Opioids Loperamide (Imodium) Megathread v. 2

[mrmarkvile]

I am prescribed 300mg of Tramadol per day but will often take extra (nothing huge, 400-500mg maybe).
For reasons that would take too long to explain - and are irrelevant - I get my prescription weekly. I often find myself therefore out of Tramadol for 2-3 days each week. My question is: How much Loperamide would I need to take on the days off to keep off withdrawal? I have been using CWE on Co-Dydramol, but lope would be much cheaper.

 

[Nod Alot]

Anything over 400mg's with tramadol is huge. After 400 you put yourself in seizure territory.

To answer your question with the lope, I wouldn't recommend going above 30mg's.

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

Lope might be cheaper in the beginning but not for the long game. At least with codeine you can walk away from it after a few rough days and it's a close match to Tram, but a few months of weekly Lope use and your Tramadol will lose a chunk of it's efficacy not to mention the peripheral W/D's that leave your guts pissed off for a few weeks. After a regimen of Lope similar to what you've proposed (ok maybe a bit worse) my Oxy and Hydro lost a lot of their "magic" and returning to a baseline state was tedious. Used for a few days, once or twice a year, okay, but regular use just leads to a self imposed hell. I don't mean to sound dramatic but after taking the trip for myself I understand what some of these lope horror stories are about. I was in the 100+ mg range so I'm lucky I didn't wind up with torsades de pointes as well.

 

[Jabberwocky]

If you're just trying to stay mostly well, 10-40mg of loperamide should do it for a lot of the symptoms. However, for a whole host of reasons codeine (and ideally a proper CWE) is much preferable. Far less problematic in terms of ones health. If you can get it, something like gabapentin would probably work better than codeine or loperamide.

I say invest in your health and stick to the tried and true codeine CWE.

 

[DarkMelody]

I couldn't believe this when I read it here on Bluelight about imodium.. I took 24mg 2.5 hours ago for opiate withdrawal (I was on day 4) and it is helping!! A lot!! I will never go over probably 40mg a day though... But I would deffenitly say gabapentin is a better route too. You know I would never recommend it to someone who isn't in an opiate withdrawal though (based on all this information I have read on here).

 

[vortech]

I'm managing PAWS with lope AND gabapebtin.
Over 9 months Ive managed to go from 24mg a day to 8mg a day. I tried going lower but my bowels aren't having it. At least 8mg is the highest recommended dose, so that makes me feel a bit better.

 

[Immodiumsux]

Let me tell you all a little story about immodium....im a recovering heroin, methadone, Benzo addict who decided to use high dose immodium loperamide 3 years ago to alleviate my fentanyl heroin withdrawal. The first night I took 180mg. In the middle of the night I woke up in a weird tunnel vision to my parents slapping me in the face, I thought I had a seizure but it turns out it was something MUCH scarier.. The second day, i took my next dose, this time 140mg. I was watching t.v. and next thing you know I was waking up to tunnel vision again. Long story short after one week i cut my dose to 20 to 30mg a day for next 3 years. 3 months ago I started to feel a pressure in the center of my chest pushing outward, I thought it was anxiety. It got so bad I checked myself into an emergency room. Smartest decision ever. WELL let's just say my heart went into arythmia 5 times in 2 days, I code blued 6 times, woke up to chest compressions and paddles each time. Each time I woke up it felt the same way it did 3 years ago when I would wake up to tunnel vision and blackness all around. I had a temporary pace maker put in for 12 days to get my heart back in rhythm while they hit me with nalaxone 6 times. Which by the way, each time I was nalaxoned, it felt like they lit me on fire. Worse then anytime I was nalaxoned while on dope or methadone. They couldn't give me meds to help wtdrawal bc my heart rate was beating out of rhythm and at 36bpm. It turn out that long term use wt low doses or short term use with high dose of loperamide will cause an increased QTC interval, which will cause arythmia and death instantly and at any point without notice. Emphasis on without notice. I was lucky my heart didn't stop 3 years ago with the high dose bc the doctors said I had arthmias and not seizures then. It seems GOD IS giving me another chance. I'm clean 3 months now. If anyone thinks immodium is the way to go for wtdrawal from other opiates, just remember this story. God bless!!!!!!! Btw, my immodium withdrawal is still in my legs 3 months later and 6 nalaoxone shots later.. peace

 

[Votd66]

If I take low dose Imodium like 10mg a day or less for 3 days will I just have the runs again after I stop using it since it's still an opiate?

