Can you give toddlers imodium

New evidence suggests that this is not necessary: it doesn't make a difference in how fast the child gets better, and it makes the child hungry and thus crabby. Lots of fluids. Encourage lots of fluids to help keep your child hydrated.

Your child can have water, milk, weak juice, popsicles, weak Kool-Aid, lemonade, or whatever sounds good. Again, avoid very sweet drinks as they can make diarrhea worse. Also, avoid caffeinated drinks tea, cola as much as possible.

Don't use Imodium to stop stools in children under With certain kinds of diarrhea, Imodium can rarely cause dangerous side effects. Don't use Pepto-Bismol. Pepto-Bismol contains salicylates similar to aspirin. Like other aspirin containing products, it should not be used in children unless directed by a doctor. If your child is having vomiting as well as diarrhea, some diet modifications will help until the vomiting resolves.

See our information sheet on vomiting. Most diarrhea can be treated at home. You should have your child checked out if any of the following occur:. Your child seems to be getting dehydrated. See our information sheet on dehydration to see what to look for.

Your child is less than 6 months old. Small infants get dehydrated faster than older children. Please read important information about this website. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. What causes vomiting and diarrhea? What is the best way to treat it? Are the rumors that flat Coke and flat 7 UP true? Infections, especially viral infections, are among the most common causes of diarrhea and vomiting in children. These may include rotavirus infection, which usually affects children under the age of 5 and others. In general, when it is caused by a virus, there isn't a lot that you can do to stop a child from having vomiting and diarrhea.

In some ways, that's okay. Some scientists believe that vomiting and diarrhea play an important role in these infections, by ridding the body of the microorganism causing the problem in the first place. Over the counter medications to stop diarrhea, such as Imodium or Kaopectate, aren't recommended for younger children, and could potentially be dangerous.

Emetrol is sometimes used to help control the symptom of nausea. The combination of glucose, fructose, and phosphoric acid coats the stomach and neutralizes stomach acid. Acidophilus and yogurt that contains acidophilus are recognized treatments for diarrhea, but the effects of treatment may not be that impressive depending on the causes of diarrhea. One study tested the effects of yogurt with acidophilus and another probiotic, versus yogurt with no acidophilus on children who had diarrhea caused by antibiotic use.

On the other hand, another study found that a lactobacillus acidophilus mixture had no effect on children hospitalized with diarrhea. Soda, whether it is Coke or 7 UP, is not a good fluid to give a child with vomiting and diarrhea. Oral rehydration solutions, like Enfalyte, Pedialyte, LiquiLyte, or Rehydralyte, are much better options, as they have the right mix of sugar and electrolytes to prevent and treat dehydration. One of the biggest mistakes parents make is to let their children drink as much as they like - or even to encourage drinking large amounts of fluids - due to fear of dehydration.

Unfortunately, this often backfires, and the child loses all of this fluid. But not all Imodium products are suitable for children. In any case, if your child continues to have diarrhea after 2 days of Imodium treatment, they should see a doctor right away. In children, diarrhea can quickly lead to serious dehydration low fluid level. To help prevent dehydration, have your child sip on fluids throughout the day, especially after having a bowel movement.

These solutions contain electrolytes , such as sodium and potassium, which can be lost through diarrhea. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable rehydration product and the best amount to have your child drink. Avoid giving your child sugary drinks, such as fruit juices or sports drinks, as these can worsen diarrhea. Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is also used to relieve cramps, bloating, and gas that can occur with diarrhea.

Imodium works quickly to control diarrhea, helping you to have firmer stools and less frequent bowel movements. Imodium is an effective and widely used treatment for diarrhea. In fact, guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology recommend Imodium for treating both acute and chronic diarrhea.

Below is information on other possible uses for Imodium that may not be appropriate. However, gas can sometimes occur with diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, discomfort, or cramps. Stomach pain can sometimes occur with diarrhea. However, upset stomach or indigestion can sometimes occur with diarrhea.

This bacteria can sometimes cause severe diarrhea in people who are taking antibiotics. This allows other bacteria to grow and cause infection. Gut infections caused by C. This is because the drugs can make this condition worse. However, if a C. But these guidelines mention that no studies are available to confirm the safety of this treatment option. Imodium is used to treat diarrhea. In some cases, you may need to take Imodium with other treatments.

