Diarrhea

Digestive health
1

Hi

I have now been on Humira since July, also taking Mezavant XL1200mg and Loperamide 2mg up to 16mg a day. My Diarrhea and urgency to go is still out of control up to 15 times a day plus and i suffer bad flare ups.

The Humira is controlling my "arthritis" and other symptoms but not the diarrhea. I have tried changing diets, eating rice bananas etc but no luck, i can not go out without risk and need to carry toilet paper all the time.

Has any body got any knowledge of a better drug then loperamide to control diarrhea, or any idea or personal experience if i can take more then the maximum dose of of 8 tablets in 24 hours (16mg) safely or any tips that improve my problems?

Thanks

2

Have you had any surgeries??

Only ask because sometimes after certain surgeries your body cannot deal with bike salts and consequently result in uncontrollable acid diarrhoea. The only thing that wil help is Colestyramine. A powder drunk with water everyday. I couldn't exist without it. Flare up or not, diarrhoea plagues me because of bike salt malabsorption!!

Hope this helps

Hannah

3

No i had no surgery, but i will mention it to my consultant

Thanks

4

Bloomin spell checker!!

I hope you mention bile salts....no bikes involved!!

5

Yes thanks i figured it lol

6

Hi, Sorry to hear what you are going through. It is not a subject that you like to talk to people about but one of the advantages of being on forums like this you are sharing your problems with fellow suffers which makes it easier to open up. As I have said on these forums before, I have sujffered from crohns for 52yrs. In the early stages, like yourself I suffered from really bad boughts of Diarrhea especially after I had undergone surgery. Eventually my doctor informed me that they had now opened  a clinic at my local hospital that was specially for people who suffered from crohns or colitis,. bearing in mind this was around twenty years ago. At my first appointment the consultant put me on three monthly B12 injections. And also a medication called "cholestyramine" which is for malabsorbtion that causes the food to pass right through the gut without being absorbed., let me say that of all the medications that I have taken with my crohns this one really worked for me I only wished I had known about it years before it would have prevented me going through a lot of discomfort.

​Now I am not sure whether tihis only prescribed to sufferes who have undergone surgery but it might be worth asking your doctor about it. Hope this helps.

7

Thanks for the info, i am seing my dr in about 3 weeks and i think he mention this before re psc which one could get and that has got to do with bile etc

 

8

Hi Cyberfruits. ditto exactly what indiehannah & decndor said. i have bile acid malabsorption (bam) myself & i take colestyramine sachets daily too. it is a common condition in people with bowel conditions that is often overlooked as it mimics other symptoms so much. you can have a simple sehcat scan to diagnose the condition, but even if you are negative , the med colestyramine may be worth mentioning to your consultant to try . xx

9

Yes ditto to all above. I have crohns for 26 years and had 3 surgeries. I have survived on Imodium interchanged with lomotil since I was 17. I am now 46!

I was recently scanned and found to have almost no bile salt absorption, my consultant at st marks was amazed at how low it was. I was unable to tolerate the sachets so I take coleveselam. It has made a huge difference I still take Imodium but now only 4 a day whereas I was taking up to 10 a day!

I hope you get some help. It's worth mentioning it to you consultant.

Good luck

10

Do you still drink milk or eat dairy products?

 

11

Have you tried to eat some fermented vege such as pickle, sauerkeraut. I find since I am having those food, symptoms of diarearhar stops and the Crohn now in remission.