NY
A 81-year-old female asked:

I have taken imodium (loperamide) for 4 days and the diarrhea has stopped for the past 24 hours. is it safe to stop taking it? or should i continue for a while?

1 doctor answer2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Sylvia Romm
Pediatrics 14 years experience
Safe to stop: Imodium (loperamide) treats just the diarrhea itself, not what causes the diarrhea. After 4 days, not only is it safe to stop, it's probably recommended to stop to make sure that the underlying cause of the diarrhea has gotten better.
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Dr. Bradley Kessler
Pediatrics - Gastroenterology 41 years experience
Imodium treats the symptoms not the cause. After a few days it should be stopped. If there e symptoms reoccur the cause should be looked for. For example celiac disease, infectious causes, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance.
Jul 7, 2014
Last updated Apr 3, 2016

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