Imodium how does it work

Life style and well being tips - Sub menu 2 Travelling Preventing diarrhoea. Sufferer Stories. Myth Buster. How your digestive system works When your digestive system is in its normal rhythm, food and fluid pass regularly from the stomach into the small intestine. When your digestive system is in its normal rhythm, food and fluid pass regularly from the stomach into the small intestine. Food is then broken down and nutrients are absorbed along with most of the fluid.

The remaining waste and some water pass into the colon large intestine where more water is absorbed. Finally, the waste is passed in the form of stools. The dose also depends on their symptoms.

If you miss a dose of loperamide, do not worry. Just take a dose after you next go to the toilet and have a runny poo.

If you take 1 extra dose of loperamide as a one-off, it's unlikely to harm you. But taking higher doses can cause serious heart problems. The signs include having a fast or irregular heartbeat. Like all medicines, loperamide can cause side effects, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to loperamide.

These are not all the side effects of loperamide. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Loperamide is not usually recommended in pregnancy. This is because there is not enough information to say whether it is safe or not. They'll be able to advise you about the benefits and possible harms of taking it.

This will depend on how many weeks pregnant you are and why you need to take it. It is OK to take loperamide for a couple of days while you're breastfeeding. Hardly any loperamide passes into breast milk, and so it will not affect your baby. For more information about how taking this medicine can affect you and your baby, read this leaflet about loperamide on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy BUMPs website.

Speak to your doctor if your diarrhoea is very severe and you take metformin for diabetes, or medicines for high blood pressure or heart failure. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking these medicines for a few days until your diarrhoea is better.

There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with loperamide. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

Loperamide is an anti-motility medicine. This means that it slows down food as it goes through your gut. Your body can then draw in more water from your intestines, so that your poos get firmer and you poo less often. Loperamide usually starts to work within 1 hour to make your diarrhoea better.

You may need to take it for longer if your diarrhoea is because of a bowel condition such as Crohn's disease , ulcerative colitis or short bowel syndrome. If you've bought loperamide from a shop or pharmacy, do not take it for more than 48 hours without talking to a doctor. Although diarrhoea is usually nothing to worry about, it can sometimes lead to dehydration. This can be serious if you do not get the correct treatment. Diarrhoea can also sometimes be a warning sign of another problem.

For this reason, it's important to see a doctor to find out the cause of your diarrhoea if it continues beyond 7 days. If you've bought loperamide for short-term diarrhoea, do not take it for longer than 48 hours without talking to a doctor. Loperamide may be used for long-lasting diarrhoea and by people who have a colostomy stoma if their doctor prescribes it.

Do not take loperamide to prevent diarrhoea, unless your doctor tells you to. It's not been officially approved and tested for preventing diarrhoea. It's best not to drink alcohol while you're taking loperamide. Alcohol makes you more likely to have side effects such as feeling sleepy or dizzy and having difficulty concentrating. Apart from avoiding alcohol, you can eat and drink normally while you're taking loperamide.

However, if you have diarrhoea it's best to avoid fatty or spicy food. Loperamide can make you feel dizzy, tired or sleepy. The generic is considered to be as safe and effective as the original drug. Generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs. In some cases, the brand-name drug and the generic version may come in different forms and strengths.

For instance, you should seek medical care from a doctor if you or your child has:. If needed, your doctor may order certain tests to determine the cause of your diarrhea. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using Imodium. But in other cases, they may recommend different ways to treat your diarrhea. The following information describes the recommended dosages for using Imodium to self-treat acute short-term diarrhea.

Recommended dosages for adults and children ages 12 years and older are as follows. Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is used to treat diarrhea that occurs with cramps, bloating, and gas.

Ideally, Imodium dosage for a child should be based on their body weight. Below, we describe recommended dosages of Imodium for children. Keep in mind that children who have trouble swallowing tablets may find it easier to take the liquid form of Imodium. Imodium A-D is used to treat diarrhea. Recommended dosages of this drug for children are explained below.

If you forget to take a dose of Imodium after having a loose stool, take the drug if you have another loose stool. Imodium is typically used to treat acute short-term diarrhea. However, doctors do occasionally prescribe the drug to help control chronic ongoing diarrhea. Unless recommended otherwise by your doctor, you should stop taking Imodium as soon as your diarrhea resolves. Imodium can be used to treat diarrhea in kids.

But not all Imodium products are suitable for children. In any case, if your child continues to have diarrhea after 2 days of Imodium treatment, they should see a doctor right away. In children, diarrhea can quickly lead to serious dehydration low fluid level. To help prevent dehydration, have your child sip on fluids throughout the day, especially after having a bowel movement.

These solutions contain electrolytes , such as sodium and potassium, which can be lost through diarrhea. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable rehydration product and the best amount to have your child drink. Avoid giving your child sugary drinks, such as fruit juices or sports drinks, as these can worsen diarrhea.

Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is also used to relieve cramps, bloating, and gas that can occur with diarrhea. Imodium works quickly to control diarrhea, helping you to have firmer stools and less frequent bowel movements.

Imodium is an effective and widely used treatment for diarrhea. In fact, guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology recommend Imodium for treating both acute and chronic diarrhea.

Below is information on other possible uses for Imodium that may not be appropriate. However, gas can sometimes occur with diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, discomfort, or cramps. Stomach pain can sometimes occur with diarrhea. However, upset stomach or indigestion can sometimes occur with diarrhea. This bacteria can sometimes cause severe diarrhea in people who are taking antibiotics.

This allows other bacteria to grow and cause infection. Gut infections caused by C. This is because the drugs can make this condition worse. However, if a C. But these guidelines mention that no studies are available to confirm the safety of this treatment option.

Imodium is used to treat diarrhea. In some cases, you may need to take Imodium with other treatments. Below, we describe some other possible treatments that may be used with Imodium. If you have questions about using other treatments with Imodium, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Diarrhea causes you to lose more fluid and electrolytes than usual. Electrolytes are salts, such as sodium and potassium. Drinking a rehydration solution is a good way to replace fluids and electrolytes lost through diarrhea. Rehydration solutions are drinks that contain both glucose sugar and electrolytes.

You can buy these drinks at drugstores and grocery stores. But they especially recommend these drinks for children and older people with diarrhea. And Imodium can help shorten the amount of time that you have diarrhea. In addition, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief treats gas, cramps, and bloating that can occur with diarrhea. With diarrhea, you pass loose or watery stools much more often than usual.

The most common cause of diarrhea is an infection in your digestive system called gastroenteritis. This infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

With diarrhea, the muscular contractions in your intestine that move food through it become faster than usual. So food moves through your system much more quickly than normal. This leads to frequent watery bowel movements. The fast contractions in your intestine can also lead to a buildup of gas.

And this can cause symptoms such as cramps, bloating, and pressure in your belly. Imodium products all contain the antimotility drug loperamide, which helps to control diarrhea.

The drug works by slowing down the muscular contractions in your intestine. This slows the movement of food through your intestine. And it allows more time for water to be reabsorbed back into your body. This is how Imodium use leads to firmer stools and fewer bowel movements. In addition to loperamide, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief contains the antiflatulent drug simethicone. This drug reduces symptoms of gas. It works by causing small bubbles of gas that are trapped in your intestines to merge into larger bubbles.

These larger bubbles are more easily expelled from your body. After you stop taking Imodium, it takes about 11 hours for the level of Imodium in your body to be reduced by half.

After this amount of time, Imodium will have less and less of an effect on controlling your diarrhea. Instead, it only works inside your intestine. And if it enters your brain, it may make you feel high. Some people misuse Imodium in this way to make themselves feel high.