 

[Slow_Mobius]

If I take low dose Imodium like 10mg a day or less for 3 days will I just have the runs again after I stop using it since it's still an opiate?

You'll probably still get them after you stop the lope, but it shouldn't be nearly as bad. You would be using loperamide as intended.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

If I take low dose Imodium like 10mg a day or less for 3 days will I just have the runs again after I stop using it since it's still an opiate?

Sorry to be that guy, but loperamide isn't an opiate, it's an opioid

 

[vortech]

just wanted to post that I got off loperamide a few weeks ago. However, it was replaced by a small dose of kratom 3x a day. Currently steady at 2 to 2.5 grams. I prefer it over lope for the energy (lope seemed to get me kind of sludgy and fatigued feeling after awhile).

 

[Jabberwocky]

Just keep mindful of the dependency that comes with regular sustained kratom use. Might not be as bad as heavier opioids, but it is still no fun at all.

 

[Painful One]

Lope worked to hold me over from 75 mg MS Contin a day.
I took 40 mg for two days and was fine the third day with none.
Back to my prescription with no problems.
So far anyway.
Seems to have worked really well. No withdrawal symptoms really.

 

[i are spectre]

I'm thinking about doing ibogaine treatment at home. Does anyone know of people who have used loperamide in the past and went through with ibogaine flood treatment?

I am taking 6mg of loperamide a day now, and plan to have about a month off before I do the ibogaine. I have abused it in the past though. Any similar experiences?

 

[workeditout]

Hi, so I have solved the riddle. I know how to get loperamide to pass the BBB, and not at extremely high doses either, and its easy to do and administer.

I do have some ethical problems though. If I do release this information, there is a risk of someone doing it, and ODing... Another factor is the safety long term. Does anyone have any information on how safe it is to use Lope in the long term at say between 5 - 10mg?

The method I have developed may also start a craze so I am unsure as how to proceed here.

 

[Backfromthebrink]

Hi, so I have solved the riddle. I know how to get loperamide to pass the BBB, and not at extremely high doses either, and its easy to do and administer.

I do have some ethical problems though. If I do release this information, there is a risk of someone doing it, and ODing... Another factor is the safety long term. Does anyone have any information on how safe it is to use Lope in the long term at say between 5 - 10mg?

The method I have developed may also start a craze so I am unsure as how to proceed here.

Everyone already knows how to get lope to stay the right side of the BBB mate...

It's not new news.

 

[sklawz]

1 case out of millions and millions in a 15 month old

Why would you want to take this in high enough doses to get it through the BBB?

Neurotoxic much?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1246550/?page=1

