anti-gut-evilness, I hope

[baratron]

I have drugs. Specifically mebeverine (Colofac) and loperamide (Imodium). Apparently mebeverine is 3,4-Dimethoxybenzoic acid 4-(ethyl-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-methylethyl]amino]butyl ester hydrochloride, which is enough of a systematic name that I could probably draw it out myself (given time and a large piece of paper), except I don't need to as someone else already has. Meanwhile RxList claims that loperamide is 4-(p-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyl-alpha,alpha-diphenyl-1-piperidinebutyramide monohydrochloride, which I wouldn't be able to draw (buggered if I know what alpha means in the context of an organic molecule name), but it apparently has a molecular formula of C29H33ClN2O2.HCl and a molecular weight of 513.51. Ye-es.

While organic chemistry is Fun and Exciting, and should be a major part of everyone's day... anyone know anything about them from the user's point of view? ;)

Comments

[ludy]

i use imodium ocassionally and it seems to be ok for me - it's nicer than the codine phospahate i was given before as an anti-diahreal. I have used mebervine in the past and it's been helpful, i do worry that taking that kind of thing too often could cause a spastic colon (my gp thinks i'm being silly about that but it doesn't stop my worring). The taking it 20 mintues before eating can take a bit more timetableing skills than i really have though! I'm curently taking spasmonal instead, which seems pretty similar. I was quiet pleased with how i was managing my ibs until i recently had to start taking citalopram which has messed everything up again!
Fior me theres always a tension between talking these drugs regularly enuogh for them to have a good effect and worring that i'm over-using them. I don't have any horror stories about any of them (apart from codine phospahte being a bit unplesant) and they all seem helpful to an extent, i think it's that whole annoying thing of finding what works best for you - which takes ages and then just when you've got the hang of it your needs and syptoms suddenly change!