The AntiDiarheal Tablets work well for me. I buy the "Equate" brand at the Wal-Mart Store, which is the same Medicine as the Immodium, just a lot cheaper. I used to take them 3 or more times a week, but when I got a woman to live with me I am only using them a few times each month! It amazing what stress can do to a guy!

I've never tried immodium.. I've always just taken it for granted, it usually lasts only a day... i will try it if i get the burning ass piss again.

Immodium or any of the other A.D's out there work well for certain situations (as indicated by the previous posters). HM hit the nail on the head with her assessment; and after consulting with my 2003 PDR, her detailed report of side effects leaves little to add. To coalesce some of the posts following hers though, I'd like to add: Immodium or any generic won't do squat for a bacterial infection; you shouldn't even take it if you're running a fever. Ironically, it is indicated for "travelers trots"; even though it's not specifically anti-parasitic (giardia) it works. Cheers!
Dave J.

when I get diarrhea from eating something nasty, it usually clears up in less than 12 hours.
If it's from a flu, it's a day or so.

If I am still splatting after 2 days for whatever reason, I will eat some Immodium.

Three years ago, in my (bad) Czech, while I was in Susice (a small town famous for the USArmy liberating from the Nazis) visiting a friend, I was staying in town at the Pension Otava. It was only about a two hundred metre walk to the nearest chemist shop (pharmacy in US) as I had a mad case of butt barf. I had purchased a box of Imodium as made locally in the Czech Republic. It worked! The butt barfing came to a screeching halt! (As I have IBS, it doesn't always work though).

TSV, calcium is a great way to cause turdlets to become more solid. I drink a lot of milk when I have an upset stomach. It calms my stomach and the calcuim hardens up my liquid poop. But it's a tricky balance - drink too much and you're backed up with rock hard poo for a couple of days!

I prefer Collis Brown Liquid. Tried Immodium once and clogged myself uo for days. Still had the squits when it wore off

What an interesting piece on one of the greatest advances in medical history. I too have found these anti-diarrheals to be quite the lifesaver when the bowels were battling me. I never bothered to look into the process of what the agent does. I just knew to take pill, and take solid poo. They're magical little babies.

I've found the best way to harden up your poop is to pop a couple of calcium tablets.
Anyone else here as freaky as me? When I eat a lot of fruit I get constipated!!!

If it's curry-inflicted squirts, Imodium is a good thing. However, when it's illness, like bacteria or a virus, I'm not so sure. When I had my food poisoning, my doctor told me that Imodium merely slows the passage of the bug through my system. It ends the cramps and the squirts, sure, but it also keeps you sicker longer.

But then again, as my illness progressed into week 2, i didn't care. I just wanted the cramps to stop. Hooray for Imodium!

I was just trying to think, HM, if I had ever taken Imodium A-D for a rare attack of the squirts, and I realized I hadn't. I remember taking something several decades ago courtesy one of the chaperones on my high school bus trip of Mexico, but it wasn't Imodium, and it wasn't particularly effective, either. Last time I had the trots, I just outlasted it in one foul, overnight session. Some bad salmon, as I recall. I am very reluctant to take unprescribed medication of any kind.

BTW, Happy Holidays, HM!

I don't know about Imodium, but it's been a proven fact that you can fail a drug test by eating a lot of poppy seeds.

Opiates? Can you fail a drug test by taking Immodium?

The salt water thing sounds like a good idea--diarrhea victims need extra electrolytes anyway...

Wow. I can't believe the coincedence. I am about to embark on an extended trip to Europe (4.5 months) and I was advised to take a lot of Immodium with me because my system will be exposed to a fresh batch of new bacteria. I bought a 42-pill pack of "Advanced" Immodium today. I HATE THE SQUIRTS! (especially when I'm on the road). I only pray that this excessive bundle will get my bowels through the trip. I was reading the package today and was wondering what it exactly did to my system. Thanks for clearing that mystery up for me, HM!

Being a giant shitter, I feel for you G Ras. I cannot imagine taking Imodium with constipation. Ahhh!!!!

