Addicts overdose on diarrhea medication and die

Addicts buy over-the-counter diarrhea tablets at Apoteket.
Now Kronans Apotek is raising the alarm after a customer overdosed on the tablets – and died.
– In these high doses, loperamide can be very dangerous, says Mari Thörn, investigator at the Swedish Medicines Agency.

Loperamide is sold without a prescription in pharmacies for temporary and chronic diarrhea. It is completely harmless in normal use, but in severe overdoses, more than ten times the normal dose, the user gets an intoxication.

– In these high doses, loperamide can be very dangerous both for the brain and the heart, which can affect consciousness and cause rhythm disturbances in the heart, says Mari Thörn, investigator at the Swedish Medicines Agency.

Used by young people

The tablets are used by addicts to ease withdrawal symptoms from heroin and have been called the “poor man’s methadone” – but the medicine is also used by young people to achieve a high.

For a couple of years, a customer had purchased the maximum dosage of the diarrhea medicine – 32 tablets on each occasion – on both Kronans Apotek’s website and in a physical store, according to a Lex Maria notification from the pharmacy.

In August, the customer at Kronan’s pharmacy overdosed on the tablets and died.

More and more people are seeking care

The poison information centre, GIC, has in recent years received more and more calls about people who have had to seek medical attention after taking Loperamide. From 21 calls five years ago, the number has almost tripled to 59 calls so far this year alone.

To reduce the risk of theft and abuse, the medicine is currently stored behind the counter. But despite the fact that the demand among addicts has been known to the Swedish Medicines Agency for ten years, it is still over-the-counter.

– Loperamide is very important for many people with diarrhea because it often provides good symptom relief. Banning the drug due to obvious misuse would affect the patients who benefit from the drug, says Mari Thörn.