Knowra Loperamide Loperamide Loperamide is an opioid medication that slows intestinal movement and treats diarrhea. At recommended doses, it acts mainly on opioid receptors in the gut, with limited effects in the brain.
Mu-opioid receptor : A G-protein-coupled receptor activated by endogenous opioids and opioid drugs, mediating effects including pain relief and reduced gut motility. Loperamide activates these receptors in the intestinal nervous system to slow transit.
Acute diarrhea : A sudden episode of loose or watery stools, usually lasting less than two weeks. Loperamide can relieve symptoms in selected cases while the episode runs its course.
Bismuth subsalicylate : A medication used for diarrhea and indigestion that combines bismuth with salicylate. Unlike loperamide, it has antisecretory and antimicrobial effects and can darken the tongue or stool.
Loperamide overdose : Toxic exposure to loperamide, often involving excessive doses or interactions that raise drug levels. Overdose can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias as well as opioid-like effects.
Intestinal motility : The muscular contractions that move contents through the digestive tract. Loperamide reduces these contractions, giving the intestine more time to absorb water.
Traveler's diarrhea : Diarrhea acquired during or shortly after travel, often caused by contaminated food or water. Loperamide may reduce symptoms, but it should not be used alone when fever or bloody stools suggest invasive infection.
Racecadotril : An antidiarrheal drug that inhibits enkephalinase and reduces intestinal fluid secretion. It targets secretion rather than slowing intestinal transit through opioid receptors.
Drug interaction : A change in a drug’s effects caused by another drug, food, supplement, or substance. Some medicines inhibit loperamide transport or metabolism, raising exposure and cardiac risk.
P-glycoprotein : A membrane transporter that pumps many drugs and other compounds out of cells. At the blood–brain barrier, it limits loperamide entry into the brain at ordinary doses.
Oral rehydration therapy : The replacement of water and electrolytes using a balanced oral solution. It addresses fluid loss directly; loperamide can ease stools but does not replace rehydration.
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