Antidiarrheal Medicines for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Topic Overview
If you have mild inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) and diarrhea is your main symptom, try an antidiarrheal medicine.
Take antidiarrheals only under your doctor's supervision. You should not take them if you have a fever or blood in your stools. If you have been taking antidiarrheals for 10 days and still have diarrhea, check with your doctor.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) -- like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis -- or diverticulitis, your doctor may suggest you follow a low-residue diet. A low-residue diet involves eating more easily digestible foods. A low-residue diet may reduce symptoms of IBD, such as diarrhea and stomach cramping; however, it will not cure IBD.
Read the Low-Residue Diet article > >
Some of these medicines, such as loperamide (Imodium, for example), are available without a prescription. Others, such as diphenoxylate (Lomotil, for example), are available only with a prescription.
These medicines contain ingredients that slow or stop the painful spasms in your intestines that cause symptoms. They can be dangerous if you use them when you have moderate or severe inflammation of the colon, because they can cause a serious complication called toxic megacolon in which the colon swells to many times its normal size.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
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