I feel like I failed with the timing for trying to stop the Imodium. This past weekend went really well, but there were a couple of things that have gone wrong this week so far that are making it hard to tell how I'm actually doing without it.
First is that I'm working 6 days in a row this week, and two of those days are 13 hour days. I don't usually get a chance to eat at work, so that really throws me off.
Second is that I've made some very poor food choices...like last night I decided to have two massive, greasy pieces of pizza, a Pepsi and four big Reese's. I felt like hell after that, and I'm still paying for it today.
Last is that this is the week before my period starts, and that week is always a hell week for me. I'm crampy, bloated, and have urgency and diarrhea regardless of what I do.
With all of that put together, I'm not sure if being off the Imodium is going well or not because I feel like crap right now. I'm going to keep pushing through this week and hope that it's just the factors above that are causing me to feel sick. And no more pizza. Or Reese's.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to here you are tapering off the imodium. You probably already know this but imodium is an anticholinergic drug. This class of drugs inhibits acetylcholine in the nervous system. The problem with this is that acetylcholine is one of our main neurotransmitters and affects not only gut motility, but learning and memory. WorstPills.org lists this drug as a limited use only drug.
I did a presentation on the causes of IBS which I also posted on my site at http://dismantlingibs.com/causes-of-ibs-presentation/. Check it out. Too much to say in a blog post.
You're right about IBS being multifaceted. I believe this is why it is so hard to pin down.
My wife had IBS in 2004 and with some hard work she overcame it so I know it's not incurable. Hang in there. I know you can do it!
Paul
It only has a cholinergic effect on the GI tract, not in the brain. Just like the effect on opioid receptors is also only in the GI tract and not the brain.
ReplyDeleteOh, I have never heard that before. I learned something new today! Maybe that's why WorstPills.org rates imodium as a "Limited Use" drug and all the other anticholinergic drugs as "Do Not Use". My wife was prescribed Levsin back in 2004. (One of the "Do Not Use" anticholinergics). After seeing what happened to her mom (who also had IBS and took Levsin) she refused to take it.
ReplyDeleteI really like WorstPills.org. Since it's run by MDs and Pharmacologists they provide a nice balance to the drug perspective. They only charge $15 per year to access their information. I think that's a pretty good deal.
Take care Rachel,
Paul