“When should you not take Imodium?”
My 15 year old son is often constipated. I want to know when should you not take Imodium?
4 Answers
Imodium is an anti-diarrheal so it should not be used in constipated persons. It should be used only for diarrhea as long as there is not a significant acute infection ongoing.
Imodium at usual recommended dosages is a safe medication, but would make constipation symptoms worse.
Imodium is a medicine that is commonly taken to treat chronic diarrhea. It should not be used for constipation because it can actually make your symptoms much, much worse. The only other contraindications to taking Imodium would be if you have a serious intestinal infection that causes a lot of diarrhea. If you take Imodium while you are infected, then the body is not getting rid of the infection and again, things will get much, much worse.
Imodium is a medication for diarrhea, and should not be taken for constipation. You may want to try miralax once daily for your son, along with plenty of water intake and fruits and vegetables.
As far as your question, the one time where we try to avoid Imodium in cases of diarrhea, is when there is a likelihood of an infectious cause of the diarrhea. In some bacterial infections of the colon, the bacteria secrete a toxin, and so if that individual were to take Imodium, it could make the symptoms worse. In infections of the colon, we generally like to let the body rid itself of the toxin. A safer option in this case would be Peptobismol, as this has anti-bacterial properties itself. This should be used in caution in children due to the very rare possibility of Reye's syndrome (due to the aspirin component in Peptobismol), in viral infections.
As far as your question, the one time where we try to avoid Imodium in cases of diarrhea, is when there is a likelihood of an infectious cause of the diarrhea. In some bacterial infections of the colon, the bacteria secrete a toxin, and so if that individual were to take Imodium, it could make the symptoms worse. In infections of the colon, we generally like to let the body rid itself of the toxin. A safer option in this case would be Peptobismol, as this has anti-bacterial properties itself. This should be used in caution in children due to the very rare possibility of Reye's syndrome (due to the aspirin component in Peptobismol), in viral infections.