I tried Imodium by accident... I asked for some heartburn stuff and the Chinese guy at my corner store gave me that. It was a sick, inhumane, cruel mistake considering my constipation problem. My dumb ass of course did not read the fuckin' box, I took four or five of those horrible things and turned my normally extra firm turds into an engine block. My rectum fought a long hard and BLOODY war to keep possesion of my poops. If I ever become affected by diarrhea again I will enjoy it as a nice change of pace. Ass puke is gross... but it doesn't hurt!!

I gotta have some Immodium in case of an emergency. Sometimes I shit molten lava, and my ass hurts when being wiped.

Yogurt helps cure the shits!!! And it's a heck of a lot cheaper than imodium. most times one little tub will do it. This is got something to do with bacteria

Some other things to add. Immodium is an opiate but not psychoactive, however it has been a well known cure for heroin/opiate withdrawal symptoms. Further, heroin/opiates in general will make you very constipated. My roommate took methadone bi-daily for a week straight and he didn't shit for the entire time. When he finally ran out of methadones, he had been taking about 4 10mg methadones twice daily (and washing them down with the odd percocet and vicodin). When all of his pills started wearing off, he let out a massive shit of squirts and solid mass for about an hour and of course in his 'withdrawal' state he couldn't be bothered to clean it up. I only saw the aftermath which consisted of shit all over the seat and the rim below and poorly wiped up shit splatters from the floor of the bathroom as well. Strangely this shit had no smell to speak of by the time I got in there to clean it up.

Freaky, man!

I have heard about chaos during withdrawal, but I never heard of Immodium being used in the process. What are those people supposed to do while they recover?

Another natural way to combat diarrhea: Rice! Just boiled/steamed rice (always worked for me...)

Rice is nice.
Thick poo to slice.

Damn it! I jjust hold it in! Then it comes out solid! All though it hurts a little, It's frre and natural!

As a physician in the old days (before anti-bioltics and knowledge we used to treat baby-diarrhea with boiled rice water to which weadded some sugar and salt.We did not realize that the bad trouble was potassium loss as well as dehydration.

The same worked for most intractable diarrheas except that caused by Cholera, which we now know requires massive fluid and elecrtolyte replacement.

For the common variety diarrhea, the good news is thatit self-limited, lasting not more than a day or two, with some forms, like staphylociccal gasteoenteritis lasting a few nasty hours.

Chtronic diarrhea is another story, has many possibles causes, and treatments. Having both treatyed the old way and the new way, I would tend to let the non-febrile diarrhea run its course, eating what is tolerated, or rice, tea, toast and jello, the old standbys. The use of anti-diarrheals would be contra-indicated except for special circumstances.

Olaf Grouch MD

i have had diarrhea for sometime now...and i tried almost everything...i think my nerves are causing me to have diarrhea for sometime now and i was wondering if there was something i could take that would calm my nerves so i could see if that will stop the diarrhea.

oh god i went to bed last night feeling really gassy i wake this morning and went to the washroom only to literally explode into the toilet..and worst of all.i have a science exam today...and i have to sit there for 1.5 hours DAMN YOU POOP i took immodium and its working a bit...and im drinking water to re hydrate my self....BAH

Doctors should perscribe you a tranquilizer for that, Jim.

My dad had told me once when I was ill with the diarrhea bug that if you eat something spicy, it cooks the bug right out of ya, funnny and I figured it just cooked the insides. Is this story my father told me true or is it all a plate of Cat Shit?

Don't you think the pharmacist who suggest these pills doesn't know what would happen to us after we take those pills?

For someone like myself, Immodium is useless. I have a bad case of crohn's disease, and no longer have a colon because of it. I have ( on average) 10 or more BMs a day ( thats when I take my meds..when I dont..you can at least double that figure!)! I have to take 12 Lomotil throughout the day and I take straight codeine at night to try and slow down my bowels so I can sleep through the night instead of getting up and down every half hour or so to poop. Lomotil, I have heard, is similer to Immodium but I think the opiates in it are real and not man made..not positive on that tho. Maybe thats why Lomotil works for me and Immodium doesnt.
Yup...having the runs all day long every single day non stop really sucks..but I have gotten used to it and would think there was something seriously wrong if I went less than 6 times a day.

