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posted by martyb on Wednesday May 04 2016, @04:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the Antidiarrheal-overdose?-Oh,-crap! dept.

NPR is reporting on the latest drug scare, involving an over-the-counter antidiarrheal drug that is being used for its opioid-like effects by addicts:

Some people addicted to oxycodone and other opioids are now turning to widely available diarrhea medications to manage their withdrawal symptoms or get high. The results can be dangerous to the heart — and sometimes fatal — warn toxicologists in a study [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.03.047] recently published online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

The researchers describe two case studies where people who were addicted to opioids tried to ease their withdrawal symptoms by taking many times the recommended dose of loperamide, a drug commonly used treat diarrhea. Both patients died.

"Because of its low cost, ease of accessibility and legal status, it's a drug that is very, very ripe for abuse," says lead author William Eggleston, a doctor of pharmacy and fellow in clinical toxicology at the Upstate New York Poison Center, which is affiliated with SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Related:

Kroger Supermarkets to Carry Naloxone Without a Prescription
4/20: Half-Baked Headline


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @04:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @04:45PM (#341525)

    First they take away the good cold medicine and replace it with something no better than a placebo.

    Now they won't let us leave the toilet.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday May 04 2016, @08:53PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 04 2016, @08:53PM (#341707) Journal

    What do you expect?

    We can't have people dying from a drug that is easily available and not as profitable as cigarettes.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @11:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @11:57PM (#341836)

    Pretty soon they'll take away Dihydrogen Monoxide. I'm addicted to that, as are lots of people. Too much can cause serious problems. http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html [dhmo.org]

    • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Thursday May 05 2016, @10:11AM

      by butthurt (6141) on Thursday May 05 2016, @10:11AM (#341982) Journal

      Just like naloxone, the CIA uses it for "enhanced interrogation" a.k.a. torture.