Why FDA is warning people about Imodium overdoses

The FDA has received 31 reports of people hospitalized due to heart problems, including 10 deaths over the last 39 years, after taking large amounts of loperamide.

More than half of the 48 cases were reported after 2010. As a result, they are shifting to a more accessible and less expensive anti-diarrhea medication.

Loperamide is available as a tablet, capsule, or liquid to take by mouth. “Eggleston also assisted in a report written about two men who died after overdosing on Imodium, the report was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine”, according to a recent The News Independent report.

One study said that calls to poison centers related to loperamide abuse increased by 71 percent from 2011 through 2014. From the recommended doses of 8 to 16 milligrams, there are those who would take up to 300 milligrams at once! In the cases of abuse, people often use other drugs with loperamide with an aim to increase its absorption and helps in enhancing euphoric effect. Too many people are turning to diarrhea drugs to get the opiate-like effects they so eagerly desire. Doctors should also talk to their patients about possible complications of loperamide when taken with other drugs.

Overdosing on Imodium can lead to severe health problems and even death, according to the FDA.

However, the FDA said patients should still follow the recommended daily dose for the drug.

FDA regulators said in an online posting that they are monitoring the issue and considering next steps. Imodium is an over-the-counter drug that is easily purchased from pharmacies and other stores that sell medicine. “This number includes only reports submitted to FDA, so there are likely additional cases about which we are unaware”.

FDA has warned that people taking higher-than-recommended doses of the diarrhea medicine loperamide (Imodium)-including through abuse or misuse of the product-run the risk of serious, potentially fatal heart problems. The drug acts in a similar way on the gut to slow things down.

If a patient taking the drug suddenly experiences rapid or irregular heartbeat, faints or can not be woken up, people are advised to contact 911 to receive proper care, the FDA said.