It really helps me. Yes, it was pulled--thanks to Ralph Nader's Watchdog Group that seems to be an alarmest group that puts down all new drugs--but Lotronex was the first drug ever to be pulled that was put back on the market due to an outcry from patients who were taking it! I'm not lucky in most areas of life, so when this drug came out & it actually helped a little, I figured it would be pulled. Of course my GI told me I was being ridiculous & to stop being such a worry-wart, but I made him promise that when I called him to give him the news that the drug was pulled, he would call in a prescription to every drug store in a 20 block radius of my office (in Manahattan). I remember that the announcement was made on the Tues. night news & I just started to cry. But I made that call to my doc & he kept his promise. I managed to get 600 pills by the end of the following day. Either the pharmacy hadn't checked their computer yet, or the pharmacist felt bad for me--pleading & begging. Getting paid back the $1700. from the insurance co.was another story...but everything worked out & I had the drug during the entire time is was off the market. It was worth the effort. Since then, I've tried going off it to see what would happen & my D comes back w/a vengence. I refer to the time before Lotronex as the 'old days'--& I never want to be there again. Don't get me wrong, I'm still basically a prisoner of my home, but if any of you have less severe symptoms than I did, it may just work wonders. To get the real story on the drug, go to:
Wow! I am new to this computer stuff and just figured out there is other forums on the IBS subject, i just wrote in on one so i hope that writing in on this one is ok. hey sick and tired you are the very first person i found that takes this med, i am so excited i can't type fast enough, my dr wants me to take this - just told me last mon. been freaked out ever since after reading the sign off waiver paper. did not kinow it was on market and pulled- bless your heart it works for you -- oh how i want it to work for me and not hurt me- you are one of the 349 people it works for with out those bad problems i read about, oh i want to know about you! I keep making mistakes typing as i'm so hiped after reading someone takes this and is ok.How long have you been on it/ how long you have bad ibs?How old are you?I soo hope this isn't bothering you but i am afraid of this med. after reading that paper work and when i went to fill scrip my insurance needs pre approval first, this has never happened on any other med. before- gut is saying NO be scared- heart is saying you might have a life again after19 years!!I know you gotta be a lady as the paper said it was not for men. I am right now going to that site you put down- you know after reading this I'll have more questions for you and i sure hope it doesn't bother you i ask. Thank you soo for writing what you did -i will be in touch. Jenny Jo
My GI told me that every other avenue - Questran, fiber supplements, and Lomotil - should be tried before Lotronex, but told me that it really has helped people and he'd be willing to give it a go with me after failure of a strict trial on Lomotil. That's what I'm doing now, just starting to take Lomotil every single day. It's just that these other drugs are milder than Lotronex and daily use hasn't been shown to cause the side effects that Lotronex has - the one they worry about most is ischemic colitis. It really has to be used in people who ONLY have severe diarrhea as a symptom, never constipation! How many times a day are you naturally going at this point? I'm anywhere from 5-25, and on those 15+ days I often wonder if Lotronex would be worth it.
I have been on Chlord Clidinium, which is the Generic, as well as Lomotil for over a year. The Lomotil has definitly helped with all of my night frustrations, for some reason it really works calming my stomach at night. I tried Lotronex for a week after seeing it on Discovery Health. I stopped b/c I was too worried about the risks, so I really didn't even give it a fair chance, although they told me since I was taking up to 6 Lomotil's a day that i was definitly qualified to take it. I haven't heard of too many people on it. In fact there is only one doc around me that's allowed to prescribe it. But, luckily, my combo of Lomotil and the clidinium, now along with Calcium, have been kicking butt!!!!
Dear JennyJo,
I'm 46 & have had this thing, coincidentally, right after the birth of my child which was 8-1/2 yrs. ago.
How do you know that only 349 people are using Lotronex?
My shrink has blamed all my problems on my controlling mother. I think that's their standard answer--"you were maltreated by your parents & that's why you're all messed up today. Your mother was anal so now you have these anal (so to speak) issues"!! I keep reminding him that my mother is dead & I got this in my late thirties. But according to him, she ruined my "hard drive" when I was young & now this disease has taken over in controlling my life. My mother, by the way, WAS a control-freak, so who knows...acknowledging this fact & having her take the blame hasn't really helped my condition. For that he had no answer so he told me to get on IBS chat rooms & gather information. WOW, that was quite a detour!! Anyway, I still take imodium or Lomotil when I absolutely need to be somewhere. That usually stops everything for a few days. If I'm feeling constipated, I immediately remedy it by taking a laxative since I am very much aware of the side effects of Lotronex. I think if you stay conscious if that, you'll be OK. To tell you the truth I'm more concerned about the injection I take to try & reverse the osteoporosis that this disease has caused. My doc who is head of Endocrinolgy @ Westchester Med Center finally admitted that I'm her first patient on it. All the literature on this drug talks about is the bone cancer it caused in laboratory rats & how it had only been tested on humans for 18 mos. (the FDA only approved a
1-yr dosage & the drug co. is not allowed to advertise). The side effects of Lotronex seem mild in comparison to bone cancer.
