“A popular anti-diarrheal drug is fast becoming another dangerous byproduct of the opioid crisis, as more addicts take huge quantities of it to ease withdrawal symptoms or get dangerously high.
Investigators found that the number of patients who were reported to the U.S. National Poison Data System after taking toxic doses of loperamide (one over-the-counter brand is Imodium) skyrocketed by more than 90 percent between 2010 and 2016.
Why the jump? The primary appeal of loperamide is that while it has an opioid-like effect on bowel movements and doesn’t produce a high in recommended doses, it can make someone high in huge quantities.”
Read more at: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-02-07/opioid-addicts-are-overdosing-on-diarrhea-drug
Source: USNews.com – February 7, 2019