, I'm now financially depleted. So tonight is my last night to take these. Hopefully I won't need them again. I do wonder about the effects of taking 15 a day on a long term basis. I know it's not good to put that much medication on my liver. Not to mention anything else in my body. I really do think that I'm showing signs of trouble. Since January, I've taken over 4,080 pills for diarrhea. That's almost 580 pills a month!! That's not including the codeine and paregoric. I think staying on them is far worse than getting off of them. I'm noticing muscle spasms and aches along with joint sensitivity. I just know in my gut that the huge amount of medicine has something to do with me going downhill. I've also been on Questran and now my Vitamin D is low. At least tomorrow I can stop all that stuff. I know my body will thank me. Right now, I'm positive my liver is shouting curse words at me.    |-O

I've taken 15 a day for months. I told another poster my total intake. SInce January, I've taken 4,080 pills for diarrhea, including codeine. I also took Paregoric and Questran. That's about 580 pills a day. I never get constipated. But, I know it's because I don't have a large colon anymore. If I didn't take 15 a day, I would be going about 25-30 times a day. It's either raw behind or a gut full of pills. It sucks either way.

Not true. When Loperamide 1st came out, it was a schedule 4 controlled substance. Small amounts can and do cross the BBB. Tests in
monkeys have proven this. The GI system itself can become accustomed to large amounts over time, and GI symptoms can result. Addicts
everywhere are using enormous doses(not recommended) to relieve withdrawal from opiates. There are various tricks for getting larger
amounts to cross the BBB. Because of this, in some countries, it's being returned to Controlled status.

You are very right. While I have not taken Imodium for that long I used it as a crutch to help with mild opiate withdrawals. I am an ex herein addict, IV. When I cleaned up a couple years ago I slowly tapered off of Subuxone. I know withdrawals, very well. I would get sick within 12 hours of my last shot. Subuxone worked wonders but there was still some withdrawal afterwards. Anyways. I have been going through a rough time and have been popping op's about 3-4 days in a row with 2-3 days off for about 3 months now. I stopped because I didn't want to become dependent again and let drugs take over my world. A friend recommended Imodium to help with the mild withdrawals. Nope. Never again! Yes Imodium helps with opiate withdrawals but a week after my last OP and 24 hours after taking Imodium I have never felt so dope sick. The withdrawals from the pills were easier to deal with than this. I have decided to go cold turkey and am currently on day 3 of cold turkey. I am a full time student and I hold a full time job. I haven't slept in about 48 hours. However, I am a pro at detox and I can tell my symptoms have peaked and that I after today it should be all downhill. It probably won't be over for at least a week but it's better than how the first 2 days felt. Do NOT use Imodium to withdraw from opiates. Just bite the bullet and go cold turkey. Save yourself from the pain and agony of prolonging withdrawal. Best of luck my friends and always remember. This too shall pass...

Kate, I am using 100 mgs of loperamide right now, DAILY, and have been addicted to them for over a month, while intially using them for methadone withdrawl I got addicted and did not follow the loperamide protocol that MANY "junkys" have successfully use. I got out of hand and it is back to BITE me. I did not use it correctly, and it got out of hand, when YES.. i found out with the right counterparts, it could make you extremely high. AND NO.. it isn't in my head, I have been an OPIATE ADDICT for 18 years, mostly heroin and methadone, so with that being said ...I am pretty sure I know by now what being high is like, and what W/D is like. I was taking 200 mgs of loperamide (yes, 100 pills) but got myself down to 50 pills currently. I am planning to wean off the drug (even though I know this will be painful) till I get to around 30-40 mgs, and jumping off cold turkey and switching to a short, 5 day kratom regimen for the painstakingly worst W/D (PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BECAUSE W/D CAUSES INSOMNIA)... I also plan on taking Valerian Root for sleep. TAKE IT FROM AN 18 YEARS OF SUFFERING ADDICT,THAT LOPERAMIDE W/D IS WORSE THAN HEROIN WITHDRAWL. Before you think all the books in school tell you everything, speak to a true loperamide addict... someone who actually had this drug take their ability to function at all without it, or left to be suicidal on the bathroom floor. As for the science, student, Taking loperamide in high enough doses along with tagament, 100% grapefruit juice, and high amounts of quinine (not sure if i spelled that correctly) in tonic water will allow this drug to cross the BBB. Do the science, student because It is an awful drug, and I am currently praying to God (very literally).. that I can taper, and switch to kratom. Our body is our own lab. And this lab is shutting down. I only hope I can do this taper and detox before Loperamide KILLS ME. I have also just started to have nose bleeds from loperamide. There is little to NO research on loperamide addiction. BUT.., there is the SCIENCE. Do your homework before speaking about stuff YOU obviously do not know about!!! No disrespect, but I hate when someone states something untrue, while there are people out there suffering in pain. Google Loperamide addiction and see for yourself how many people are suffering NOW.