I've been ibs-d and general anxiety disorder for about 7 years. Isn't it funny how it's a syndrome and disorder and they are "medical practioners" Basically for me it's sugars whether it's an apple, candy bar, alcohol or dairy. Hell I used to drink a half gallon of milk a day. Immodium are my daialy vitamins. 2 in the morning and 2 at lunch. They are the "old" tyson 1-2 knockdown, lotomils are the kidney punches that keep it down. Immodium bloats, lotomils fart. I would rapture 4-7 times a day, however have been on a clinical trial of generic xanax for about 4 months and this seems to slow the whole body brain to butt. Even thogh this is currently working, I still know where every toilet is no matter where I go and we're not talking the single stalls at dennys

Absorbancy in pill form. I wonder what would happen if there was a defect in packaging? Recall?

Wow. This is a thread I have never read before, but I feel like a Moslem on his first trip to Mecca. The people here are describing my life for the past 2+ years. I have been to, and suffered much at the hands of, any number of physicians, including several GI specialists, about my chronic diarrhea. 'Butt' (as we PoopReporters would say), after colonoscopies, endoscopies, MRI's, CAT scans, and I can't recall what-all else, the "best" diagnosis I can get is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

(May I interject that, as much as I love PR for its unparalleled humor, I might not have had the interest in this subject that I do were it not for this malady, and the resultant "things that go Dump in the night.")

My own research, however, indicates that IBS, like such other contemporary maladies as Attention Deficit Disorder (what were you saying just now??) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (I'm too tired to talk about it), is typically not an "organic" problem, wherein some specific cause, such as a kinky colon, an overactive gland, or whatever, can be blamed. Rather, it is a so-called "functional" disorder, which I have figured out is the doctors' way of saying they don't know what the hell is wrong. Of course, they have tried to give me all sorts of fancy stuff for it, such as Celebrex and Vioxx (thank God I had enough walking-around-sense not to take any of THAT crap!), but nothing they do does a damn thing to help.

By contrast, Imodium works. It stops the runs, usually with one pill; sometimes it takes two, but By God IT WORKS!! Yeah, I have once or twice packed myself up a bit for a day or so, but after six or seven episodes of butt pee where your sphincter is bleeding from so much wiping (not to mention your co-workers wondering why you are running off to the can every half hour), this is a welcome relief.

Am I addicted to it? This is sort of like asking the old man whether he wears briefs or boxers, and he answers, "Depends." If I don't take Imodium, I have the squirts; if I do, I 'doo' (get it??). I dunno. Maybe if Hermione would marry me, or if the liberals on the law faculty would leave me alone, or if the Socialist wing of my beloved Republican Party would quit fucking up the social compact with so-called "tort reform," or if I would win the lottery, or if Jesus would come again, I would be at peace. In the meantime, Imodium gives me what the Mecca pilgrimage promises our towel-headed bretheren: A ticket to Paradise.

What do YOU think? Or, more aptly, what do you DOO?

I am in agreement with someone who had said that IBS is just Doctors" excuse for saying ""i dont know whats wrong!""
As far as the person stating the his diareah flares up with sugar intake . This is partially my problem as well and I was told that this is a serious case of Bacteria Overgrowth. I had been taking Immodium for 7 years on and off but now it no longer works for me. I have learned that both Quest Labs and Labcorp are NOT accurate in diagnosing Stool cultures AT ALL. THis is why most doctors do not know what is wrong since most use these two LABS. From being an experienced Patient with this sickness for a total of 12 years of the runs and the Run around by doctors, I can honestly tell you that A) IBS=irritable bowel syndrome =is a Bullshit diagnosis. B) there are thousands of people with serious resistant bacterial infections that their doctors and themselves dont even know it because they do not get proper Stool testing do to most Mds using Labcorp & Quest . In the case of Immodium AD , my experience will tell you that for bacterial diareah , it may be used for one day on occasions but for the most part Immodium is bad for the reasoning that your body needs to remove what it needs to remove . So if you take immodium on one day -2 days later the diareah is worse than ever. Try your best to find the culprit DO not live on Immodium and do not settle for the bullshit diagnosis of IBS.

