Immodium - long term use & Withdrawal symptoms

False, of course it crosses the BBB but as you know, MOST of it gets pumped back out. Take a PgP inhibitor and you can get more to cross. How do you not know this? And you went to school? God help us all. The BBB is not a concrete barrier. It is just a bunch of cells that do what they can to keep most of it out but if one takes enough (that's what addicts do, I am one duh) then its all just down to simple math. Overload the barrier and some troops get through. And perhaps it may be non-addictive, I am unsure but what I can tell you is that despite me not mentally craving for it, my body needs it and if it does not get it then I am left screaming for weeks in agony. I am weening down from about 65 pills a day and tomorrow I will finally be don to 7 pills a day. When I got to 10 I found I had to split the pills. So 9.5, 9, 8.5 and so on to taper. Some days I have had to hold for a couple days. Stop thinking that your books have the defining rule and are the gospel. Start reading peoples reviews and skim through the BS ones that are obvious trolls. This is not placebo, its a very big problem among heroin users who are trying to stop their withdraws and then they get hooked, as I did, on this c**p. Its horrible!

False, of course it crosses the BBB but as you know, MOST of it gets pumped back out. Take a PgP inhibitor and you can get more to cross. How do you not know this? And you went to school? God help us all. The BBB is not a concrete barrier. It is just a bunch of cells that do what they can to keep most of it out but if one takes enough (that's what addicts do, I am one duh) then its all just down to simple math. Overload the barrier and some troops get through. And perhaps it may be non-addictive, I am unsure but what I can tell you is that despite me not mentally craving for it, my body needs it and if it does not get it then I am left screaming for weeks in agony. I am weening down from about 65 pills a day and tomorrow I will finally be don to 7 pills a day. When I got to 10 I found I had to split the pills. So 9.5, 9, 8.5 and so on to taper. Some days I have had to hold for a couple days. Stop thinking that your books have the defining rule and are the gospel. Start reading peoples reviews and skim through the BS ones that are obvious trolls. This is not placebo, its a very big problem among heroin users who are trying to stop their withdraws and then they get hooked, as I did, on this c**p. Its horrible!!!

Finally, someone educated and who got it right. :)

Melony, I too have been taking Loperimide for about 10 years. Life before that for 30 years was uhm, well, Ok, I'll say it... life was the sh**s!!! You are much more polite than I. Drs would look at me like was some filthy foul mouthed low life when conversing with them on the subject. Fecal elimination is just as natural a required process as having a pulse. But stupid, narrowest of minds shudder at mention of this from innocent people that suffer from this debilitating disease.

I have taken two Loperimide 2mg daily for 10 years. Not Imodium brand, but Kirkland thru EBay or... at two cents a tablet, over tbe counter, no nonsense remedy for me. It has made my life worth liviing... I am 95percent normal. No side effects... no diarrhea unless I fail to take one in the morning and one in the evening.

I have no idea why more Drs don't mention loperimide as an option... shame. On them!

That is absolutely correct. I'm glad that I read you're response to Kate's misinformation, because I was literally on the verge of providing the exact same FACTUAL insight.

Yep, couldn't have said it better.