Neurotoxic? This was one case out of millions and millions of people and this little girl weighing only 8kg was already under stress, trauma from being burned over 35 percent of her body. The infant was already given multiple doses of opiates including papaveretum which i believe is (opium) morphine other painkillers and drugs chloral hydrate and antibiotics penicillin fluxtoxicillin including liquids all intravenously. 1 mg of loperimide after because of diarrhea from all the intravenous fluids and other drugs. There could have been a reaction from anything. Certian drugs and substances can act as inhibitors of certian enzymes in the body. Most commonly or well known is Grapefruit juice, bergamot and medicine like Tagamet or cimetidine even Piperdine or black pepper extract can cause certian drugs to accumulate in the body. I don't believe this mechanism is that well understood. It is believed that certain substances inhibit the P450 enzyme and P-glycoprotein (P-gp)exprts loperimide out of the blood brain barrier. And one or combination of substances could have caused her reaction. Or the Chloral Hydrate could have acted as an effective inhibitor or any combination of substances and let the loperimide to freely cross the blood brain barrier. 1mg in a child that size and age would have been a very high dosage if completely absorbed into the brain. I've taken dosages as high as 200mg with quinine water and grapefruit juice. I can tell you it is VERY effective. I believe there are some studies the government did years agi before when they first discoveredloperimide and tried using it at high dosagesup to 200 and even 300 milligrams. Eventually the government decided that it isn't an effective painkiller and the rest is history. The drug was first scheduled and the unscheduled. Re-labled as am anti-diarrhea medication sold over the counter. It is a very effective drug for opiate withdrawal. There are receptors all throughout the digestive system of which not much is known. Even less is knownabout howthey are affected by opiates including papaveretum or loperimide or any for that matter. And throw in a mix of other inhibitors and drugs, it is anyone's guess what will be absorbed into the body and what will react with what. Just saying loperimide caused this little girls opiate -like overdose symptoms is premature and well, ill-informed at this time. I would not say ignorant because I am not a M.D. i have a degree but it is in a science not related to the medical field. Although I have taken many, many biology and even pharmacolgy classes. All I can do is take my best educated guess.
There are many drugs that have effects they never thought about when they were developing them. They were researching for a heart drug when they developed Viagra. No one thought Risperdal would cause pre-pubescent males to grow breasts or Gynecomastia. Here's one website for more on that.
https://www.drugwatch.com/risperdal/side-effects/
Have a great Christmas and a decent New Year!!

 

[Backfromthebrink]

Personally I've used it at quite a bit in the past to combat withdrawal at doses ranging from 20mg all the way up to 240mg and I found combining it with 500ml of pure grapefruit juice (not concentrate) and 300mg pregabalin completely eliminated withdrawal from high doses of either morphine or fentanyl.....I dobt just mean helpes a bit but completely reversed it

There is the issue of extended QT intervals and other possible cardiac issues (possibly AF although I'm not 100% on that one).

 

[Asdrew]

Hi all I'm new (ish) here.

I'm an opiate addict and successfully used lope to get off a 5 yeah oxycodone prescription habbit. I was using up to 600mg sometimes in one go.
That led to me using lope, but I continued to use it post withdrawal as mentally I felt like I needed it. This turned into a 1 year loperamide addiction.
I have kicked that 1 year loperamide addiction in only 5 days. I was on only 80mgs a day and jumped off.

I feared that I would be in the toilet non stop particularly as the net is flooded with scare stories, however the withdrawl was just the same as other opiates in my opinion.
I think that because people associate it with the stomach they automatically think that it is going to ruin your digestive tract.

My personal theory on this is that the loperamide does to the stomach no more or less than any other traditional opioid. If someone knows otherwise please let me know.

My main reason for writing this post though is because I think everyone should know that loperamide withdrawl is no worse than withdrawl from other opiates.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I'm sure that everyone has done a good job at disseminating this information, but it can't be said enough the high-dose Loperamide (Immodium) is dangerous and is to be avoided. There is no practical reason to use Loperamide to get off of another Opioid. Using another Opiod simply prolongs the withdrawal process. This is why Loperamide should only be used at the dosage that leaves the individual without constant diarrhea.

Believe me, if Loperamide wasn't dangerous, I would be sanctioning its use, because, why not? However, this is not the case. Using Loperamide in high doses has produced numerous instances of severe Cardiotoxicity (Toxic effects related to the Heart and circulatory system). These events have lead to death in many instances. So, those who use Loperamide in high doses do so at their own risk. It can't be treated as just another Opioid or withdrawal tool. It's seriously dangerous when used in an excessive manner.

I apologize for hijacking the thread. I just really want people to be safe with this stuff. I'm not saying never use it, but use it for its intended purpose and nothing more.