AC, I would agree. To a point. When one has to spend a long stretch in the car, the classroom, or the courtroom, one can't be "trotting" off to the WC every 5 minutes or less, which is what a real bad attack of the runs will do to you. Not to mention the rawness inflicted on your anus by all that wiping, nor the displacement of your elecrolytes, or that icky feeling in your undies, or the knowledge that the Fart is not your Friend.

I do agree that "IBS" has a stress component to it, but whether the body is stressed by external stimuli, or by disagreeable foods, can vary. All I know is that just about everything gives me the squirts, and Imodium enables me to live a relatively normal life.

'Scuse me; I gotta go....

Question, really. What has everyone tried, outside the "box" (imodium), to conquer their poops? A more natural approach if you will.

Sugars or Milk go with Lactaid Ultra chewable.

I have low enzyme that breaks these sugars down.. gassy explosions until the Ultra.

you will be surprised at how many things have dairy in them.

To the person talking about the inaccuate testing at quest labs and the other. What labs are good? In addition, did you ever find out what was wrong and how did you cure yourself? or treat it.

thanks

I was at a bbq this weekend and had the green apple splatters so I took some Imodium. However, I accidentially took too many. I was stopped up for 2 days and starting to freak out. It was so uncomfortable. So even though the stuff works, follow the directions. Also, if you're spending the night somewhere or traveling after a night of drinking, take some Imodium before you go to bed and you'll avoid the beer shits.

I've had a massive case of the shits for the last two weeks, so i took some Immodium to stop my ass eruption.

I worked ok, i say ok because now i havent shit for 3 days. I've eaten about 3 kfc's, steaks and all sorts, i'm gonna look like a fucking african if i dont shit soon

O.K. all I have to say is, yes Imodium does really work, I've been taking it for about a yr. now. Not on a daily basis, but whenever I leave the house, my Doc cut me off of Lamodil. I do like lamodil better,but now the imodium, you do have to take Gas-X with it, to calm down the pain and bloating ect, and... you do have to wait at least 2 hours to get through your system. So for example, if you have to leave the house by 8:00, better take 2 by 6, and then 1 or two more for a safety pre-caution, now I think most of this shit is physcological from experiance, once ya shit your pants, the tramma never leaves ya, so buy depends diapers just for security, I've been through 5 packs, and never slipped in them once, like i said, phcholigically your safe with that. Hope this helps someone, any little trick can work.

I agree with the last Anonymous coward, they do work, it just takes time to et threw the system, take it if ya got the shits, wait 2 hours then your good to go! I dont know about that depends thing though, although I get if you had the wonderful exp. of shittin in your pants in public , I guess that would tramatize ya forever. Good luck with that.

If I need to alter the consistency of my bowels, I use minerals. For the runs, I take one tablespoon of liquid Calcium. For constipation, I take one tablespoon of Magnesium.

I haven't tried Imodium yet. I rarely have the runs, unless I ate something funky.
_______
"-55F, a new record low? Nope, thermometer went bad. Looks like -50F still stands"

Check your pharmacy for generic equivalents to Immodium. Mine in St. Louis has such an equivalent -- don't recall its name -- and it works well. Much cheaper.

I eat generic imodiums from wally world in the morning. turns those juicy morning shits into weekly semi hard logs. awsome.

In response to a previous comment:
Anonymous Coward (not verified) -- 05.03.2006

"Question, really. What has everyone tried, outside the "box" (imodium), to conquer their poops? A more natural approach if you will."

My disclaimer is that I'm not Motherload, with her awesome and professional knowledge, butt as someone who has some anectodal wisdom to impart (that I swear by!)-- By my own personal system and those I have cared for (under a doctor's care and perscription).

Someone already suggested earier, yogurt cultures help replace the good bacteria (that helps you digest) which have been depleted from an imbalance causing the squirts. But, personally, I can't choke down that much yogurt, esp. if I'm not feeling well to begin with.

But what I CAN do, is swallow a couple probiotic pills. They contain the good critters you need to "solidify your future plans". And not harshly either-- so, yeah, pretty natural.

