I am new to the board and I am just curious what the long term side effects of immodium ad are? My IBS has gotten worse over the past few years and I have been taking it 5 days a week and it's all I've ever found that helps.

What other things have you tried though?

There are lots that can help.

Metamucil - Water soluble fiber that will help bulk up the stool and is as good for diarrhea as it is for constipation.

Live Yogurt or Acidophilus caps to rebalance the good bacteria in your gut, thus helping to stop diarrhea and gas.

Calcium supplements - A mineral that will naturally help the large intestine to absorb back more water thus increasing the bulk of your stools and reducing diarrhea.

Chamomile tea - Herbal tea that is good for soothing inflammation in your stomach and intestines and helping to reduce diarrhea and stomach pains.

Acupuncture treatment and herbal and homepathic remedies are also very good for the treatment of IBS.

There must be something out there that works rather than taking Immodium?

You name it and I've probably tried it. The problem I've run into is some of the things you all have mentioned help some in the very short term but there's nothing worse than having a bad episode while on a full stomach. I usually eat normally at home and when I leave I just don't eat at all. I try to go ahead and have a sour stomach at home then take immodium on a semi-empty stomach and I can normally make it through any given situation. I don't take immodium while on vacations or when away from work but on any given week I may take up to 10 immodium. I am just worried this eventually will cause more problems than it helps.

Yes, Immodium will probably cause you more problems than it solves in the long term, especially taking 10 a day.

You need to persevere with taking these other things and not just stop and start so that they never have a proper chance to work.

Have you also looked at your diet and changed this and cut things out? It sounds like you need to eat foods that are more alkaline in nature rather than acid to counter act your sour stomach.

Do you drink a lot of coffee? If so, cut this out as coffee is very bad for IBS.

Also, if you have not tried herbs, homeopathy or acupuncture, I suggest you give this a go. They are all great for IBS symptoms and acupuncture is especially good for stomach pain.