Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Imodium?

cdfiance

Recommended Posts

cdfiance Explorer
cdfiance
Posted

First of all, I'm sorry for asking so many questions but I feel you guys have the most Celiac knowlege out there. Anyway, my question is about meds for cramps and diarrhea. Alex (my fiance with Celiac) is so warn out from diarrhea every day. She's not getting glutenated but since her intestine is in the process of healing, food just rushes through her causing painful cramps and frequent trips to the bathroom. It's especially troubling at night because the pain can make it hard for her to fall asleep and then when she does fall asleep she gets awakened with the urgent need to use the bathroom. I was wondering about Imodium or something similar to help her sleep through the night.

The problem is, before her diagnosis she took Imodium and it had a horrible result. Her diarrhea stopped for a bit but it was like her body was still fighting to get everything out of her so she had excruciating cramps and was shaking and sweating and crying in pain until she was able to continue having diarrhea. So you can understand why we are reluctant to try it again. We were thinking that now that the diarrhea isn't due to her body trying to get gluten out but due to malabsorption it might not result in the same painful situation. If not Immodium is there something she could take to at least ease the pain of her cramps and make her comfortable enough to sleep. I don't know if Tylenol or other painkillers take care of that kind of pain.

Thank you for your patience with my lack of knowledge!

Ryan

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jmengert Enthusiast
jmengert
Posted

I still get cramps and diarrhea fairly often, and I take Immodium for it when it's bad. It always helps my cramps immediately, and I've never had the side effect you've mentioned. However, I would imagine that taking Tylenol or something may also help, and perhaps she would want to try that if the Immodium has caused her problems in the past.

Also, Pepto Bismal is gluten-free (the liquid is last I heard), but it always made me nauseous, so I personally avoid it, but that's something else that she may want to consider, since other people swear by it.

I hope she begins feeling better soon!

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Hi Ryan,

Please don't apologize for asking questions--that's what we're here for!

I think it's wonderful that you are wanting to take such good care of Alex.

I use Immodium when needed, and it helps greatly. I've never had a bad reaction to it. I'm not sure if it would affect her any differently now, but it might be worth another try.

My gastroenterologist prescribed Neulev for me when I was first diagnosed. It is a med he uses for patients who have cramping after certain procedures. It is disolved under the tongue, and eases cramping.

Honestly, I got better relief from Immodium, but different things work for different people.

Has she tried a heating pad on her stomach? I hope she gets some relief soon!

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

Can she take a day off from food to give her intestine some quiet time?

Just drink ginger ale and 7-up and maybe green tea or herbal teas. Then start with bananas and maybe applesauce to see if it helps.

Avoid anything harsh for a while like citrus or acidic fruits/veggies and have her boil all her veggies to mush.

This isn't a permanent diet change, just a chance for her digestive tract to calm down a little.

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

Make sure that the medicine you take is gluten free. The Imodium pills are, but I believe some of the liquid versions aren't.

Are you positive she is entirely gluten free? Is she eating out at all?

Best of luck, and I hope her symptoms improve quickly!!!!

cdfiance Explorer
cdfiance
Posted
  • Author
Are you positive she is entirely gluten free? Is she eating out at all?

Yup, she's definitely totally gluten free and not eating out. Rice, applesauce, bananas, bland veggies, and gluten-free crackers and toast are basically all she's eating. Sometimes all I can convince her to eat is some applesauce when her tummy is feeling particularly bad.

Can she take a day off from food to give her intestine some quiet time?

Just drink ginger ale and 7-up and maybe green tea or herbal teas. Then start with bananas and maybe applesauce to see if it helps.

I've been worried she's not getting enough nutrients since she feels so weak a lot of the time but maybe she should just try Pedialyte and tea for a short time to see if things calm down. If her intestine isn't absorbing much anyway what does it matter :(

She's just getting so frustrated with how slow her recovery is going and how bad she feels most of the time. All of this is understandably starting to make her feel pretty blue. :(

Ryan

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

Ibuprofen and aspirin are both anti-inflammatories (Tylenol is not). If she is going to take something for pain you might consider one of those. You could try the enteric coated aspirin (but I don't know what's in the coating) or maybe baby aspirin mashed into applesauce.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted
Make sure that the medicine you take is gluten free. The Imodium pills are, but I believe some of the liquid versions aren't.

HappyGirl has an excellent point. The liquid used to make me ill at my stomach the couple times I tried taking it (this was before I ever heard of celiac), but the tablets never did. I can't find the box and the ingredients aren't listed on the bottle of Equate brand liquid I have. But I'm pretty sure we've covered this topic before and it has gluten.

best regards, lm

kabowman Explorer
kabowman
Posted

I find that if I have an accidental glutening, which is very very rare, I have to let the worst of it pass on its own before I take the imodium. After the first round or two, that is when I take my pills. I don't have to do that with my other food sensitivities reactions, just the gluten because of the cramping, sweating, etc. If I take it too soon, I still don't feel well.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,398
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megannnnn
    Newest Member
    Megannnnn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.