Q: Why can’t I find Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief in a chewable tablet form in stores anymore? Since having colon surgery for removal of a big polyp that was benign, I get diarrhea and the only medication that works is this one. But in the last few weeks, it is unavailable in stores. I contacted the manufacturer but did not get a straight answer from them.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

A: Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is used against diarrhea and flatulence to combat cramps, bloating and pressure from gas. It works by slowing down the movement of the contents in the bowel, while breaking up gas bubbles. There are some known medical conditions that may interact with the product. It is therefore important before taking the product that you advise your physician if you have been diagnosed with AIDs, have liver problems, are taking any antibiotics, have any drug, food or other allergies, if you suffer from an intestinal blockage, blood diarrhea, mucus in the stool, or a bacterial infection.

Imodium Multi-Symptom may cause dizziness and drowsiness that exacerbates if the product is taken with alcohol or specific medications, so it should be used with caution. The recommendation is that a patient not take it before driving or performing other activity that could be potentially dangerous until determining how or if it will affect him or her. Having said this, the product is generally effective and safe but your health care provider knows your history and can direct you regarding its use.

The product is sealed in blister cards with six caplets per unit. Just one year ago McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Fort Washington based subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson announced the recall of the 18 caplet package because of a packaging issue that may have affected the blister pack units of one specific lot. It appears the company’s internal quality control division discovered the potential for a number of the blister packs to have dents and a tear or small pinhole. I am unsure of safety concerns or adverse events; however, the product was recalled at the wholesale level and improvements to the packaging will hopefully prevent this from happening in the future. In fact the manufacturer was so confident regarding the safety of the product, they issued a statement that users could continue to use Imodium Multi-Symptom they had already purchased if there was no visible damage to the packaging. Media reports indicate the recall impacted about 50,000 packages that were produced at McNeil’s Lancaster plant. You may have been subject to that recall because, to the best of my knowledge, Imodium Multi-Symptom is available today. Give it another try.

We live in a mass production society and everything from automobiles to food products to over-the-counter remedies can be adversely affected. Every company strives for perfection but there are times when perfection doesn’t occur. Manufacturers that mass market such things as the blister pack material or mufflers for our cars may be looking for less expensive methods of production, while retail outlets complain they want product on the shelves for consumers. They don’t want to hear a company may need to shut down to repair or upgrade their equipment or to modify packaging techniques that have worked in the past. Perhaps it’s time to take a deep breath, take one step back and hope the quality control units that play such a vital role in today’s market continue to protect the consumer.