Loperamide - in what cases is the medicine effective?

Loperamide is a drug that has been produced in Ukraine for more than 40 years and is an emergency medicine for acute and chronic disorders of a non-infectious nature.

The drug is a piperidine derivative and interacts with opioid receptors in the intestinal wall by inhibiting the flow of prostaglandin and acetylcholine. As a result, contractile function decreases and the time of movement of intestinal contents increases. The anal sphincter begins to hold feces longer, the urge to defecate decreases, and the excretion of water and electrolytes in feces is reduced.

Instructions for use

Pills

The medicine in tablet form is prescribed to patients with acute diarrhea. The initial dose is 4 mg. In the future, you should take 2 mg until the normal consistency of stool is restored.

In the chronic form of the disease, you first need to take 2 mg. Subsequently, the dosage is determined for each patient individually. The maximum permissible single dose should not be more than 12 mg. It is permissible to take no more than 16 mg per day.

Taking the drug in the absence of side effects continues until the frequency of bowel movements with solid feces is reached twice a day.

Capsules

Use capsules for acute diarrhea, no more than 3 mg per dose. After each bowel movement with liquid stool, take 2 mg. In the chronic form, the daily dosage is 4 mg.

In both cases, you can take no more than 16 mg per day.

For children

Loperamide in tablet form can be taken by children aged 4-8 years. The daily dose is no more than 4 mg. It needs to be divided into 4 times. Take within 72 hours. Children from 9 to 12 years old can take 2 mg 4 times a day for 5 days.

The medicine in capsule form is approved for use by children from 6 years of age. In the acute form of the disease, 2 mg is prescribed after each bowel movement with the release of liquid feces.

In the chronic form of the disease, you can take 2 mg per day. The maximum daily dose is 6 mg for every 20 kg of body weight.

Loperamide: indications for use

Loperamide: release form - tablets

Indications for the use of loperamide are diarrhea or diarrhea. The name of the drug itself and the name of the main active ingredient, its active base, are identical. They are similar in their effect and contain loperamide in their composition such drugs as Imodium, Enterobene, Laremid, Lopedium. Loperamide reduces the intensity of intestinal contractions, which consistently move the food bolus through it. Thanks to this, food does not rush through the digestive tract at an unusual speed, both liquid and nutrients have time to be absorbed through the intestinal walls, and dehydration of the body does not occur.

In addition, under the influence of the drug, the amount of mucous secretion produced by the intestinal walls decreases, and the density of feces approaches normal. At the same time, the drug increases the tone of the anal sphincter, which almost completely eliminates the endless urge to defecate, these unpleasant symptoms of intestinal disorder.

The peculiarity of this drug is that it only relieves the unpleasant symptoms of diarrhea, but cannot cope with its cause.

Before you start using loperamide, you need to be sure that the diarrhea is not infectious in nature and has not resulted from food poisoning. It is in such cases that it is extremely undesirable to deal with diarrhea, because with the help of loose stools the body gets rid of intoxication and does not allow the products of bacterial activity and toxins to be absorbed into the blood. Indications for the use of loperamide may include conditions such as:

diarrhea caused by overload of the nervous system, stress (“bear disease”);
“traveler's diarrhea” caused by a change in climate and usual diet;
chronic intestinal diseases, Crohn's disease;
condition after chemotherapy;
the presence of an ileostomy, when the contents of the intestine in severe diseases are removed through an opening in the abdominal wall.

Without consulting a doctor, loperamide can be used only in the first and second cases, and even then if, in addition to diarrhea, there are no such symptoms: fever, headaches, blood in the stool, fever, abdominal pain.

Contraindications

In the process of taking the medicine, painful and other conditions were identified that were negatively affected by the medicine. In such conditions, you should immediately stop taking the drug. Before taking Loperamide, you should familiarize yourself with the list of contraindications and make sure that there are no such conditions.

Contraindications include:

intestinal obstruction;
individual increased susceptibility to the constituent components;
acute ulcerative colitis;
lactation period;
1st trimester of pregnancy;
constipation;
children under the age of 4-8 years (depending on the manufacturer).

What is Loperamide taken for?

Loperamide tablets are prescribed for the treatment of acute and chronic disorders of non-infectious etiology that cause:

allergy
taking medications
stressful situations
changes in diet and eating habits
radiation therapy
diseases in which absorption and metabolism are impaired
irritable bowel syndrome.

The drug is used in the complex treatment of infectious diarrhea.

Loperamide for diarrhea is taken to eliminate symptoms according to the following scheme:

adults and children over 12 years of age are prescribed orally - two tablets at once,
then the dose is reduced to 1 tablet, which must be taken after each loose bowel movement and until the symptoms of diarrhea disappear.

You should not take more than 6 tablets per day. The course is no more than two days. Treatment is canceled if the patient's condition does not improve.

Do not chew the medicine and wash it down with water.

For irritable bowel syndrome, the drug is taken from the age of 18 according to the standard regimen until the symptoms of the disease are alleviated.

