Blurred vision is a known side effect of loperamide, but usually at high doses. How much are you taking? Even at lower doses, you may just be sensitive to it. I would suspect that first and switch to something else for bowel slowing and see if you vision improves.

Jan

I get blurred vision mostly when I stand up and have to stay still for up to 30 seconds to make it go away. I too have told my doctors and they basically dismiss it as being dehydrated but Im not sure if thats correct...

ccanepa456 - what you are describing sounds more like orthostatic hypotension, which is a suddenly drop in blood pressure when you rise quickly from a seated or lying position. Do you also feel light headed or get a "head rush" when this happens? Those are other telltale symptoms. Dehydration or low sodium levels can contribute to this, but if it happens frequently you may also want to have your blood pressure checked - ideally a 24 hour monitor would be indicated because it shows how your blood pressure fluctuates over time, not just a "snapshot" in your doctor's office, which can't evaluate wide variations. But definitely, BP would be something to rule out.

briggsie, I agree with Jan. I'd rule out meds first. Just food for thought; I experienced blurred vision when I took Buscopan (similar to Levsin in the USA) which is an antispasmodic. It lasted about an hour after the dose was administered, and it was quite bad. It's one reason I've since refused Buscopan, except when I needed it to slow my bowel for an MRI.

Thanks for the advice Spooky!
I hope I do not have yet another problem...I just thought it was associated with my surgeries because it started after my 1st surgery.

ccanepa456, certainly, this could be secondarily caused by the surgery if you are frequently dehydrated or your sodium levels are low. Having no colon does put us at risk for these conditions, and both of these things can contribute to the symptoms you describe, or else cause fluctuations in BP contributing to orthostatic hypotension. Again, my advice is to have your electrolytes and BP checked - both of these things will need to be monitored over time to really get a gauge on how much your levels may fluctuate. For instance, when I was dealing with low potassium, my levels could be normal and then spike down very quickly, so a one-off blood test didn't tell the whole story.

But definitely do get these checked out, even through your primary GP. As j-pouchers, I think we have a tendency to blame any symptom we might have on the pouch or the surgery and too often just "live with it," when really, many of these things do require investigation in their own right, and in fact might be easily correctable if the proper action is taken. Hope you can get it sorted!

One of the drugs I take ( Oxybutynin ) may cause blurred vision.
I have never noticed any vision changes. As Jan says, low doses may not cause any problems - regardless of the drug you are taking.

Next visit to your doctor have him do orthostatic BP's. Lay down on the examining table for a good 5 minutes. Try to relax. Have the doctor measure your blood pressure and heart rate. Then stand up and have the doctor measure your pulse and BP. If there is a drop in BP and an increase in heart rate you have signs of orthostatic hypotension. This cannot be captured with a single BP reading while you are sitting with the doctor.

I have very very dry eyes, and am on Restasis and Systane gtts. Sometimes the lack of tears causes me "blurry" vision til I put my gtts in. Not likely your issue, but thought I'd mention it.

What happens if I have orthostatic hypotension?

Basically, with orthostactic hypotension you get dizzy and can faint if you stand up too fast. It is pretty common, especially if your baseline blood pressure runs low. You should not restrict your salt intake.

Jan

Hello All

Many thanks for your responses.

I do not get blurred vision when I stand up quickly. It is there all of the time.

I did try for 24 hours to stop taking loperamide, however my output went very soft and I was dashing to the toilet every half an hour so it was unmanageable. The only other alternative I have used previously was codeine but I have found that its not that effective these days unless I take huge quantities.

What other alternatives are there to loperamide? I think I need to seriously investigate stopping this for a good few weeks to see if it makes a difference.

Many Thanks

Becky

You can try lomotil. It by prescription only. The down side is that it can have the same side effect, but you may not have the same sensitivity. Another option is to reduce the loperamide gradually as much as you can and supplement with added fiber. It sort of goes without saying, that if you stop it suddenly, you will have rebound diarrhea.

Jan

I've found that pepto bismo seems to be a better alternative for me than Imodium, so maybe it could help in place of loperamide? I don't have experience with the latter, so just a thought. I bite off small pieces of a pepto pill throughout the day, usually with a meal, totaling only 1 pill per day. If I take a whole pill at once or much more than 1 pill a day I tend to get constipated, and that is the worst, which is why I don't take Imodium and haven't tried loperamide.

Anushka, I was going to suggest Pepto, too. I had the same experience with it and find less is better.

Lambiepie, somehow the fact that there's someone else out there in the world taking small bits of pepto is comforting. Not so much about the pepto, but the common experience. Grateful for this forum.

Yes, Pepto Bismol could be tried, but it does not actually slow peristalsis. It works by reducing irritation. So, if your diarrhea is due to irritation and sensitivity (as in IBS/IPS), it is a good choice. Plus, it has mild antibiotic properties, so can be useful if your problem is bacterial overgrowth.

By the way, loperamide and Imodium are the same thing. Imodium is just the brand name.

Jan