Description and composition
The main active ingredient of this drug is loperamide hydrochloride. Excipients are also added to the tablets. In pharmacies you can find this drug in the form of lozenges and capsules.
The purpose of the drug is to stop diarrhea. After taking the drug, the movement of feces through the intestines slows down, and intestinal motility weakens. The tone of the rectal sphincter increases, the urge to defecate becomes less frequent. The absorption of nutrients by the intestines improves, the likelihood of dehydration is reduced to zero.
The active substance of the drug is quickly absorbed, the therapeutic effect occurs quickly and lasts quite a long time - up to fourteen hours.
During pregnancy
There have been no relevant clinical trials on the effect of the components of the drug Imodium Express at any stage of fetal development, therefore its use in the first trimester is strictly not recommended.
In the second and third trimesters, the drug is allowed to be used only in case of urgent need, if the benefit to the mother will far outweigh the risk of negative effects on the fetus. Consultation with a physician is recommended.
If you take the drug during breastfeeding, there is a possibility that a small amount of the main active ingredient loperamide will pass into breast milk. In this regard, it is not recommended to take the medicine during breastfeeding, and in case of urgent need, at the time of administration, it is recommended to stop feeding.
When is it prescribed?
Imodium is useful for the following conditions:
- diarrhea due to poisoning;
- digestive disorders due to chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract;
- traveler's diarrhea;
- diarrhea of nervous origin.
The drug is not prescribed if blood, mucus or fever appear in the stool. In case of these phenomena, you must first consult a doctor to find out the reasons. Sometimes fecal retention due to certain diseases can be very dangerous.
Imodium Express lyophilisate tablets for diarrhea 2 mg 6 pcs
Active substance:
1 tablet contains: loperamide hydrochloride 2 mg
Excipients:
Gelatin 5.863 mg, mannitol 4.397 mg, aspartame 0.750 mg, mint flavor 0.300 mg, sodium bicarbonate 0.375 mg, purified water 136.315 mg (removed during lyophilization).
Description:
Imodium® anti-diarrhea remedy with unique Zydis technology dissolves on the tongue in just 3 seconds (3), does not require drinking water and has a pleasant minty taste. Imodium® can begin to work as quickly as 1 hour after administration (2), so you can get back to your normal routine.
The convenient packaging format allows you to take the required number of tablets with you and always have Imodium® on hand to combat unpleasant disorders, even while away from home.
Imodium® is the world's #1 brand for stopping diarrhea among loperamide-based products (1). Imodium® is a brand with more than 40 years of history.
Anti-diarrhea tablets are suitable for adults and children over 6 years of age.
Imodium® is an original product of European quality. used for the symptomatic treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea, incl. diarrhea of infectious origin (4).
Imodium® helps stop diarrhea from the first use (2): the proven formula of diarrhea (diarrhea) tablets slows the time it takes for contents to pass through the intestines.
Imodium® helps preserve the natural intestinal microflora (4), preventing it from being washed out during diarrhea.
White or off-white round lyophilized tablets.
1. Among products based on loperamide. According to sales in money for February 2018-January 2022, according to IQVIA (from English IQVIA); 2. Study by Ameri et al. "Multicenter, double-blind study: comparison of the effectiveness of loperamide in acute diarrhea with two popular antidiarrheal agents and placebo", 1975; 3. Patented Zydis technology (Zaydis). Is not the time of action on symptoms; 4. Maslovsky L.V. Loperamide hydrochloride: mechanism of action and possibilities of use in gastroenterology (literature review). Consilium Medicum (Consilium Medicum). Gastroenterology. (Adj.). 2015; 1: 43–48; 5. As an aid. If you have symptoms such as high fever, bloody stools, etc., use of Imodium® Express is possible only after consultation with a specialist.
Release form:
6 tablets lyophilized in an aluminum/aluminum blister. 1 blister along with instructions for medical use in a cardboard box.
How to take Imodium for diarrhea
If diarrhea begins suddenly, take two tablets. Children from the age of six are given one at a time. The main goal is to achieve bowel movement once a day. To do this, you can use as many capsules as needed. But it is important to prevent an overdose. The maximum dose per day is eight capsules. For children - no more than three per day.
Lozenges are taken this way. Place them on the tongue, wait until they dissolve and do not wash them down with water. Capsules must be taken with water. This must be repeated after each loose stool.
For children, the dose is calculated as follows: three tablets for every twenty kilograms of weight.
The drug is discontinued if there is no positive result from taking it within two days. And if there is no stool for twelve hours or more, stop taking Imodium too.
Indications for use
Imodium anti-diarrhea tablets mainly help with loose stools accompanied by painful sensations (diarrhea) with frequent urges more than twice a day. Imodium is not used for nausea. The following indications are also available:
- exacerbation or chronic diarrhea resulting from an allergic reaction, nervousness, from taking medications, inflammatory bowel disease, changes in food intake or its composition, metabolic disorders and malabsorption of food;
- as an additional drug in the treatment of diarrhea resulting from an infectious lesion of the digestive system;
- to normalize stool in patients with an artificial opening in the abdominal cavity for excreting feces (ileostomy).
