Opioid addicts resort to using diarrhoea product

Opioid addicts in America looking for a cheap high are turning to an over-thecounter anti-diarrhoea medication, prompting a federal agency to ask manufacturers to change the way the drug is packaged in an effort to curb abuse.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, loperamide, also known by the brand name Imodium A-D, is being abused by some opioid addicts to either selftreat withdrawal symptoms or get and maintain a high. The drug is inexpensive, costing about US$10 (NZ$13.50) for 400 capsules.

The recommended dose for loperamide is 8 milligrams a day for over-the-counter use and 16mg a day for prescription use. But drug addicts are taking anywhere between 50 to 300 capsules a day to induce a euphoric high that is akin to heroin, morphine or oxycodone.

‘‘Folks that are desperately addicted, folks that are looking to stave off withdrawal symptoms will do whatever it takes sometimes, really extreme things,’’ said Dr Jeffrey Reynolds, of the Family and Children’s Association.

At these high doses, loperamide has been reported to cause serious heart problems and even death. The majority of reported cases where heart problems developed were due to intentional abuse.

The FDA said manufacturers should consider switching to blister packaging that limited the number of pills a customer could purchase at a time.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called for immediate action by manufacturers.

As most purchases of loperamide were made online in bulk, Gottlieb said, the FDA also intended to reach out to online marketers and ask them to cooperate as well.

In the latest twist in America’s war against opioid addiction, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan yesterday enacted a policy that will limit the number of opioid prescription drugs that can be prescribed to new patients.