On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug administration issued a safety warning for the over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication loperamide, known commercially as Imodium. According to the warning, abuse or misuse of this product can cause serious heart problems, which could potentially result in death.
The majority of reported heart incidents linked to loperamide were the result of intentional drug misuse in attempt to self-medicate opioid withdrawal symptoms or achieve a euphoric state. Healthcare workers are advised to consider high doses of loperamide as a possible cause for ventricular arrhythmias, syncope and cardiac arrest.
"In the 39 years from when loperamide was first approved in 1976 through 2015, FDA received reports of 48 cases of serious heart problems associated with use of loperamide. This number includes only reports submitted to FDA, so there are likely additional cases about which we are unaware. Thirty-one of these cases resulted in hospitalizations, and 10 patients died. More than half of the 48 cases were reported after 2010," the FDA wrote in a statement.
The risk of loperamide-related heart problems can be increased when combined with other medications. Find a list of medications that could potentially interact with loperamide here.
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