I've been taking Imodium for over 24 years. Over the last year and a half I've taken 20 to 30 tablets a day. Yes a day. I've been to many doctors and specialists, done all the tests, spent thousands and thousands of dollars. The jest of it is, once you have determined that a doctor can not diagnose you then you need to know that you have an addiction. Trying to get off Imodium will give the exact withdrawal symptoms as an opiate. If you are worried about the diarrhea, which stopped me from lowering my dosages then this is how you stop it. Use bentonite clay (lots of it in fluid) and use slippery elm powder with whole psyllium husk and make a gruel (or type of hot cereal). These items will keep your stool formed most of the time till you get over the withdrawal symptoms which are worse than being in hell. Look at other web sites for opiate withdrawals. This will give you the jest of what to expect. All depends on the length of time you've taken and the amount is what you will experience. I'm on my 4th day of being off the Imodium. I'm not able to leave the house. I have sweats, chills, hot flashes, very frequent stool movements, serious insomnia, weak, all over body pain, the shakes, restless leg, depression, and more. You will have the same. Just know that the first 5 days are the worse and you could have symptoms up to 14 days. So take two weeks off work. Put a lot of vitamins, supplements, and supplements into your body before you start. Get the whole psyllium husk and the bentonite clay in bulk and the slippery elm. I take 3 tbls of elm, 2 tbls of husk mixed with hot water and I take it 3 times a day. If you have to choke it down. The bentonite clay I take 2 tsp in water 3 times a day. Basically you are making an adobe brick in your digestive tract. You will have a bloated tummy but don't worry. Anyway if after 21 days off the Imodium and no more symptoms appear but you still have diarrhea then you have either a parasite or bacterial infection. In this case I would use pharmaceutical strength colloidal silver, not the c**p sold in vitamin stores it too weak. Mix it with 1 tsp of husk so it stays in your system when it hits your intestines. This 3 times a day should kill what's bugging you. Make sure to use probiotics during and after because it will kill all your flora.
So just know this Imodium which is Loperamide Hydrochloride is addictive just after a week of usage. Your body will acclimate to the dosage and before you know it you will be up to 30. The most I've ever seen anyone take at a time was 48. If you don't believe this take a morphine drip in place of your Imodium. The morphine works just as well and it also is an opiate.

Check for fluoride or opiate in the ingredients. Oh and Xanax that's a no-no, the withdrawal symptoms from that can kill you. Best thing with opiates is go off slowly.
Take care.
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I had problems with diarrhea for 20 years. One day, my sweet alternative MD said, maybe you are allergic to fruit. I had given up eggs, dairy, coffee, sugar (gives me really bad diarrhea), wheat and most other grains, soy. When I gave up fruit, the diarrhea stopped unless I have to take multiple courses of antibiotics. I have a rare disease that makes it so my body can't make antibodies, CVID.
I take 1 or 2 Imodium a day when I am flared up. If I don't eat things that make me have diarrhea, I don't need the Imodium. If I ate sugar and fruit and things that are hard to digest, I would need a lot more Imodium. Consider giving up sugar for four days and see what happens. Then give up fruit and see what happens. Don't feel deprived. Sugar is very bad for you and if you have to give up fruit, wouldn't that be wonderful if you didn't get diarrhea. And I don't have a gall bladder so I can't eat high fat foods without getting diarrhea. If I wasn't willing to give up my treats, I would have to add more and more Imodium. Look up FODMAP diet for more information about how all the foods work in your body and cause diarrhea for certain folks. I have also lost 35 pounds over time and still losing.

You are incorrect!!! Drug addicts are abusing imodium because it doesn't show up on drug tests but satifies their opiate craving and prevents withdrawal for awhile. If you take enough imodium (which my son, who is a heroin addict in recovery has done over the last year) it is addictive and you need to increase the dosage to avoid the withdrawal symptoms which are identical to opiate withdrawals. It may not cross the blood brain barrier but it satisfies the opiate receptors in your stomach to prevent withdrawal. However, the more increased doages the worse you feel and over time you can have serious health issues not just with your stomach and colon but the abuse of imodium will also affect your heart.

So how are you doing? Were you able to get off the imodium and stay off opiates?

I was able to get off them. They caused me to end up in critical ICU for a week. I had twrrible withdrawals. I finally saw a doctor who prescribed me Suboxine and it made the withdrawals go away. It had almost been one year and still taking a half film a day but no withdrawal affects.

Yes, I can attest to that. Unfortunately I didn't appreciate this at first but, after about 2 years of taking 400mg a day and stopping cold turkey I am currently in my 67th day without it is much much much worse of how you may think hell would feel. I just hope I can keep taking it until the symptoms ease, because I am seriously on the verge of saying f**k it and buying another bottle. It is much much worse than anything you could possibly imagine, and as I was also taking quinidine with it..i am seriously screwed. Please don't ever fall in my mistake, I always had the will power to stop anything and just take the pain and I always have. This is different, it is truly your worst nightmare, and I have had to go back before stopping for more than thirty days..i just hope I have the power to make it this time. Heavy opiate withdrawal from oxy, fentanyl etc. is child's play compared to this.

Catch up on your research, little miss student!

silver in what. im scared my someone i know takes 200 2mg pills at once every other day.

thats what her dose has built up too