I'm 46 & have had this thing, coincidentally, right after the birth of my child which was 8-1/2 yrs. ago.
How do you know that only 349 people are using Lotronex?
My shrink has blamed all my problems on my controlling mother. I think that's their standard answer--"you were maltreated by your parents & that's why you're all messed up today. Your mother was anal so now you have these anal (so to speak) issues"!! I keep reminding him that my mother is dead & I got this in my late thirties. But according to him, she ruined my "hard drive" when I was young & now this disease has taken over in controlling my life. My mother, by the way, WAS a control-freak, so who knows...acknowledging this fact & having her take the blame hasn't really helped my condition. For that he had no answer so he told me to get on IBS chat rooms & gather information. WOW, that was quite a detour!! Anyway, I still take imodium or Lomotil when I absolutely need to be somewhere. That usually stops everything for a few days. If I'm feeling constipated, I immediately remedy it by taking a laxative since I am very much aware of the side effects of Lotronex. I think if you stay conscious if that, you'll be OK. To tell you the truth I'm more concerned about the injection I take to try & reverse the osteoporosis that this disease has caused. My doc who is head of Endocrinolgy @ Westchester Med Center finally admitted that I'm her first patient on it. All the literature on this drug talks about is the bone cancer it caused in laboratory rats & how it had only been tested on humans for 18 mos. (the FDA only approved a
1-yr dosage & the drug co. is not allowed to advertise). The side effects of Lotronex seem mild in comparison to bone cancer.
Dear Sarita,
I've been on Lotronex since 2000. 21 trips to the bathroom is my all time high (I had to keep track when I went to the hypnotist--there's actually a program specifically designed for IBS-D sufferers) even when I was on the drug. But it wasn't like that for days on end. When I'm able to string together 2-1/2 good days in a row (meaning no trips or a couple of brief trips) I'm estatic!! I couldn't hope or count on that happening before Lotronex. And as I said, depending upon where I have to be, I'll alternate between eating & starving, laxatives & imodium--otherwise I wouldn't be able to ever leave the house.
I have a question about Mayo docs. I think I may have made the appointment w/the wrong specialist. Did you see docs that had different expertise as it applied to IBS specifically? Was the Motility area just about gastro issues or were rectal surgeons also part of that group? I already took all those horrid tests (did you have to go through a manometry?) over the last few yrs. & I'm not looking forward to having them done again. If you had to pick the doc you liked the best @ Mayo, who would it be?
I've been on Lotronex since 2000. 21 trips to the bathroom is my all time high (I had to keep track when I went to the hypnotist--there's actually a program specifically designed for IBS-D sufferers) even when I was on the drug. But it wasn't like that for days on end. When I'm able to string together 2-1/2 good days in a row (meaning no trips or a couple of brief trips) I'm estatic!! I couldn't hope or count on that happening before Lotronex. And as I said, depending upon where I have to be, I'll alternate between eating & starving, laxatives & imodium--otherwise I wouldn't be able to ever leave the house.
I have a question about Mayo docs. I think I may have made the appointment w/the wrong specialist. Did you see docs that had different expertise as it applied to IBS specifically? Was the Motility area just about gastro issues or were rectal surgeons also part of that group? I already took all those horrid tests (did you have to go through a manometry?) over the last few yrs. & I'm not looking forward to having them done again. If you had to pick the doc you liked the best @ Mayo, who would it be?
Sick&Tired, I know what you're saying about those trips. For a while I was going 30+ times per day! Now I take Lomotil twice daily and even though I still have the big D, it's only 2-3 times a day and that is totally manageable. It has been six days since I had one of my awful days, and I'm psyched.
