Can I take Imodium? I'm so tired of all the trips to the bathroom....

People on here do but I never would due to UK guidance and the fact that constipation flares my UC worse than D.

This is from a main UK advice site
"Note: antidiarrhoeal medication such as loperamide should NOT be used during a flare-up of UC. This is because they do not reduce the diarrhoea that occurs with UC and increase the risk of developing a megacolon (a serious complication of UC - see below)."

You might be OK with it but I would talk to the GI who has seen inside your colon first

My GI OK'd the use of Imodium when I was traveling. Getting on a potty while on board a plane is near to impossible. I also used it when at Disney World and a few other times. I was not in a deep flare but had a lot of frequency & mucous and the Imodium stopped the frequency but I still was able to go when needed. I never took it at night to let my normal rhythm return.

I hope this helps. I would not take Imodium on a regular basis keep it for those times you need to be careful of soiling yourself.

I take it and it helps a lot when going in and out of flares. A pill or two when needed helps. During a flare with watery diarreha, constant trips and urgency it doesn't work as well and requires taking the maximum does for 5+ days.

The FDA warning on the drug for UC are that it should not be used as the PRIMARY treatment and that it is risky for those with a history of severe pancolitis. They don't want you masking symptoms without treating the disease or risking pancolitis.

None of my doctors recommended it or had a problem with me taking it. It is very useful when you having a few lose stools/day and urgency, and need to leave the house.

I rarely have D and I take imodium. My UC is low so my issues are urgency and frequency. My GI has okayed me to take up to 8/day.

I have never taken more than 2 in one day and that is not everyday (make 2xs per week). For example I do recess duty at my son's school on Tuesdays. I took 2 before I went as I had already been to the bathroom probably 6 times this am.

My GI said I could take it but I haven't yet. She said it may reduce your trips but it wouldn't be significant. She said you may go from 10 trips to 7. I guess it would be worth a try if I were going frequently. Right now I am doing okay without.

I've heard that about marshmallows too, from someone with Chrone's. He finds that they help bind his stools together a bit more when he's suffering from diarrhea.

I've seen people on the ostomy board mention using marshmallows to slow things. I wonder if that would work for us UCers

I've taken it before with no problems, but I didn't overdo it (maybe like one or two per day). It looks like you're very newly diagnosed. That can be an especially hard time because it takes so long to get your meds right and your body in some kind of balance. I feel for you and hope things get better soon. Hang in there!

Never heard of the marshmellow thing. I wonder what the healthy lifestyle people think of this treatment.

Thanks everyone, I may try the Imodium from time to time as I have a 5 month old baby and the constant trips to the bathroom are getting silly! Poor little guy spends a lot of time with me in there...I hope he won't be traumatized! lol. The marshmallow thing sounds good, I like marshmallows so worth a try. I'm still trying to figure out what to eat and what not to eat...right now it doesn't seem to matter. I know that greasy foods are a no but a lot of people without uc say they have the same problem, it goes right through them. I just worry about getting the proper nutrition because everything comes out so quick...any suggestions on what to eat or take to get some nutrients so I don't feel so weak all the time? Again, thanks so much for all your help, you guys are great!

Thanks to all for posting about marshmallow. Very interesting. New one for me. Makes absolute sense though having now read about it, it is similar in structure to psyllium husk and slippery elm. Mucilage is the technical word I'm coming across.

Now the challenge is to find it without 10 tons of sugar, colouring and who knows what else added to it!

Hope you feel better soon Cheryl. This disease is so miserable when it is out of control but the flare do settle eventually.

as a 100% certified Jew, you need to use the old chickens for good soup, stewing hens or broilers they are called, harder bones and more cartilage...makes for better soup...and boil the hell out of them for at least 8 hours with carrot, onions, italian parsley, leeks, thyme.

And you do need to strain the fat off the top the next morning or it will be awful. There will still be enough fat in there...trust me.

just sayin'