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Can anyone tell me what the advantages/disadvantages are against each other? I just received my Entocort today and am very reluctant to take it (after reading Brandy's side effects!). I am taking Imodium (very little, maybe 1 pill every other day) and while not perfect, I don't get watery diarrhea. The pharmacist seemed aghast at me taking Imodium and said it was not for long time use. So, I am confused. If I take the Entocort and go on a strict diet, how would I know if the diet is helping the inflammation if the Entocort masks them? Does the same hold true of Imodium? If I take Imodium and go on a strict diet, does the Imodium mask the symptoms too?
Mandy
Imodium vs. Entocort
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Mandy,
Your pharmacist is mistaken - unless one happens to be allergic to it, Imodium is probably the safest drug we can take to treat the symptoms of MC. It carries no long-term risks, that I'm aware of. Having said that, all it does is to slow down motility, so it does absolutely nothing to address the inflammation associated with MC. If Imodium will control your symptoms, and you've made the necessary diet changes, then Imodium is probably your safest choice, because Entocort will not prevent the inflammation from being regenerated - it can only suppress existing inflammation. The only way to prevent the inflammation from being generated in the first place, is to change the diet, to exclude the foods that cause the reactions that result in the development of inflammation.
Yes, Entocort can mask symptoms so that it becomes difficult to determine food-sensitivities, but for those patients who are in a full flare, it will be just about impossible to determine specific food-sensitivities, anyway, so Entocort significantly improves quality of life, in the meantime. If your symptoms are not severe, and you're planning to control your symptoms by diet changes, then Entocort would probably not be a priority. Imodium won't mask any symptoms, other than postponing bowel movements, and allowing more time to get to a bathroom.
Tex
Your pharmacist is mistaken - unless one happens to be allergic to it, Imodium is probably the safest drug we can take to treat the symptoms of MC. It carries no long-term risks, that I'm aware of. Having said that, all it does is to slow down motility, so it does absolutely nothing to address the inflammation associated with MC. If Imodium will control your symptoms, and you've made the necessary diet changes, then Imodium is probably your safest choice, because Entocort will not prevent the inflammation from being regenerated - it can only suppress existing inflammation. The only way to prevent the inflammation from being generated in the first place, is to change the diet, to exclude the foods that cause the reactions that result in the development of inflammation.
Yes, Entocort can mask symptoms so that it becomes difficult to determine food-sensitivities, but for those patients who are in a full flare, it will be just about impossible to determine specific food-sensitivities, anyway, so Entocort significantly improves quality of life, in the meantime. If your symptoms are not severe, and you're planning to control your symptoms by diet changes, then Entocort would probably not be a priority. Imodium won't mask any symptoms, other than postponing bowel movements, and allowing more time to get to a bathroom.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks, Tex. I knew the pharmacist was wrong, but how can you argue with them when several other people are waiting/standing in line behind you? lol So basically you are saying that Imodium and Entocort do nothing to lessen the inflammation of the gut, right? I think this is why I want to take the Imodium rather than Entocort, so that I can see what kinds of foods are problematic, which I can't with Entocort. The worst case scenario for me would be to take the Entocort, go on a strict diet, go off the Entocort only to find that my strict diet was for naught because I still was eating the wrong things! All that time and effort would be down the drain and you would be back to square one! I think I will stay with the Imodium, try the diet change, watch for reactions, and get the Enterolab testing to confirm and then tweak my diet.
Mandy
Mandy
Mandy,
Your pharmacist may have been thinking about Lomitil, which works similarly to Imodium, but it's a prescription drug. Or he or she may have assumed that they had identical modes of action, which isn't exactly true. Regardless, many members here have used Imodium for years, with no problems.
You seem to be misunderstanding what I said about Entocort, (I apologize for not phrasing it more clearly) - Entocort does indeed suppress inflammation. It just can't prevent it from being regenerated, meaning that one has to continue taking Entocort if the source of the inflammation is not removed.
Your plan sounds as though it should work well. Good luck with it.
Tex
Your pharmacist may have been thinking about Lomitil, which works similarly to Imodium, but it's a prescription drug. Or he or she may have assumed that they had identical modes of action, which isn't exactly true. Regardless, many members here have used Imodium for years, with no problems.
You seem to be misunderstanding what I said about Entocort, (I apologize for not phrasing it more clearly) - Entocort does indeed suppress inflammation. It just can't prevent it from being regenerated, meaning that one has to continue taking Entocort if the source of the inflammation is not removed.
Your plan sounds as though it should work well. Good luck with it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Mandy,
You are very astute in your observations about Entocort and Imodium.
Unfortunately, we don't know at the beginning of our dietary changes whether we will have a short or a long list of intolerances. I'm still finding food intolerances after nearly five years of monitoring my diet. For me, Entocort has probably been the best choice.
