New to MC, Question about using Imodium A-D

[lindaloo66]

I am miserable!

I had D for about a week but it got to the point several days ago where I found I had to repeatedly rush to the toilet 4 times with terrible D. I decided to try Imodium A-D. I take 2 capsules in the morning and I don't have to go #2 for the rest of the day, which is great. However, around 2am or later in the wee morning hours, I am having to go 4 or 5 times repeatedly to the toilet with terrible D all over again.

Is this a symptom of MC? Should I take more of the Imodium before I go to bed so I don't wake up in the middle of the night with multiple trips so the toilet? I am guessing that it is a balancing act with taking medicine because we don't want D but we don't want constipation either because we need to eliminate the stuff from our intestines.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

[Gabes-Apg]

sorry you are having a rough time

I would look at what you consumed for Lunch and Dinner - something you are ingesting is causing major inflammation

the best approach for long term wellness is to minimise the items that cause the inflammation, rather than increase medication doses
are you taking Vit D3 and magnesium to help with inflammation??

[lindaloo66]

Thanks so much for your quick response! I will work on identifying the triggers and see if I can get the D down to a more manageable level. So I hope what you are saying is that these daily episodes of 4-5 trips to the bathroom is not necessarily unavoidable. I was afraid that this is just the way it is with MC.

I just came to this forum today and learned about needing to take Vit D3 and magnesium, both of which I am in the process of getting and will take religiously.

[tex]

Linda,

Regarding the Imodium, as you pointed out, it does not treat the inflammation, it only postpones the diarrhea. The normal routine for MC patients who are not in remission, is several trips to the bathroom during the morning, but the afternoons and nights are less likely to require bathroom visits. That said, before I was able to get to remission, I usually needed a bathroom trip before I went to bed, but that allowed me to sleep till About daylight, and then I would live in the bathroom for a while. I didn't take Imodium, however, because even half a tablet gives me a headache. You might try taking another Imodium before you go to bed, but high-volume diarrhea is the trademark of MC, so you can only accumulate the stuff so long before something has to give.

Alternatively, you might try taking only one Imodium in the morning, and then it might be easier to make an afternoon or evening trip to the bathroom before bedtime, after which another Imodium tablet might see you through the night, until morning. In other words although most people can take up to eight Imodium tablets a day, if needed, you might be especially sensitive to it, so that it takes less to have the same effect.

I hope this helps.

Welcome to the group, by the way.

Tex

[lindaloo66]

Hi Tex,

Thank you so much for letting me know that what I am experiencing is the trademark of MC! It's so awful I just wanted to try to avoid it if at all possible, but now I know that is not possible (at least not simply by using the Imodium).

I will try your suggestion and take 1 capsule in the morning and 1 at night and also incorporate the dietary, Vit D3 and magnesium suggestions that I have found on this wonderful forum as well. I guess everyone's body is a little different so a lot of the medicinal and dietary remedies will be learned through trial and error.

I'll post more in the future if I have anything that may be valuable to the rest of us to add. In the meantime, thanks for having me as a member of your forum!

Lynn (aka lindaloo)

[tex]

Hi Lynn,

You're exactly right. We're all different. And this disease affects each of us differently. That's one of the main reasons why doctors have so much trouble understanding it. And many of us respond somewhat differently to medications, so as you say, our treatments have to be individualized, and often determined by trial and error. We have to listen to our bodies, and act accordingly.

Tex