It could have been something I ate while trying to use up the food in my refrigerator before leaving, or just a 24-hour stomach bug. Whatever triggered it, diarrhea struck me down the very first day of my long-awaited vacation, even before I arrived at the airport!
I used up several doses of my anti-diarrhea medicine stashed in my carry-on bag before we even checked in at Sea-Tac. Facing 23 hours of travel between Seattle and our final destination, I quickly bought some more at one of the airport kiosks. While it took several doses and most of the trip from Seattle to Rome for my stomach to settle down, at least I was able to spend my vacation last month admiring Italian art instead of sprinting to Italian restrooms.
My go-to remedy for diarrhea is Imodium-AD®, which is called by its generic name, loperamide. First introduced as a prescription medicine in 1976, loperamide has been available over the counter (OTC) for many years and has proven to be a VERY effective medicine for acute diarrhea.
During digestion, your food turns into a liquid mass of nutrients just waiting to be absorbed into your body. There are muscles all along the inside of your intestines that are designed to work together, squeezing in a coordinated rhythm called peristalsis to move your food inch by inch through your intestines.
This movement of your internal intestinal muscles moves this mass of food through your small intestine, large intestine and colon, allowing your body to absorb its nutrients and water along the way. What is left over is then eliminated as feces. The longer it takes the food to move through your intestine the more water is absorbed into your body and the firmer your feces or stool becomes. If the food moves too slowly, you’ll absorb too much water and your stool will become hard, causing constipation. If the food moves too quickly, your body won’t have time to absorb much of the nutrients or liquid, causing diarrhea.
I experienced constipation for the first time when given cough syrup containing the narcotic codeine to treat my severe from whooping cough. Constipation is a common side effect of narcotics like codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone because they can cause the movement of the muscles that line your intestine to slow way down. Loperamide is closely related to these powerful painkillers and works its magic by diarrhea by slowing down your intestinal muscles just like its cousins, easing intestinal cramping and diarrhea.
Although it doesn’t help to relieve pain like its narcotic cousins, some people have discovered that you take enough loperamide you can get “high” or stave off the misery of narcotic withdrawal. The Food and Drug Administration has reported cases of people taking 4 times the maximum dose of loperamide experiencing euphoria, confusion and heart palpitations.
Pepto-Bismol® (bismuth subsalicylate) is another medicine that I always pack when I travel. It reduces abdominal cramping, nausea and diarrhea, but is not quite as effective for diarrhea as loperamide. Available as wintergreen-flavored chewable tablets, liquid as well as regular tablets, Pepto-Bismol® will turn your stools black.
Some people recommend probiotics for diarrhea. I have found them helpful to reduce diarrhea in my dogs, but personally I find Imodium-AD® (loperamide) more reliable.
Here Are 4 Tips on Treating Acute Diarrhea:
- Always be prepared.
I never travel without taking Immodium-AD (loperamide) tablets with me, along with some Pepto-Bismol® chewable tablets. I want to meet new people and see new sights, not spend my vacation seeking out or sprinting to the nearest bathroom.
- You can take Pepto-Bismol® and loperamide at the same time.
I always pack the chewable tablets, but if you hate the taste of wintergreen, buy the non-chewable tablets that you swallow, instead. But beware: bismuth subsalicylate will turn your stool a most dramatic charcoal-black color.
- Don’t overdose on loperamide.
The maximum dose of 8 tablets of Immodium-AD (loperamide) in a 24-hour period should be plenty to do the job. Take 2 tablets to start after your first loose stool and one tablet after each loose stool after that. For more relief, you can take both loperamide and Pepto-Bismol® (bismuth subsalicylate) at the same time, but if taking both doesn’t help you, please seek medical attention.
- Seek medical attention.
Some types of diarrhea need immediate medical attention instead of an anti-diarrhea medicine. If you experience bloody diarrhea, both vomiting and diarrhea for more than 24 hours, or have severe abdominal pain with diarrhea, don’t wait; seek medical attention right away.
