loperamide
Sign in to saveLoperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, among others, is a medication of the opioid receptor agonist class used to decrease the frequency of diarrhea. It is often used for this purpose in irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Loperamide is taken by mouth.
Key facts
- Drug.image
- Loperamide.svg
- Drug.image_class
- skin-invert-image
- Drug.width
- 250
- Drug.image2
- Loperamide ball-and-stick.png
- Drug.image_class2
- bg-transparent
- Drug.width2
- 235
- Drug.USAN
- Loperamide hydrochloride
- Drug.tradename
- Imodium, others
- Drug.MedlinePlus
- a682280
- Drug.DailyMedID
- Loperamide
- Drug.pregnancy_AU
- B3
- Drug.routes_of_administration
- By mouth
- Drug.ATC_prefix
- A07
- Drug.ATC_suffix
- DA03
- Drug.ATC_supplemental
- (oxide)
- Drug.legal_AU
- S2
- Drug.legal_BR
- C1
- Drug.legal_CA
- OTC
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Side effects
- Contraindications
- Children
- Pregnancy and breast feeding
- Drug interactions
- Mechanism of action
- Blood–brain barrier
- Chemistry
- Synthesis
- Physical properties
- History
- Society and culture
- Legal status
- United States
- UK
- Economics
- Brand names
- Off-label/unapproved use
- Research
- References
Loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, among others, is a medication of the opioid receptor agonist class used to decrease the frequency of diarrhea. It is often used for this purpose in irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Loperamide is taken by mouth.
Common side effects include abdominal pain, constipation, sleepiness, vomiting, and dry mouth. It may increase the risk of toxic megacolon. Loperamide's safety in pregnancy is unclear, but no evidence of harm has been found. It appears to be safe in breastfeeding. It is an opioid with no significant absorption from the gut and does not cross the blood–brain barrier when used at normal doses. It works by slowing the contractions of the intestines.