Generic loperamide is available as a prescription and over-the-counter OTC medication. Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief, which contains the active drugs loperamide and simethicone, is also available as a generic drug. A generic drug is an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. The generic is considered to be as safe and effective as the original drug. Generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs.
In some cases, the brand-name drug and the generic version may come in different forms and strengths. For instance, you should seek medical care from a doctor if you or your child has:. If needed, your doctor may order certain tests to determine the cause of your diarrhea. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using Imodium. But in other cases, they may recommend different ways to treat your diarrhea. The following information describes the recommended dosages for using Imodium to self-treat acute short-term diarrhea.
Recommended dosages for adults and children ages 12 years and older are as follows. Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is used to treat diarrhea that occurs with cramps, bloating, and gas. Ideally, Imodium dosage for a child should be based on their body weight. Below, we describe recommended dosages of Imodium for children.
Keep in mind that children who have trouble swallowing tablets may find it easier to take the liquid form of Imodium. Imodium A-D is used to treat diarrhea. Recommended dosages of this drug for children are explained below. If you forget to take a dose of Imodium after having a loose stool, take the drug if you have another loose stool.
Imodium is typically used to treat acute short-term diarrhea. However, doctors do occasionally prescribe the drug to help control chronic ongoing diarrhea. Unless recommended otherwise by your doctor, you should stop taking Imodium as soon as your diarrhea resolves. Imodium can be used to treat diarrhea in kids. But not all Imodium products are suitable for children. In any case, if your child continues to have diarrhea after 2 days of Imodium treatment, they should see a doctor right away.
In children, diarrhea can quickly lead to serious dehydration low fluid level. To help prevent dehydration, have your child sip on fluids throughout the day, especially after having a bowel movement.
These solutions contain electrolytes , such as sodium and potassium, which can be lost through diarrhea. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable rehydration product and the best amount to have your child drink. Avoid giving your child sugary drinks, such as fruit juices or sports drinks, as these can worsen diarrhea. Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief is also used to relieve cramps, bloating, and gas that can occur with diarrhea. Imodium works quickly to control diarrhea, helping you to have firmer stools and less frequent bowel movements.
Imodium is an effective and widely used treatment for diarrhea. In fact, guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology recommend Imodium for treating both acute and chronic diarrhea.
Below is information on other possible uses for Imodium that may not be appropriate. However, gas can sometimes occur with diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, discomfort, or cramps. Stomach pain can sometimes occur with diarrhea. However, upset stomach or indigestion can sometimes occur with diarrhea.
This bacteria can sometimes cause severe diarrhea in people who are taking antibiotics. This allows other bacteria to grow and cause infection. Gut infections caused by C. This is because the drugs can make this condition worse. However, if a C.
But these guidelines mention that no studies are available to confirm the safety of this treatment option. Imodium is used to treat diarrhea. In some cases, you may need to take Imodium with other treatments. Below, we describe some other possible treatments that may be used with Imodium. If you have questions about using other treatments with Imodium, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Diarrhea causes you to lose more fluid and electrolytes than usual.
Electrolytes are salts, such as sodium and potassium. Drinking a rehydration solution is a good way to replace fluids and electrolytes lost through diarrhea. Rehydration solutions are drinks that contain both glucose sugar and electrolytes.
You can buy these drinks at drugstores and grocery stores. But they especially recommend these drinks for children and older people with diarrhea. And Imodium can help shorten the amount of time that you have diarrhea.
In addition, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief treats gas, cramps, and bloating that can occur with diarrhea. With diarrhea, you pass loose or watery stools much more often than usual. The most common cause of diarrhea is an infection in your digestive system called gastroenteritis. This infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. With diarrhea, the muscular contractions in your intestine that move food through it become faster than usual. So food moves through your system much more quickly than normal.
This leads to frequent watery bowel movements. The fast contractions in your intestine can also lead to a buildup of gas. And this can cause symptoms such as cramps, bloating, and pressure in your belly. Imodium products all contain the antimotility drug loperamide, which helps to control diarrhea. The drug works by slowing down the muscular contractions in your intestine. This slows the movement of food through your intestine.
And it allows more time for water to be reabsorbed back into your body. This is how Imodium use leads to firmer stools and fewer bowel movements. In addition to loperamide, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief contains the antiflatulent drug simethicone. This drug reduces symptoms of gas.
It works by causing small bubbles of gas that are trapped in your intestines to merge into larger bubbles. These larger bubbles are more easily expelled from your body. After you stop taking Imodium, it takes about 11 hours for the level of Imodium in your body to be reduced by half. Some individuals are taking high doses of loperamide to treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal. If loperamide toxicity is suspected, promptly discontinue the drug and start necessary therapy. For some cases of abnormal heart rhythms in which drug treatment is ineffective, electrical pacing or cardioversion may be required.
Also counsel patients to take loperamide only as prescribed or according to the OTC Drug Facts label and advise patients that drug interactions with commonly used medicines may increase the risk of serious cardiac events. We previously issued a Drug Safety Communication about this safety concern and added warnings about serious heart problems to the drug label of prescription loperamide and to the Drug Facts label of OTC loperamide products.
The main treatment is to have lots to drink to prevent dehydration. The most common cause of acute diarrhoea is an infection. Many bacteria, viruses, and other germs can cause diarrhoea.
In most cases the diarrhoea settles as your body's immune system clears the infection. Antidiarrhoeal medicines like loperamide may not be necessary; however, they can be helpful if you wish to reduce the number of trips that you need to make to the toilet. Most people only need to take loperamide for a day or so. Loperamide works by slowing down the activity of your bowel. This reduces the speed at which the contents pass through, and so food remains in your intestines for longer.
This allows more water to be absorbed back into your body and results in firmer stools that are passed less often. Because loperamide regulates the passage of food through the digestive system, it can also help people with diarrhoea associated with irritable bowel syndrome, and people who need help to regulate their bowel activity following surgery on the intestines. You can buy loperamide from retail outlets or get it on prescription from your doctor; however, it is not suitable for children under the age of 12 years unless it has been prescribed by a doctor.
To make sure this is the right treatment for you, before you start taking loperamide it is important that you speak with your doctor or pharmacist:.
Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with loperamide. It comes as tablets, including tablets that melt on your tongue, capsules and a liquid.
The liquid is only available on prescription. Loperamide is also available combined with simeticone. Simeticone is used to treat farting flatulence or wind. Taking these medicines together helps if you have diarrhoea with painful stomach cramps and bloating. Take our survey. You can buy loperamide from pharmacies and supermarkets or you can get it on prescription. Only give loperamide to children aged 11 years or under if their doctor prescribes it. If you have diarrhoea and IBS, talk to your doctor before taking loperamide if you:.
If you've bought loperamide from a pharmacy or shop, follow the instructions that come with the packet. If your doctor has prescribed loperamide for you or your child, follow their instructions about how and when to take it. Tablets that melt in your mouth: put the tablet on your tongue and let it melt in your saliva. You can then swallow it without a drink. Do not chew it. Liquid: this comes with a measuring cup, plastic syringe or spoon to help you measure the right dose.
If you do not have one, ask your pharmacist. Do not use a kitchen teaspoon as it will not give the right amount of medicine. The recommended dose depends on the type of diarrhoea you have and your age. Do not take loperamide for more than 48 hours without talking to a doctor. Most cases of diarrhoea get better in 5 to 7 days. If your diarrhoea does not stop in 7 days, talk to your doctor.
It is important to understand the causes and to treat any complications, for instance dehydration. If your doctor prescribes loperamide for long-lasting diarrhoea, they will tell you how much to take. The usual starting dose is:. Your doctor will adjust your dose according to your symptoms and how well loperamide is working, up to a maximum of:.
Once you're on the right dose, your doctor will usually recommend dividing your daily dose, so you take half in the morning and half in the afternoon or evening.
Occasionally patients with a colostomy stoma need a higher dose. Only take a higher dose if your doctor tells you to. Do not give loperamide to children under 12 years old unless their doctor prescribes it.
If a doctor prescribes loperamide for your child, they will use their weight or age to work out the right dose. The dose also depends on their symptoms. If you miss a dose of loperamide, do not worry. Just take a dose after you next go to the toilet and have a runny poo. If you take 1 extra dose of loperamide as a one-off, it's unlikely to harm you. But taking higher doses can cause serious heart problems. The signs include having a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Like all medicines, loperamide can cause side effects, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to loperamide. These are not all the side effects of loperamide. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.
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