Overdose
If you accidentally or intentionally take a large number of tablets, an overdose may occur.
It is characterized by the following symptoms:
- stupor;
- miosis;
- drowsiness;
- muscle hypertonicity;
- lack of coordination;
- urinary retention;
- intestinal obstruction.
In children, overdose is more pronounced. Naloxone is used as an antidote. You can also take activated angle and induce vomiting. The patient should be observed for two days.
Special instructions and precautions
The drug Imodium Express does not eliminate the cause of diarrhea, but only removes its symptoms, therefore, to eliminate the causes, you should consult a doctor for appropriate treatment.
In case of constipation, bloating or intestinal obstruction that occurs after taking the drug, the course of treatment must be interrupted.
Dehydration is possible; if it occurs, it is necessary to carry out appropriate procedures to eliminate it. Children are especially likely to become dehydrated. Contraindicated for people with impaired amino acid metabolism, as it contains a source of phenylalanine.
People with impaired liver function should take the drug with extreme caution. Due to the fact that side effects may include dizziness, loss of coordination and drowsiness, it is not recommended to drive or engage in activities that require special concentration and attention while taking the drug.
It is not recommended to take Imodium Express with alcohol, as alcohol worsens dehydration and impairs the digestive functions of the intestines, which not only reduces the effectiveness of the drug, but also causes additional harm to the body.
Side effects
Sometimes the following unpleasant effects occur when taking Imodium:
- constipation;
- dry mouth;
- stomach ache;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- dizziness;
- migraine;
- allergic rash;
- loss of consciousness;
- tremor of the limbs;
- urinary retention;
- anaphylactic shock;
- Quincke's edema.
If at least one of the above effects occurs, you should immediately stop taking it and seek help from a doctor.
Imodium
Imodium (INN - loperamide) is an effective patented antidiarrheal agent used for both non-infectious and infectious cases. It is one of the drugs of choice for so-called traveler's diarrhea. It is considered the most effective remedy against this unpleasant and often unexpected illness. The main driving force of Imodium - loperamide - is a synthetic opiate, but do not be afraid of such a frighteningly formidable characteristic: it interacts only with peripheral opioid receptors, without having a systemic morphine-like effect and without passing through the protective redoubts of the blood-brain barrier. The systemic effect is not realized even if imodium is absorbed in the intestines. This is due to the peculiarities of its biotransformation in the liver and the absence of active derivatives in the blood. For a long time, pharmacologists believed that this method of influencing diarrhea (through opioid receptors) was the only one. However, later Imodium showed the medical community other facets of its pharmacological “talent” - the presence of antisecretory activity. The drug affects intestinal secretion in several ways: through opioid and non-opioid receptors, by suppressing the calmodulin protein, which regulates cellular and enzymatic processes, blocking calcium channels and neutralizing the effects of intestinal peptides and mediators that increase the permeability of cell membranes.
Imodium increases the tone of the external sphincter of the anus, reduces the frequency of the urge to defecate, dulls the painful desire to go big, and reduces the hyperproduction of mucus in the large intestine. The drug can be a real salvation for such a common “homo urbanus” scourge as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): in various sources its effectiveness in such situations was estimated in the range of 64-100%. And although in recent years there have been attempts to occupy this niche of Imodium, for example, from the same ondansetron, the results of recent work in this direction still do not allow recommending the latter to patients with the diarrheal variant of IBS due to the development of ischemic colitis in some cases.
Imodium is available in two dosage forms: lozenges and capsules. There is also an improved form of imodium - Imodium Plus, which, in addition to loperamide, also contains the carminative simethicone, which absorbs excess gases. In general, Imodium, as well as Imodium Plus, should be considered fairly safe drugs, as evidenced by post-marketing studies, in which cases of negative side effects were rare, and their severity was insignificant.
Which is better - Imodium or Loperamide
The drug has many analogues.
Among them:
- Loperamide;
- Lopedium;
- Stoperan.
These drugs have the same active ingredient. The difference is in the cost, which for analogues is usually lower than for Imodium. It is believed that Imodium is more effective than its analogues.
If we compare Loperamide and Imodium, then Imodium is absorbed and absorbed faster. Therefore, the therapeutic effect will occur faster.
Analogs
Smecta is considered one of the analogues of the drug Imodium, but one or another drug should be taken in different situations. Imodium stops an attack of diarrhea, but does not affect the cause of its occurrence, so it is better to take it not for poisoning, but for nervous reasons. Smecta helps more directly with poisoning from poor-quality food.
Lopedium has the same active substance as Imodium, but the therapeutic effect of the latter is higher, while the speed of action and bioavailability are identical.
Enterofuril, Stopdiar and Levomycetin, unlike Imodium, eliminate the cause of bacterial diarrhea, preventing the development of bacterial complications.
Enterofuril, 200 mg, capsules, 16 pcs.
Bosnalijek, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Price from 275₽
Lopedium, 2 mg, capsules, 10 pcs.
Sandoz, Germany
Price from 20₽
Smecta, 3 g, powder for the preparation of a suspension for oral administration, with orange flavor or aroma, 3.76 g, 10 pcs.
Ipsen Pharma, France
Price from 121₽
There are contraindications. Specialist consultation is required.
