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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.
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(Score: 2) by devlux on Wednesday May 04 2016, @05:58PM
It's not damage per se. It's just that it messes with the heart's ability to regulate. The effect is acute, not chronic as far as they can tell.
These chumps are taking mega doses "trying" to get high.
You should go onto your drug forum and let them know this study is bullshit, you'll get more of a high by hyperventalting into a plastic bag because that's pretty much what they're describing here.
Like I said, Imodium is a counter measure for Naxolene if you're going to be interrogated. It wouldn't work that way if it was screwing with your heart permanently and at human levels of doses. Taking a box of this stuff at maximum strength is going to make you puke, not make you high.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @06:43PM
Imodium is not a counter measure for naloxone, I don't know where you read or heard that ridiculousness. Loperamide's effects are limited to the peripheral nervous system unless extreme doses are taken, and even then the binding affinity of loperamide to the mu-receptors is lower than that of naloxone so it wouldnt matter anyway.
(Score: 2) by devlux on Wednesday May 04 2016, @07:43PM
Nice but where are you getting the information from?
To clarify my point...
Loperamide is not a counter measure once the Naloxone is in the system. It's that Naloxone increases sensitivity to pain, which is useful when performing an enhanced interrogation, but if you take Loperamide prior to being subjected to such, it will block the Naloxone from taking effect (as much) allowing you to better resist torture. I really wish I had a citation for you, but that particular info was given to me by word of mouth by someone that I used to work with who also happened to be an MD.
So feel free to ignore it.