I currently have "probiotic defense" and it works great when I take as needed, esp. since I've been taking antibiotics for an ear infection the past week and a half. You can find it at any granola type grocery store or a GNC....

Really, I'm not one to expound passionately heartfelt advice, but this is what needs to be done for all you (us) chronic, not just the occaisional, Imodium users-- you are only treating symptoms, not the cause.

Immodium is great for the quicker fix, but if you take a couple probiotic like some people have that glass of Metamucil in the morning, it will eliminate the need (ha-ha) to have to take things that just serve to "dry you out" or slow down your nerves doing their peristalsis.

JMHO....

Actually, I wouldn't want to have everyone take my advice-- No more PR! Oh no! *shudder, perish the thought!* ;)

_______
'Hey that sounds pretty nasty, how about a courtesy flush over there?' (AP1)

hmmm..... so politicians must be really scarfing down Imodium- that would explain why they are full of shit.

And perhaps my bus trips would be easier to deal with if some of those passengers I've talked about were given Imodium or something equivalent.

besides using imodium, there are many other ways to control diarrhea. Try eating lots of yogurt. In yogurt, cotnains good bacteria. In you system, contains bad bacteria. well the good fights the bad. it really works. also, drink a lot of ice tea as well while youre at it. it all helps. imodium works for me as well. ever since i was young, i always would have a problem with diarrhea. it was pretty much life for me. my parents thought it was because i wasnt taking care of myself but really, i was born with the problem. since then, ive never gone to the doctor because of embarassment. and now ive just started to take imodium and it helps me so much but becomes a problem if you take it daily like i do. its been a week since i last took a crap. seriously, not good. now its been three days since ive taken imodium and ive been constipated than ever and i cant leave the house because all that is being held in my stomach for so long....i know it sounds gross but everyone goes through it if you dont know what to do with yourself.

I know one thing about Immodium it makes you rip some of the MOST amazing farts ever! I think because it congeals the runs allowing all that gas to escape!
_______
The Thunderous Crapper 63 Enjoying home toilet advantage since 2004!

I have IBS, but I like coffee. Problem is the caffeine stimulates the bowl. On my coffee mornings, I have coffee in one hand, and imodium in the other....

I caught this 'blog' in a search for 'antidiarheals' and had a suggestion from my thoracic after I had to have a lower throat rebuild that cost me a hunk of stomach (they also lock the lower stomach valve ~OPEN~) I'm also short bowel as well, due to longterm Crohns.

He suggested Apple Pectin. Thing is, its listed as a regulator, so is meant for treating both diarhea AND constipation. I'm afraid to take it despite loosing weight fast, about 15 lbs a month, and I'm only 100lb now. I am also looking for 'stop-me-up' options. Marshmallows used to do it for me, I may have to see if they do the deed.

Do know why some may have problems with sugars though. Doc told me that lots of sugar hitting the small bowel can cause it to cramp and/or 'flush' to rid itself of the irritant. If you're short bowel, try to limit your sugar, refined AND natural.

I took Immodium after a diarrhea attack from antibiotics recently; it stopped it right up, gave me some stentorian farts, but then let my bowels resume relative normalcy within a day or so. I took one dose (two pills). I would have let the diarrhea run its course, but we were going to visit friends.

Re: "i think my nerves are causing me to have diarrhea for sometime now and i was wondering if there was something i could take that would calm my nerves so i could see if that will stop the diarrhea."

I have fecal incontinence caused by damage to my pelvic floor during childbirth. Basically, I avoid anything that would trigger diarrhea or a loose stool (alcohol, coffee, corn-based products, milk or anything "gassy" like soda. I also take @25g of fiber daily, and drink aloe vera.

It took a long time -- years -- for me to even know why this was happening let alone control it. So the mere thought of something even POSSIBLY happening in public spun me into a panic like you've described. Really bad for me as I'm in the entertainment industry, and social events are my bread & butter.

Panic makes it worse, but it is not the CAUSE. I suspect this may be true in your case as well.

Do some Google searches for "fecal intolerance" or "Marshall Protocol" -- both will turn up diet and lifestyle changes that could help. Once you know that you CAN control it, the panic will lessen, and so will the diarrhea.

Best of luck.