Loperamide

[SB2015]

I will be taking loperamide on a daily basis over the next three months.
I was told it slows the passing of the food, but as the food becomes glucose before and in the stomach (I think) I am not expecting to need to make any adjustments to timing of my bolus.

Any advice welcome

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Looking at this from a slightly different start point: one reason for a high fibre diet is because the fibre cleans your colon. In doing that the fibre also carries through some undigested food, which otherwise will eventually reach your blood as glucose.

So my layman's thought is that your bolus ratio could be slightly affected and timing also mildly delayed.

No doubt there has been good medical advice to introduce Loperamide. I have always found this medication blocks, rather than delays bowel activity and it usually becomes a painful experience for me. My Oncologist was very dismissive of my concern about Loperamide and tried to bully me into routinely taking it when my chemo gave me very loose bowels; we fell out over this during her regular phone Consults. My chemo coincided with Covid lockdown, so we hadn't met face to face at that time. If we had met she might have been more cautious in how she might have managed my concerns!

 

[SB2015]

Looking at this from a slightly different start point: one reason for a high fibre diet is because the fibre cleans your colon. In doing that the fibre also carries through some undigested food, which otherwise will eventually reach your blood as glucose.

So my layman's thought is that your bolus ratio could be slightly affected and timing also mildly delayed.

No doubt there has been good medical advice to introduce Loperamide. I have always found this medication blocks, rather than delays bowel activity and it usually becomes a painful experience for me. My Oncologist was very dismissive of my concern about Loperamide and tried to bully me into routinely taking it when my chemo gave me very loose bowels; we fell out over this during her regular phone Consults. My chemo coincided with Covid lockdown, so we hadn't met face to face at that time. If we had met she might have been more cautious in how she might have managed my concerns!

Thanks for the info.
I have been advised to adjust my dose to suit my needs, and it is a temporary solution whilst I await further investigations and likely surgery. I am happy to go with this, as adjustments to diet have not dealt with symptoms.

 

[AJLang]

I will be taking loperamide on a daily basis over the next three months.
I was told it slows the passing of the food, but as the food becomes glucose before and in the stomach (I think) I am not expecting to need to make any adjustments to timing of my bolus.

Any advice welcome

I have gastroparesis and that slows the passing of food into the stomach . In turn this means that I don’t need insulin until after eating. Might it be worth exploring that to hopefully prevent hypos?

 

[TarikSM]

In my experience, taking loperamide daily can actually slow down digestion, which can indirectly affect blood glucose levels. Although most glucose is absorbed in the small intestine, delayed digestion can potentially affect the time and rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream.

My experience has been to monitor my blood sugar closely, maintain a consistent routine, stay hydrated, and eat fiber. Everyone's body reacts differently, so it's important to stay vigilant to effectively control your diabetes while taking loperamide.

 

[SB2015]

I have gastroparesis and that slows the passing of food into the stomach . In turn this means that I don’t need insulin until after eating. Might it be worth exploring that to hopefully prevent hypos?

Thanks Amanda
I started yesterday, and I am monitoring things.
I am reducing my pre bolus time and will see what happens.

 

[SB2015]

In my experience, taking loperamide daily can actually slow down digestion, which can indirectly affect blood glucose levels. Although most glucose is absorbed in the small intestine, delayed digestion can potentially affect the time and rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream.

My experience has been to monitor my blood sugar closely, maintain a consistent routine, stay hydrated, and eat fiber. Everyone's body reacts differently, so it's important to stay vigilant to effectively control your diabetes while taking loperamide.

Thanks Tarik. I don’t have a consistent routine in any week, but I am back to keeping records of what is happening, and monitoring closely.

 

[SB2015]

I have gastroparesis and that slows the passing of food into the stomach . In turn this means that I don’t need insulin until after eating. Might it be worth exploring that to hopefully prevent hypos?

Having had a few days with mild hypos coming unexpectedly, it took me a while to link it to starting Loperamide, and looked back. Thanks Amanda. I think I need to change pre-bolus timings as you suggested. Still monitoring.