Below, we describe some other possible treatments that may be used with Imodium. If you have questions about using other treatments with Imodium, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Diarrhea causes you to lose more fluid and electrolytes than usual. Electrolytes are salts, such as sodium and potassium.

Drinking a rehydration solution is a good way to replace fluids and electrolytes lost through diarrhea. Rehydration solutions are drinks that contain both glucose sugar and electrolytes.

You can buy these drinks at drugstores and grocery stores. But they especially recommend these drinks for children and older people with diarrhea. And Imodium can help shorten the amount of time that you have diarrhea. In addition, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief treats gas, cramps, and bloating that can occur with diarrhea. With diarrhea, you pass loose or watery stools much more often than usual.

The most common cause of diarrhea is an infection in your digestive system called gastroenteritis. This infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. With diarrhea, the muscular contractions in your intestine that move food through it become faster than usual. So food moves through your system much more quickly than normal. This leads to frequent watery bowel movements. The fast contractions in your intestine can also lead to a buildup of gas. And this can cause symptoms such as cramps, bloating, and pressure in your belly.

Imodium products all contain the antimotility drug loperamide, which helps to control diarrhea. The drug works by slowing down the muscular contractions in your intestine. This slows the movement of food through your intestine. And it allows more time for water to be reabsorbed back into your body. This is how Imodium use leads to firmer stools and fewer bowel movements. In addition to loperamide, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief contains the antiflatulent drug simethicone. This drug reduces symptoms of gas.

It works by causing small bubbles of gas that are trapped in your intestines to merge into larger bubbles. These larger bubbles are more easily expelled from your body. After you stop taking Imodium, it takes about 11 hours for the level of Imodium in your body to be reduced by half. After this amount of time, Imodium will have less and less of an effect on controlling your diarrhea.

Instead, it only works inside your intestine. And if it enters your brain, it may make you feel high. Some people misuse Imodium in this way to make themselves feel high.

See the following question for more details. In fact, misusing Imodium can cause serious heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat or heart attack.

It can also cause loss of consciousness and slow, weak breathing. And it can sometimes even lead to death. If you have questions about the correct dosage for you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. But only take doses up to the maximum daily dose. If you still have diarrhea after using Imodium for 2 days 48 hours , see your doctor. And they may recommend a treatment other than Imodium, depending on the results of those tests.

Yes, you should be able to. Imodium slows down the contractions in your intestine so that you pass firmer stools less often. You should take Imodium as recommended on its product label or as instructed by your doctor or pharmacist. And if your diarrhea clears up with Imodium, but you get another episode of diarrhea soon after, you can take Imodium again.

But if you keep having episodes of diarrhea for more than 2 weeks, you should see your doctor. Sometimes doctors prescribe Imodium to treat chronic diarrhea. In this case, they might recommend either:. You should take Imodium every day only if your doctor recommends doing so. Taking Imodium every day is generally considered safe. However, using this drug daily may increase your risk for side effects, particularly constipation. However, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief caplets should be taken on an empty stomach.

Imodium A-D softgels should be swallowed whole. If you have trouble swallowing Imodium pills, you may find it easier to take Imodium A-D oral solution. Imodium can cause mild or serious side effects. The following lists contain some of the key side effects that may occur while taking Imodium. For more information on the possible side effects of Imodium, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

They can give you tips on how to deal with any side effects that may be bothersome. Most of these side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks.

To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist, or view the prescribing information for loperamide, the active ingredient in Imodium. Serious side effects from Imodium are rare, but they can occur.

Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Imodium side effects are similar for both children and adults.

See the side effect lists above for more information. You may wonder how often certain side effects occur with this drug, or whether certain side effects pertain to it. As with most drugs, some people can have an allergic reaction after taking Imodium. A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:. Call your doctor right away if you have a severe allergic reaction to Imodium. Some people have constipation after taking Imodium.

Imodium slows down the movement of food through your intestine, helping you to pass firmer stools less often. While this action reduces diarrhea , it may also lead to constipation in some people.

If you have constipation with Imodium, stop taking the drug. Constipation may last for a few days after you take Imodium, but it typically goes away on its own. And drinking plenty of water can help ease constipation. On rare occasions, constipation can be a symptom of a serious side effect called paralytic ileus. With this condition, the movement in your intestines slows down so much that food builds up inside your intestine.