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Some people are taking extremely large doses of the anti - diarrhea medication Imodium in an endeavor to get high , or to self - handle an addiction to painkillers , in what experts call a dangerous but growing trend .
Although the drug is secure in disk operating system used totreat diarrhea , in large doses it can make serious side effects , including ventilation and heart problems , and even dying . A new account trace two type of mass who pop off after o.d. on Imodium , also called loperamide , which is sell over - the - tabulator .
" People look for either self - treatment of withdrawal symptoms [ for opioid addiction ] or euphory are overdosing on loperamide with sometimes deadly consequences , " study co - author William Eggleston , a clinical toxicologist at the Upstate New York Poison Center , in Syracuse , said in a statement . " This is another admonisher that all drugs , include those sell without a prescription , can be dangerous when not used as directed . " [ Top 10 Leading Causes of Death ]
Loperamide is an opioid drug , meaning it belongs to the same social class of drug as someprescription painkiller . unconstipated doses of the drug wo n’t cause a " mellow " because only a flyspeck amount arrive into the lineage flow . But at very big Elvis , the drug can get into the line stream and brain , and cause effects interchangeable to those of opioid painkillers , the research worker said .
From 2010 to 2011 , there was a ten - fold gain in postings on drug word connection forums about loperamide revilement , fit in to a2013 study . About 70 percent of notice in that study involved people discussing using loperamide to treat their opioid habituation , while 25 percent said they took it to get a high gear . Some people reported taking up to 200 mg of loperamide , which requires 100 pill , and is much higher than the recommend maximum everyday dose of 16 mg per day .
The new report describes two cases — a 24 - year - old man and a 39 - twelvemonth - one-time world — who took very large doses of loperamide in an attempt to care for their opioid dependance . When the 24 - twelvemonth - old man was found , his heart had kibosh work over . The 39 - year - quondam mankind reportedly gasped for melody before collapse , which hint that he know a sudden maverick heartbeat , the researchers articulate .
Although both human incur parking brake medical services at their homes , they died before they got to the infirmary , the report say .
" Our nation ’s growing population of opioid - addicted affected role is assay alternative drug rootage , with prescription opioid medication contumely being limited by new statute law and regulations , " Eggleston enjoin . " Health charge providers must be aware of increasing loperamide abuse and its under - recognize cardiac toxicity . "
Thenew reportwas published online Friday ( April 29 ) in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine .
