Loperamide-Acre is a drug that is widely used in the treatment of diarrhea. This drug helps reduce gastrointestinal motility.
Loperamide - a description of the drug
The specified medicine is available in the form of capsules or tablets, each of which contains 2 mg of loperamide hydrochloride. Also, the composition of this drug as an auxiliary substance includes corn starch, talc and lactose.
Loperamide-Acre is attributed to patients with acute non-infectious diarrhea, as well as mild to moderate infectious diarrhea. The drug begins to exert its effect very quickly and lasts for 4-6 hours. The use of Loperamide-Acre can reduce the motility of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the tone of the anal sphincter, thus decreasing the urge to defecate and keeping feces in the rectum.
Thanks to the use of Loperamide, the absorption time of electrolytes and water increases and thereby significantly reduces their loss. There is a decrease in hypersecretion of mucus in the colon, an antisecretory effect appears. Due to the inhibition of calmodulin and calcium channel blockade, as well as the suppression of intestinal peptides and neurotransmitters, which increase the permeability of plasma membranes, Loperamide has a positive effect on intestinal secretion.
Loperamide - what does it help from?
As mentioned above, this drug is one of the most effective drugs in the fight against diarrhea. Despite the fact that he is a synthetic opiate, the drug does not have a systemic narcotic effect and does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Loperamide-Acre is good for motor and functional diarrhea, but it is ineffective if the patient has diabetic enteropathy, amyloidosis, or scleroderma. Very often with these diseases, the use of this drug can even increase diarrhea.
Dosage Loperamide Acre
For the treatment of adults, it is recommended to use 4 mg of the drug at the initial intake, and 2 mg after subsequent use, after the act of defecation with loose stools.
If the patient has chronic diarrhea, then also at the beginning of administration - 4 mg, then from 2 to 6 times a day, 2 mg of loperamide. But it should be remembered that the daily dose of this drug should not exceed 16 mg.
It is allowed to use this drug for children who are over 5 years old, but they are given 2 mg of the drug after each bowel movement with loose stools. If the child has chronic diarrhea, then the drug is used from 1 to 5 times a day.
Possible side effects
If a long-term use of this drug is carried out, constipation, drowsiness, nausea may occur, intestinal obstruction, as well as toxic megacolon, can very rarely occur.
It is contraindicated to use the drug in the following cases:
- the presence of intestinal obstruction in a patient;
- if the patient has acute ulcerative colitis or pseudomembranous colitis;
- the drug is not prescribed for pregnant women who are in the first trimester;
- Also, the drug is not prescribed for children under the age of 2 years and to those people who have hypersensitivity to the components of the specified funds.
Loperamide-Acre should be used very carefully for children aged 2 to 5 years, as well as in the presence of dehydration, infectious diarrhea. It is not recommended to prescribe the drug to people who have impaired liver function, as well as to people of advanced age, since there is a risk for them of loss of fluid and salts. If within 2 days the drug did not have a positive effect, its use must be abandoned. If there is a need for taking Loperamide-Acre by a woman during lactation, then breast-feeding for the period of taking this drug should be abandoned.
If there are signs of an overdose of the drug, Naloxone is used as an antidote.