Ileostomy and Lomotil: Seeking Feedback

Anyone that has an ileostomy has or is on Lomotil would like some feedback. My doctor put me on it today due to output being so frequent and having to empty my bag all the time. Thank you.

Hi Willow,

I was on 6 Amodium and 2 Lomotil daily well before my surgery to help me deal with the runs caused by my ulcerative colitis. I was not impressed by the strength or efficacy of these drugs. Anyway, a month or two after my ileostomy I complained to my surgeon that my bag was filling up too often and too fast, especially at night. He immediately put me on DTO (distilled tincture of opium). I would take 10 drops of the tincture in an ounce of water; 4 times daily and 20 minutes before meals or bedtime. When used properly, this product slows down peristalsis (the wavelike contractions in the digestive tract) long enough for more liquid to be absorbed into the body. This medication was effective and I have been using it for about 12 years now, but there's a price to pay. DTO is addictive but does not induce drowsiness or dopiness. It is difficult to get because most pharmacies will not provide it. Also, any delay in getting refills will lead to withdrawal symptoms. Several years ago I argued with my GI doctor about finding a kinder and gentler drug, and he convinced me to stay with DTO because of the excellent quality of life I had obtained. I am telling you all this, Willow, because you should know that you have options. Before going on anything heavy-duty like DTO, you might consider increased dosages of Lomotil or combining Lomotil with other drugs like Amodium. If these do not produce good results and you find yourself dehydrated all the time, you may need to kick it up another notch. If you are emptying your bag all the time and losing a lot of fluid, you are putting yourself at risk of more serious problems. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

PB

Thank you for the info. I am only taking 2.5ml in the morning and at night. I just started them last night and only took that dose because I didn't know how I would feel on that med. I woke up this morning and the bag was full to the rim, all liquid. Do you feel I should up my dose? The doctor wants me to take 5ml 4 times a day, but I'm scared of blockage. I would really like to know your thoughts. Hugs, Willow

The only time I ever found Lomotil to be effective is if I took it on an empty stomach. Otherwise, nothing. I have found that regardless of what kind of med you take to slow down output, it all comes down to what you have eaten. Roughage will generally increase output with a more watery consistency while soft, non-bulk foods will lead to a slower peristaltic wave and less output with more firmness. Obviously, by the nature of the ostomy, the ileostomy will always be higher in output with a more watery consistency than a colostomy. I don't know how long you have had your ileostomy, but over time it does get better as you learn what you can and cannot eat.

Howdy Primeboy. It's been a long time. How have you been! Oh, how time fleets. As Zeppo used to say ..."There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than dreamed of in your philosophy." It was Zeppo, wasn't it? Oh, now I don't know. Maybe he said "Let fornication reign." In any case, be well my good friend.

Hi Charlie. It's been years but you have not been out of mind. It was Billy that said all those nice things, Billy from Avon, not Billy from Ontario. Either Billy, however, would concur with the old expression, "Let copulation thrive," as they are both slightly dipped in lechery, up to a point. Everyone has been asking for you. Your return is absolutely more honored in the observance than in the breach, so welcome back. I look forward to sharing your thoughts about how well Elizabeth benefited England before she passed the crown on to James VI.

Hi John,

Always a treat to exchange thoughts with you. Elizabeth was no virgin, that is for sure, both literally and figuratively. I hope your family is well and you're enjoying your daily golf exercise.

Charlie

She certainly had a few paramours hanging about the castle, including Leicester, who oft dipped his wick into her royal cunny. Nothing much more of it. Mother England had to settle on Henry's illegitimate offspring Edmund, and poor Lizzy. They filled in nicely.

Yes, and when she finished with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, she plowed his adopted son Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Poor guy lost his head over it. She's lucky that her sister Mary was married to Philip II of Spain. He was so enamored with Elizabeth and talked his wife out of beheading her more than once when she was queen. I wonder if Elizabeth paid him any favors.

It's hard to believe that nearly 500 years later we are still so fascinated with the Tudors and all their big and small adventures and mishaps. Perhaps their years in power encompassed a major pivoting in Western culture and beliefs. As horrible as Henry VIII was, I like to believe that ER moved many things forward. I still won't forgive her for her nasty treatments of the Jesuits, even though some of them probably could have desensitized their rhetoric. AMDG right?

PB

Yes, it was an interesting time with old Henry, really a Renaissance person; the growth of science, art, and philosophy (good old Erasmus). Unfortunately, he had another side to him, ruthless, mean, and lecherous. He did dissolve the monasteries and liquidate their assets. However, this and other strange things that he did were prompted by people like Thomas Cromwell (who eventually lost his head, most fitting for a man that caused so many others to lose theirs through his influence over Henry). I find it interesting that Thomas More (canonized in 1935), a devout Catholic, was such a big proponent of torture and burning of heretics (in his eyes) at the stake. It is so true that which you say about Eliz. and the Jesuits. Totally unforgivable. Her terrible treatment of her Catholic cousin Mary Queen of Scots was also deplorable, keeping her under house arrest for 19 years only in the end, to sign her death warrant for execution. All because she was afraid that Mary had a right of succession to the throne. It was kind of ironic that in the end Eliz. declared Mary's son James VI of Scotland to become her heir as James I of England. "Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive"-----Walter Scott

Be well, my good friend.