"Why People Are Intentionally Overdosing on an Anti-Diarrhea Drug" - Jenna Birch
The drug loperamide has been widely available over the counter for decades as a remedy for diarrhea, but it’s been making headlines more recently for an entirely different reason: Opioid addicts are using the medication to get high or self-treat symptoms of withdrawal. “The problems arising primarily have to do with the heart," says Edwin Salsitz, MD, medical director of office-based opioid therapy at Mount Sinai Downtown. "Large doses of loperamide affect rhythm, leading to abnormalities that will show on an EKG. These can lead to dangerous arrhythmias.”
- Edwin Salsitz, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Medical Director, Office-Based Opioid Therapy, Mount Sinai Beth Israel