Codeine for Diarrhea User Reviews

• dal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2021

"I suffer from IBS and Diverticulitis and, although I have a repeat prescription for mebeverine (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't), I haven't had a solid bowel movement for ages. As any sufferers know, the urgent need for the toilet only minutes after eating anything really does get you down after long periods, and it's sometimes easier to just not eat at all if I'm out somewhere. EXCEPT when I have been prescribed codeine for unrelated symptoms (back pain, whiplash, etc), at which point, by some magic, my IBS vanishes overnight and my digestive system genuinely returns to 'normal'. I've only ever taken low doses of codeine (2 or 3 30mg tablets in 24 hours) and never felt any other side effects, including drowsiness. Is it out of the question for it to be prescribed as a treatment, given its apparently addictive nature?"

• Sla...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2020

"Had my gallbladder out over 10 years ago and started getting bad, frequent diarrhea and gastric reflux. After many tests, I was diagnosed with post-cholecystectomy syndrome. Chronic diarrhea left me terrified to leave the house. After years of trial and error, my doctor prescribed codeine. I accept I am addicted, but it is so much better than the alternative."

• Ins...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 16, 2020

"I had my gallbladder removed in 2000. Not long after, I started having other problems and was eventually diagnosed with IBS. I have taken a number of different drugs, but codeine was the only one that calmed my stomach down and helped me get through the day. I take 30 mg of codeine every night. Occasionally, if I'm stressed, I take another 30 mg, but that's it. I don't think I could continue without it."

• DBI...
• December 2, 2008

"I have severe IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and could not find relief until I was prescribed codeine for it. At this point, most of my symptoms are either completely gone or nearly gone. I can say that codeine is a wonder drug when it comes to resolving the symptoms."

• Dea...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 21, 2019

"I have been taking Tylenol 3 for 15 years for my IBS. I was able to live a good life and work, but now at 65, the night is full of trips to the bathroom, and the doctors have told me I must get off the codeine as it is ruining my colon. I was on 3-4 daily and 4-6 Lomotil daily. I am now one month in withdrawal. I go to the bathroom 15-30 times a day. Nothing can be done for me for 6 months, so they say. This is a real drag. I am totally homebound at this point. Withdrawal is really tough, but I have no desire for the drug emotionally, just for the constipation effects. Trying the FODMAP diet, but it has made no difference yet."

• CW5...
• March 6, 2016

"3 bowel resections due to Crohn's disease. I now have short bowel syndrome with chronic diarrhea. I have tried every anti-diarrheal drug there is, and the only one that has helped is codeine. I consider it a wonder drug for my condition, enabling me to lead a mostly normal life. I have taken the same amount every day for 6 years. I don't feel 'high', but do feel slightly drowsy occasionally. I did have a period of 8 months where I stopped taking it, and while I did have some physical symptoms (not mental) in stopping, they were not too bad. The symptom relief I had on the drug far outweighed the negatives. I continue to take it, and it makes my life easier."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2022

"I have suffered with severe IBS for years and, like many other sufferers, would sooner not eat or drink on occasions just so that I don't spend the entire day on the loo. It is debilitating. I endured a back injury last year, and I was prescribed codeine. It's like a miracle, and I have my life back. I take one 30 mg once in the morning, and I am completely back to a one-a-day firm bowel movement. I hear about how codeine is addictive, but just getting my life back, I am willing to forgo that."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2017

"Suffered from lower anterior resection syndrome for years. Especially needing to empty my bowels every 1 to 2 hours during the night. Codeine was the only thing that stopped this and allowed me to have uninterrupted sleep. Lomotil or Imodium did nothing."

• Ulc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2022

"I have suffered for many years with soft, watery bowels… urgency and needing to go every two minutes after I’ve eaten. Life was hard, as some will know. I have since been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, and proctitis. Codeine was prescribed to me for pain, but since then it has changed my life! I feel happier, my movements are every 2 days and solid! I don’t have to worry about leaving the house. I know it’s not a good drug to be taking… it’s done wonders for me. Doctors want to take me off it, but I’m not wanting to! I would rather live a good life than a long one on the toilet."

• Col...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2023

"I have suffered for years with nighttime cramps and diarrhea. I was prescribed Co-codamol (a combination of codeine and paracetamol) for arthritis pain. I found that Co-codamol stopped diarrhea, it was like a wonder cure. I take half a tablet each night. My GP said it was fine to manage my IBS symptoms this way."