Mayo put me right through to the GI department straight away. I saw Mangen, a GI attending, and Ghazale, a GI fellow. They didn't think it was IBS so I didn't do any motility studies. They sent me for an infectious disease consultation based on my travel history, and I saw Dr. Edson over there. I had blood and stool tests, upper and lower scopings, and a CT scan. Stool tests showed occult blood and leukocytes, upper endoscopy showed stomach erosions...but nothing they could definitively diagnose. They were nice people, and empathized with me, but I was surprised by their reaction - pretty much shrugging their shoulders. "Yes, obviously this is dictating your life; no, it's not normal for people to go 20 times a day and have blood and pus and white blood cells in their stools; unfortunately, we can't tell you what's causing it." It was just a shame that after all that effort - and all those horrible tests - they weren't able to pinpoint the cause and thus streamline the treatment. My PCP here, who I just saw yesterday, thinks it could still be Crohn's disease, and is helping me keep an eye on things.
Mayo is not a mecca of healing. The doctors are specialists, and they're good, but they're still people. They are still fallible. If you have a good doctor in your area that you trust, to whom you can go and say, "Listen, I've been reading about this thing, and I wanted your opinion on it" - you're golden. Mayo may be able to offer a different perspective, but maybe not. What are you looking for from them?
Hey sick and tired, no one ever told me of the osteoporosis connected to ibs, but at age 28 was diaog. with it 20 years early! maybe now i know why? those shots for you have to be a bad deal, i'm sorry you have to do it, and the bone cancer chances would have me crappin all the more. also have one of those mothers, with being a control freak she also was HORRIBLY cruel! if that were the case, should have had this poopin problem since birth instead of since age 20! mom now is addicted to oxycotton and is in bed 23 out of 24 hrs and does nothing- let alone bathe( doesn't have cancer or any cronic illness other than lazyness) yes this bothers me bad, but i have NO control of it , or there would be no problems with her- you only get one mother and the dr should have eased up a bit! we can say they are bad- but nobody else better! am seriously thinkin hard on that lotronex med, been gettin info like crazy! also recently heard of this camera pill- what do you think? something worth looking into further? i appreciate you responding to the message i sent to you. it helps me alot! thanks jenny
Hey had 1 other question please, does that Lotronex REALLY get rid of the gas & pain of the gas and the bloating? it has been miserable the last couple wks to the point of waking me up at nite. This pain has just about stepped over the boundry line, i just keep hearing that doc say no more gas , no more of that bloating or pain, i just wanted to ask you if that part is for real? thanks, i appreciate you response. Jenny
Hi Sick & Tired, I tried Lotronex a couple months ago and it made my D worse, not the amount of times going but the amount of pain involved during a D attack was ten times worse. I stopped taking it after about a week.
I hear of many others who say it's changed their lives. I've been told by others that initially the D may be worse for a few weeks while your body gets adjusted to it. Did this happen to you at first?
I have taken Imodium for 20 years, 2 a day, but did not take any during the Lotronex stint.
Thanks,
Brett
I hear of many others who say it's changed their lives. I've been told by others that initially the D may be worse for a few weeks while your body gets adjusted to it. Did this happen to you at first?
I have taken Imodium for 20 years, 2 a day, but did not take any during the Lotronex stint.
Thanks,
Brett
Hi Brett! (Or shall I call you The Gravy King?) 
Welcome to the IBS forum.
Sucks Lotronex didn't work for you. Hopefully you have found something else that has.
Wow, can't believe how long you have been taking Immodium.... Does you doc feel this is OK? I only ask because this has been a debatable subject (do doctors recommend it or not?) on this forum.
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Welcome to the IBS forum.Sucks Lotronex didn't work for you. Hopefully you have found something else that has.
Wow, can't believe how long you have been taking Immodium.... Does you doc feel this is OK? I only ask because this has been a debatable subject (do doctors recommend it or not?) on this forum.
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Please donate to help HealingWell continue to help us..... www.healingwell.com/donate
Hi 7Lil, LOL, If I thought of it when registering I would have used Gravymaster. darnit... I go for my 1st appt at Temple University next Monday. Hopefully they will pinpoint the problem.
about the Imodium, I can tell you that it still works, and the only thing for me that absolutely works every time.
I hate taking it though, because for the past year I've noticed 3 changes... On days that I take it my mouth/breath is yucky and days I skip my mouth isn't...Also for the 3 hours after taking Imodium I pee like crazy, small amounts but like every ten minutes... and finally for the 3 hours or so my stomach gets bad pains.
My current Gastro doc started prescribing it to me way back when it was still prescription only, so yes, he knows I'm still taking it.
