Imodium?

[cdfiance]

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

[jmengert]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[larry mac]

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]

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.