Adverse reactions

The following negative effects may occur:

allergy;
bloating;
weakness;
gagging;
difficult emptying;
feeling of dry mouth;
dizziness;
discomfort and pain in the abdominal area.

In rare cases, there may be urinary retention.

Note!

The description of the drug Loperamide on this page is a simplified author’s version of the apteka911 website, created on the basis of the instructions for use.
Before purchasing or using the drug, you should consult your doctor and read the manufacturer's original instructions (attached to each package of the drug). Information about the drug is provided for informational purposes only and should not be used as a guide to self-medication. Only a doctor can decide to prescribe the drug, as well as determine the dose and methods of its use.

Overdose

Cases of overdose with any form of the drug are possible. Appears as:

problems with coordination;
drowsiness;
difficulty breathing;
stupor;
intestinal obstruction.

Naloxone is considered the antidote of the drug. Since the duration of action of the antidote is shorter than that of Loperamide, repeated administration may be necessary. In addition to Naloxone, other actions must be taken to help suppress the signs of overdose. Such measures include: cleansing the gastrointestinal tract, taking enterosorbents. In some cases, ventilation may be necessary.

IMODIUM® Express in complex therapy of poisoning

One of the indications for the use of the drug IMODIUM® Express is acute diarrhea associated with changes in the qualitative composition of food. The drug can also be used as part of adjuvant therapy for infectious diarrhea2. The medicine is available in the form of lozenges, which makes it convenient to use in any life situation:

IMODIUM® Express does not need to be washed down with water;
tablets dissolve in just a few seconds2;
the product does not cause problems with swallowing, so it is easy to take for children2, the elderly, patients with neurological disorders and dysphagia;
The tablets have a pleasant mint taste.

Up to contents

#5 Recommendations

Loperamide can be taken with or without food.
When using loperamide, strictly follow the instructions and do not exceed the dosages indicated therein. Use the drug only for its intended purpose.
Drink more fluids, as during diarrhea the body loses a lot of water and becomes dehydrated.
Avoid overheating and dehydration while taking loperamide.
If loperamide makes you drowsy, do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid using loperamide with alcohol.
If diarrhea does not go away within 48 hours or worsens, bloating or stomach tenderness occurs, consult your doctor.

Be careful! Stop taking loperamide and get medical help right away if you develop rash, itching, facial swelling, difficulty breathing, bloating, blood in your stool, or severe dizziness.

#7 Interaction

Medicines that interact with loperamide can reduce its effectiveness, change its duration of action, and increase side effects. An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you should stop taking one of the medications, but sometimes it is necessary to do so. Talk to your doctor about which medications can and cannot be combined with loperamide.

Medicines that may have a moderate interaction with loperamide:

lumacaftor and other P-glycoprotein substrates;
sincalide;
haloperidol;
quinidine;
ilamiodarone;
ondansetron;
opioids;
Ramosetron.

Please note that this list is not comprehensive and only includes common medications that may interact with loperamide. For more detailed advice about the interaction of loperamide with other drugs that you take, contact your doctor and carefully read the instructions for the drug.

Alcohol compatibility

Can Loperamide be taken with alcohol? This question remains to be answered. But even without delving into it, you should understand that combining medications and alcohol is still not worth it. The combined use of the drug in question and ethanol has a negative effect on a person’s well-being and health. Under the influence of ethanol, the liver begins to more actively decompose and remove alcohol from the body. Therefore, the therapeutic effect of Loperamide slows down, and diarrhea intensifies, including worsening chronic diseases. When a person drinks a Loperamide tablet and then an alcoholic drink, the result is a combination that contradicts each other and is mutually exclusive.

Loperamide and alcohol are not the best combination. Both experts and patients themselves talk about this. If you want to drink, a celebration is planned, it is better not to start treatment, but to wait for some time (if the condition is stable). Otherwise, you should avoid drinking alcohol and focus on your health.

Consequences

What are the consequences after taking Loperamide and alcohol? Although compatibility exists, you cannot take the pill with a strong drink. The active component of the drug does not perform its function. In addition, the consequences of Loperamide and alcohol may be as follows:

the gastric mucosa is irritated;
gastrointestinal diseases worsen;
the load on the liver increases;
the work of the cardiovascular system is enhanced;
general health worsens.

In addition, the drug does not work 100%. It is impossible to get the desired result while taking medication and alcohol at the same time. So it is the patient who decides what is more important: to drink or undergo a therapeutic course. Doctors warn that such compatibility can negatively affect a person’s health and worsen his condition significantly.

Compound

What does the medicine include? Loperamide capsules are yellow, hard gelatin, and contain a white substance (powder) with a pale yellow tint. The active component here is loperamide hydrochloride, and the auxiliary components are corn starch, lactose, magnesium stearate, talc, colloidal silicon dioxide. The capsule shell consists of gelatin, dye, titanium dioxide, and quinoline dye. The medicine belongs to the antidiarrheal symptomatic drug.