FDA: Loperamide High to Deal With Opioid Withdrawal Deadly

According to the FDA.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sounded the alarm over serious health problems associated with people abusing the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide, sold over-the-counter under the brand name Imodium A-D (among other monikers). Taking dangerous quantities of the otherwise safe loperamide is one strategy being used by people addicted to opioid painkillers and other drugs since it can increase opioid absorption in the gut; the FDA says it is now working with loperamide manufacturers to change its packaging so that it comes with fewer doses and is thus harder to abuse.

People using the anti-diarrheal are recommended a maximum dose of eight milligrams per day OTC or 16 milligrams per day with a prescription; but some are taking upwards of 60 milligrams in order to deal with opioid withdrawal symptoms or to enhance their highs. It’s also been reported that such high doses can also produce its own euphoric effects.

Source: FDA: Loperamide High to Deal With Opioid Withdrawal Deadly | Fortune