• J64...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 7, 2023

"I have suffered from IBS for around 7 or 8 years without realizing what it was. I just suffered in silence, putting it down to old age creeping in. But it was getting to be insufferable, clenching my buttocks tightly, constant trips to the toilet, and thin, runny bowel movements. Then I realized that when I take Co-codamol tablets for my back pain (which flares up occasionally due to a condition I've had for most of my adult life), all the IBS symptoms magically disappear. If I stop taking them for a couple of days when I'm off work and don't have to go out for any reason, the symptoms come back. So I just keep taking the same daily dose, two 8 mg tablets twice a day, that's all it takes. I've never suffered any unwanted side effects, and thankfully I still go to the toilet once a day, but I go when it suits me, and it's solid, with no more watery movements. I don't know if I'll have to suffer any long-term effects from taking it, but the alternative doesn't appeal to me. It works, that simple."

• Top...
• January 30, 2018

"Took just one as prescribed by the oncologist who I was seeing for a yearly cancer check. Prescribed one each night for 14 days. Only further investigation if this did not work. Took 1 only. Worked immediately, absolutely brilliant. Haven't taken any more. Trouble is, what was the cause of my diarrhea?"

• Phi...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 29, 2023

"Same as the others, IBS was ruining my life. Took codeine and got my life back. Bit of a slippery slope though. I've decided after many years to stop taking codeine. Had a couple of bad episodes, plus when stressed, prepare for a bad night. 7 days of codeine-free, and the stomach's bubbling. But I need to quit and get some normality back in my life. If there is such a thing. I feel so alone at times. Life's tough without codeine to help."

• luk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2023

"Have had chronic diarrhea for 33 years. Was taking up to 25 mg of loperamide and 13 packets of Questran Lite daily to control it. My specialist of 25 years would not prescribe me codeine. I was referred to a professor, and the first thing he did was suggest I try codeine. I take four 30 mg tablets a day, and I have been able to half my other medications, and my issue is now far easier to manage. Codeine has improved the quality of my life significantly, and if I were put on it years earlier, my suffering could have been greatly reduced. I am very grateful to the fantastic professor who took the opposite approach and has transformed the quality of my life."

• Hap...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2021

"I have IBS-Diarrhea type. A couple of months ago, I had kidney stones, and the doctors gave me morphine in the hospital and codeine to take home. I took the codeine every six hours for three days until the stones passed. I didn't poop for a week and have not had diarrhea since."

• Ian...
• March 8, 2024

"What I would say is you can go through every over-the-counter drug/product. Some find Imodium or Buscopan of help. However, there’s something about codeine which, in my opinion, helps. 30-500 Co-codamol has helped me. If you ask doctors, it is unlikely you'll ever get a high-end drug (cost). Even consultants seem somewhat aloof to any of the 1234 stages of IBS. They give you a diagnosis, pack you off, and you have to work out how to help yourself. You go back to the doctor, get re-referred, and hope. Regards to all IBS sufferers."

• LeM...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 24, 2025

"I’ve suffered with IBS diarrhea for years and had several near misses! What gets me the most is the pain of cramps and the chronic lower abdominal pain during an attack. I’ve tried all the usual remedies, but nothing holds a candle to codeine! It works fast, 10-15 minutes, and lasts at least half a day. It stops all my cramps and abdominal pain. Plus, as it is an opioid, it imparts a beneficial mood lift and counters the general unwell feeling during an IBS episode. I will say you have to get tolerant to this medication, as at first it can make you feel nauseous, but persevere and it soon passes. Don’t take too much; 30 mg is enough per dose, twice daily, and you’ll get the benefits without side effects."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2025

"15 years chronic diarrhea unresponsive to loperamide (up to 40 per day or 80 mg), amitriptyline, mirtazapine (90 mg), desvenlafaxine, cholestyramine, budesonide, prednisolone, ondansetron, various antibiotics and rifaximin. I was prescribed codeine regularly years ago but just ended up dealing with doctors who refused to prescribe it (plus the schedule here in Australia makes it extremely difficult to get in general). Eventually, a gastroenterologist prescribed it to me, 100 30 mg tablets each month. After 2 tablets (60 mg), I'm unlikely to have any further IBS or diarrhea whatsoever. Symptoms are completely gone. Panic attacks triggered by diarrhea as well also gone. As a result, my quality of life has improved significantly - I can leave the house, go out to dinner, go to work all without being tethered to a toilet 10 times a day. It is ridiculous that I suffered for 15 years with severe IBS, diarrhea, and panic attacks before being prescribed this medication that fixed all 3 conditions."

• MoY...
• April 15, 2021

"It works very well to stop a running stomach."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2015

"Miracle, this is actually working for me."