If you are comfortable with managing your symptoms on Imodium alone, go for it. The problem with Entocort is that it stays in the body for at least 56 days. That's a long time to wait to see if dietary changes have been adequate. Imodium is out of the system in a day or two, and you'll have pretty immediate feedback as a result. The problem with Imodium is that if the diet isn't working, (ie., you haven't found all tolerances), it can take increasingly large amounts to control symptoms. That only seems to happen after a year or more of using it, however. The same problem can happen after going back on Entocort, too.
Gloria
You are very astute in your observations about Entocort and Imodium.
You have accurately described my experience while going on and off Entocort for these past four years. So why did I, and am I taking Entocort? My only experience with Imodium prior to going on Entocort was when I took 2 pills a day for a week. I was pretty uncomfortable and bound up. I didn't consider that I could take less than the full dosage. The other reason is that I had tried going GF for a month before going on Entocort and didn't have any change in my symptoms at all. Entocort allowed me to live a normal life and also determine numerous intolerances at the same time.Mandy wrote:I think this is why I want to take the Imodium rather than Entocort, so that I can see what kinds of foods are problematic, which I can't with Entocort. The worst case scenario for me would be to take the Entocort, go on a strict diet, go off the Entocort only to find that my strict diet was for naught because I still was eating the wrong things! All that time and effort would be down the drain and you would be back to square one!
Unfortunately, we don't know at the beginning of our dietary changes whether we will have a short or a long list of intolerances. I'm still finding food intolerances after nearly five years of monitoring my diet. For me, Entocort has probably been the best choice.
If you are comfortable with managing your symptoms on Imodium alone, go for it. The problem with Entocort is that it stays in the body for at least 56 days. That's a long time to wait to see if dietary changes have been adequate. Imodium is out of the system in a day or two, and you'll have pretty immediate feedback as a result. The problem with Imodium is that if the diet isn't working, (ie., you haven't found all tolerances), it can take increasingly large amounts to control symptoms. That only seems to happen after a year or more of using it, however. The same problem can happen after going back on Entocort, too.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gloria, you stated Entocort enabled you to determine numerous intolerances at the same time. May I ask how? How did you find what were your intolerances if the Entocort was "covering" the symptoms? Also, does anyone know if there is another thing like Imodium that I could take, such as a natural product? I saw a product called Diarrhea Stop by Renew Life and it is made with Kaolin Clay, Apple Pectin, and Activated Charcoal. It also Contains no GMOs, yeast, wheat, corn, rye, gluten, soy, salt, sugar, dairy, animal products, binders, preservatives or artificial ingredients. Anyone here ever use it? Tex? Anyone?
Mandy
Mandy
I used Entocort to get back to normal. Then I would taper it slowly until I began having some reactions. I've always kept a food/symptoms diary, so I could see a relationship between what I ate and the reactions I had. It's pretty difficult to determine what your intolerances are until you start to have some good days. Otherwise, they all seem to be the same. That's where Entocort and Imodium can help.
I'd use the same method with Imodium as with Entocort. Take the smallest dosage that provides fairly normal BMs, then experiment with reducing it. The goal is to have mostly good days with some bad days to help discover the intolerances.
Gloria
I'd use the same method with Imodium as with Entocort. Take the smallest dosage that provides fairly normal BMs, then experiment with reducing it. The goal is to have mostly good days with some bad days to help discover the intolerances.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Mandy,
Lomotil is a prescription-only alternative to Imodium, that basically works as well as Imodium, but not necessarily any better. I'm not familiar with any other meds that work effectively simply by reducing motility.
IMO, there are three good reasons why Imodium is the number one choice for that job, (on this board, at least) - it's reasonably priced, it's safe, and it's effective. Few drugs, (including herbals), can meet those three criteria. Most are lucky to meet even one.
Tex
Lomotil is a prescription-only alternative to Imodium, that basically works as well as Imodium, but not necessarily any better. I'm not familiar with any other meds that work effectively simply by reducing motility.
IMO, there are three good reasons why Imodium is the number one choice for that job, (on this board, at least) - it's reasonably priced, it's safe, and it's effective. Few drugs, (including herbals), can meet those three criteria. Most are lucky to meet even one.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, thanks for your reply!! I've notice of late that Imodium now comes in various forms. Regular, Mulit-symptom, etc. Does everyone here use the original form? Is that the kind everyone talks about? Plus, what about generic forms of Imodium? You know, store-brands that claims "just like Imodium". Is it really? I bought a generic form yesterday and have yet to take it, wondering if I should be using just the Imodium brand exclusively.
Mandy
Mandy
Unless something has changed since they recently reintroduced the product, the original version of Imodium AD was the only one generally available that did not contain lactose, or some other no-no. I don't recall anyone finding a generic version that did not contain lactose, or soy, or some other unacceptable ingredient, but I haven't checked all the possibilities lately.
Tex
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.