Doctors warn against deadly trend of using anti-diarrhoea drugs like Imodium to get high

There is an alarming new trend of people using anti-diarrhoea drugs like Imodium to 'get high' - sometimes with fatal consequences, doctors warn.

Medics said the over-the-counter medication - whose active ingredient is loperamide - is being used recreationally and drug addicts are taking it to manage their addictions.

While loperamide works by reducing the movement in the intestinal wall - to prevent diarrhoea - some medical literature suggests at high doses it can cause euphoria.

But it is also extremely toxic to the heart - and the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine has documented the case of two people died of an overdose as a result of taking the drugs.

Dr William Eggleston, of the Upstate New York Poison Centre, and the study's lead author, said: 'Loperamide's accessibility, low cost, over-the-counter legal status and lack of social stigma all contribute to its potential for abuse.

'People looking for either self-treatment of withdrawal symptoms or euphoria are overdosing on loperamide with sometimes deadly consequences.

He described two case studies of patients with a history of drug abuse who tried to manage withdrawal symptoms by taking massive doses of loperamide.

They both overdosed and emergency medical services were called.

The patients were treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), naloxone - a drug given to block the effects of an overdose - and standard Advanced Cardiac Life Support.

Despite doctors' best efforts, both patients died.

Dr Eggleston said there has been a 10-fold increase in people posting on forums about abusing loperamide between 2010 and 2011.

The majority of posts discuss using the drug to treat withdrawal from addiction to opoid drugs, which includes heroin and morphine.

A quarter of the posts openly talk about taking the drug because it has euphoric properties, he added.

And Dr Eggleston said the Upstate New York Poison Centre has seen a seven-fold increase in calls related to loperamide abuse between 2011 and 2015.

This echoes national data from the National Poison Data System, which showed a 71 per cent increase in calls about people intentionally taking loperamide between 2011 and 2014.

Dr Eggleston said: 'Our nation's growing population of opioid-addicted patients is seeking alternative drug sources with prescription opioid medication abuse being limited by new legislation and regulations.'

Healthcare providers should be made aware of the trend of loperamide abuse - and how it is severely toxic to the heart.

He continued: 'This is another reminder that all drugs, including those sold without a prescription, can be dangerous when not used as directed.'

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