Loperamide of a number of types of diarrhea. This includes control of acute nonspecific diarrhea, mild traveler's diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic diarrhea due to bowel resection, and chronic diarrhea secondary to inflammatory bowel disease. It is also useful for reducing ileostomy output. Off-label uses for loperamide also include chemotherapy-induced diarrhea, especially related to irinotecan use. Loperamide should not be used as the primary treatment in cases of bloody diarrhea, acute exacerbation of ulcerative colitis, or bacterial enterocolitis. Loperamide is often compared to diphenoxylate. Recent studies suggest that loperamide is more effective and has lower neural side effects. Adverse drug reactions
Loperamide 2-mg tablets was added to WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. It is sold as a generic medication and is not very expensive. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$0.004 to 0.040 a dose. In August 2016, the US retail cost is about US$0.31 per dose. In 2016, Imodium was one of the biggest-selling branded over-the-counter medications sold in Great Britain, with sales of £32.7 million. Loperamide was originally marketed as Imodium, and many generic brands are sold. Loperamide has typically been deemed to have a relatively low risk of misuse. In 2012, no reports of loperamide