TY - JOUR
KW - Antidiarrheals/administration & dosage/adverse effects
KW - Cardiotoxicity
KW - Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
KW - drug tolerance
KW - Humans
KW - imodium
KW - loperamide
KW - Loperamide/administration & dosage/adverse effects
KW - opioid intoxication
KW - opioid withdrawal
KW - Substance Abuse Detection/methods
KW - Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/epidemiology
KW - Substance-Related Disorders/complications/epidemiology
AU - C. N. Stanciu
AU - S. A. Gnanasegaram
A1 - 
AB - Loperamide is widely available as an inexpensive, over-the-counter remedy commonly used for management of diarrhea. Although an opioid, at therapeutic doses it acts primarily on the gastrointestinal tissues; however, larger than recommended amounts facilitate central nervous system (CNS) penetration. Such high doses of loperamide have recently gained popularity among users of opioids to manage withdrawal symptomatology and, less frequently, to achieve psychoactive effects. Chronic loperamide use can result in development of tolerance and, upon abrupt cessation of use, withdrawal. With increasing prevalence of use, side-effects are noted, one particularly being life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Users are often not forthcoming and routine drug screens do not detect loperamide, so providers need to be alert to such practices in order to recognize intoxication, be able to screen for use, and facilitate entry into treatment.
BT - Journal of psychoactive drugs
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 1
CY - United States
DO - 10.1080/02791072.2016.1260188
IS - 1
JF - Journal of psychoactive drugs
N2 - Loperamide is widely available as an inexpensive, over-the-counter remedy commonly used for management of diarrhea. Although an opioid, at therapeutic doses it acts primarily on the gastrointestinal tissues; however, larger than recommended amounts facilitate central nervous system (CNS) penetration. Such high doses of loperamide have recently gained popularity among users of opioids to manage withdrawal symptomatology and, less frequently, to achieve psychoactive effects. Chronic loperamide use can result in development of tolerance and, upon abrupt cessation of use, withdrawal. With increasing prevalence of use, side-effects are noted, one particularly being life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Users are often not forthcoming and routine drug screens do not detect loperamide, so providers need to be alert to such practices in order to recognize intoxication, be able to screen for use, and facilitate entry into treatment.
PP - United States
PY - 2017
SN - 2159-9777; 0279-1072
T1 - Loperamide, the "Poor Man's Methadone": Brief Review
T2 - Journal of psychoactive drugs
TI - Loperamide, the "Poor Man's Methadone": Brief Review
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 27918873
U3 - 10.1080/02791072.2016.1260188
VL - 49
VO - 2159-9777; 0279-1072
Y1 - 2017
ER -