I personally think it has messed my entire gi tract up, and would not reccomend it for long term use but what choices do we IBSers have.
Thanks,
Brett,
AKA ...THE GRAVYMASTER LOL
about the Imodium, I can tell you that it still works, and the only thing for me that absolutely works every time.
I hate taking it though, because for the past year I've noticed 3 changes... On days that I take it my mouth/breath is yucky and days I skip my mouth isn't...Also for the 3 hours after taking Imodium I pee like crazy, small amounts but like every ten minutes... and finally for the 3 hours or so my stomach gets bad pains.
My current Gastro doc started prescribing it to me way back when it was still prescription only, so yes, he knows I'm still taking it.
I personally think it has messed my entire gi tract up, and would not reccomend it for long term use but what choices do we IBSers have.
Thanks,
Brett,
AKA ...THE GRAVYMASTER LOL
Too bad we can't go back and change our alias's.... The Gravymaster. LOL
Imodium is some powerful stuff, I agree that it shouldn't be used long term. But it sure does work. I can always count on it when I go on trips or am having a bad D day. The only problem, however, is that it backs me up for days. Once I took it before going to Vegas and I didn't poo the whole 5 days I was there. It is sort of a Catch-22 when taking Imodium.
I'm assuming your Monday appointment is tomorrow..... Good luck!! Please come back and share with us your experience.
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Imodium is some powerful stuff, I agree that it shouldn't be used long term. But it sure does work. I can always count on it when I go on trips or am having a bad D day. The only problem, however, is that it backs me up for days. Once I took it before going to Vegas and I didn't poo the whole 5 days I was there. It is sort of a Catch-22 when taking Imodium.
I'm assuming your Monday appointment is tomorrow..... Good luck!! Please come back and share with us your experience.
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Please donate to help HealingWell continue to help us..... www.healingwell.com/donate
It's the 24th, next Monday,and I'll be back.
Brett
Brett
Hi Brett,
I use to take Immodium every day and my doctor is one of those doctors that are very against Immodium for long term use. He believes that it may have caused my diverticulosis by stopping me up and causing the pressure in my colon. I don't have IBS-D anymore but I do have IBS-C. I'm not sure why but I've heard that Immodium causes motility problems, I hope that I didn't cause it but who knows.
I use to take Immodium every day and my doctor is one of those doctors that are very against Immodium for long term use. He believes that it may have caused my diverticulosis by stopping me up and causing the pressure in my colon. I don't have IBS-D anymore but I do have IBS-C. I'm not sure why but I've heard that Immodium causes motility problems, I hope that I didn't cause it but who knows.
Hugs, Des
Co-Moderator ~ IBS Forum
"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it" - Mary Engelbreit
Please help Healing Well continue to help others by donating http://www.healingwell.com/donate
Hi dbab, Thanks for the info and sorry to hear about that. I can only hope for the best, but I know something is feeling different in my Bowels. I don't know much about Diverticulosis. Is it repairable by medicine?
Hi Brett,
Diverticulosis is small pockets in the colon that are caused by pressure that creates weak spots. Lack of fiber in our diets is the most common reason that people develop it. It is common in older people however it can affect younger people (I was diagnosed at 27) If waste gets stuck in the pockets, it can cause diverticulitis. Diverticulosis never goes away and is only cured by reconnection of the bowel. Here is a little more info on diverticulitis... I had never heard about it either until I got it:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00070
Diverticulosis is small pockets in the colon that are caused by pressure that creates weak spots. Lack of fiber in our diets is the most common reason that people develop it. It is common in older people however it can affect younger people (I was diagnosed at 27) If waste gets stuck in the pockets, it can cause diverticulitis. Diverticulosis never goes away and is only cured by reconnection of the bowel. Here is a little more info on diverticulitis... I had never heard about it either until I got it:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00070
Hugs, Des
Co-Moderator ~ IBS Forum
"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it" - Mary Engelbreit
Please help Healing Well continue to help others by donating http://www.healingwell.com/donate
dbab, Thanks for all this info. Everyone is so helpful and friendly here.
Have you had surgery for this or are you dealing with it?
How long did you take Imodium, and how long have you had Diverticulosis?
Brett
Have you had surgery for this or are you dealing with it?
How long did you take Imodium, and how long have you had Diverticulosis?
Brett
7lil, Hows that?
Hey, how did you do that Brett??? Sweet!!! 
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum
Please donate to help HealingWell continue to help us..... www.healingwell.com/donate