Imodium for Withdrawals

[LuckyCharms]

Question.  Has anyone used Imodium (immodium) to ease opiate withdrawals?  If so, was it effective for you?  Did you have a secondary withdrawal from Imodium (immodium) when detoxing?  Overall, would you say it helped or hindered your detox.  Just curious.  Thanks.

[SableZen]

Immodium has an opiate in it called loperamide. But unlike most opiates, it has very little to no effect on the central nervous system (does not cross the blood-brain barrier). Instead it has a strong action on the opioid receptors located along the GI tract. So yes it helps prevent withdrawal related diarrhea well, but it won't have much effect on any overall symptoms of withdrawal.

Physical dependency can be an issue with Immodium over long-term use, but not addiction. So secondary withdrawal really shouldn't be an issue.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Immodium, or generic, is a great tool to minimize diarrhea during that first week of w/d. Only use it for comfort as diarrhea is one of the body's way to detox.

[NautyOne]

I disagree.  I've read that it does help a lot with withdrawals, but I'm not going to get into how to use it on the open forum.  I can help relieve some of the withdrawal.....you dont' take it for more than a week or so as guess what?  you can get addicted to it.  So yes it can help relieve the withdrawal but you will still feel like dookey.

Nauty...........

[SableZen]

There is a lot of misinformation out there about using Immodium that encourages people to take massive amounts of it with the thinking that built-up opiate tolerance means that a person simply has to take a lot of it to benefit. Which is not only incorrect but dangerous (and not only that - it's encouraging the abuse of another drug).

Loperamide does not cross the blood-brain barrier - it has no impact on the brain and cannot result in addiction. It's action is limited to endogenous opioid receptors located along the the GI tract. That's why no matter how much you take it will never relieve general withdrawal symptoms.

[lucyred68]

it helped me tremendously.  i took it when i needed to get some sleep and the runs were keeping me on the toilet nearly 24/7.  just take it to slow thing down, not to stop them.

Lucy

[avisg]

If you are looking for diarrhea help it works great ,if you are trying it to get rid of withdrawl symptoms all I can say is I tried this once I took tons of it all I got was constipated ..

[worried878]

yey...I think the concrete stool would probably keep most from abusing it ..during detox i needed it tho...if u dont need it u will feel like a bloated dog i would think...it does sit on some of the same receptors that narcotics do...so it is specualted that there is a little bit of relief from withdrawals...but not a whole lot...the liquid works fastest and was a life save for me...the runs were the worst part of my detox tho

[[e-mail]]

is this the same stuff you buy otc?

[wannabefree330]

Yes it is purchased otc and generic works just as well as name brand

[maestrocon]

It's ****! Did nothing, and your gonna be sleepless with or without diarhea (diarrhea).

[LuckyCharms]

Thanks for your comments everyone.  Wow, I guess Imodium (immodium) is very different for everyone.  I am on day 14 free from Soma (2-4/day) and day 9 free from Hydro (6/day).  I stopped Imodium (immodium) a couple of days ago and haven't taken any advil or tylenol all day.  I feel really good overall and almost 100%.  In fact the soma gave me some withdrawals, but the Hydro almost none.  I do have some problems with sleep (RLS) but that's about it.  The symptoms go away after about 30 minutes, then I sleep through the rest of the night.  Headaches/body aches all gone.  Compared to a lot of stories I've read on this forum, I got off really really easy.  (Why is that?)  Strange.

[cloudz]

Okay, let me clear this up for you guys. I use 400mg of oxycodone a day for the last 3 years (prescribed). I'm in severe chronic pain (and now withdrawal). I just took 12mg of Lopermide (The active ingredient in Immodium AD) and it greatly inhibited my opiate withdrawal (about 70%), and withdrawal I describe as the worst possible feeling in existence. I feel incredibly better 30minutes after taking it. So if you are suffering from opiate withdrawal, GO GET SOME LOPERMIDE, it's the only OTC drug that will actually work for opiate withdrawal. (IT IS LIKE OTC METHADONE) If you don't have suboxone, subutex, methadone or any other opioid, lopermide is the next best thing. Also know that lopermide does nothing for pain (NO CNS EFFECT) or muscle aches, use in conjunction with tylonel or NSAIDS. In general, lopermide makes opiate withdrawal go from unbearable to tolerable. TRY IT!!!

There is a lot of controversy over dextromethorphan. In my experience it was barely effective at relieving withdrawals, but it's proven to prevent an increase in tolerance to opioid drugs.

[jfunk]

SWIM was detoxing from Oxymorphone (Opana or Numorphan) and was having bad symptoms.   While Loperimide doesn't cross over the bood brain barrier normally, it can in some people.  That is why there is a warning about drowsiness on the bottle.   If a person ingests Loperimide after taking a quantity of grapefruit juice and or black pepper, it will cross the blood brain barrier, though not very much will make it.  It is enough though to cut withdrawals down considerably.  Loperimide was originally meant to be a opioid pain killer, but in 99% of the populationit doesn't cross the barrier and is only an agonist of the Mu opioid receptors in the gut.  The black pepper and grapefruit juice acts as a proton pump inhibitor according to wikipedia.  SWIM doesn't suggest using heavy quantities of Loperimide.  The purpose is to reduce your withdrawal symptoms, and not become addicted to another opioid.   When Loperimide first came out, it was a controlled substance because in some people it was able to cause depression of the CNS indicitive of opioid action occurring.

[KiaKaha]

My hubby's using Imodium (immodium) at the moment. He says it helps the diarrhoea and THAT's IT!!!  Today is day 5 of his withdrawal off  2 years on methadone.