U.S. man died due to overdose of antidiarrheal medicationApril 4, 2018 - 11:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A man who died in the Pittsburgh area last year did so from poisoning with loperamide, the active ingredient in antidiarrheal medication, BuzzFeed News reports, citing the medical examiner's office. Arjun Patel, 29, died last November, but the cause of death was released this week, according to KDKA. Loperamide is found in over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications like Imodium. Structurally, it's similar to methadone, an opioid commonly used to treat addiction to other drugs such as heroin. In recommended doses, loperamide is safe. But when taken in large quantities, it can produce a high. Recreationally, it's known as "loping." "Normally when you take it in the amounts that are recommended on the box or by a physician, you don’t really get much in the way of toxic effects at all," Michael Lynch, medical director of Pittsburgh Poison Center, told BuzzFeed News. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the approved daily dose of loperamide for adults is 8 milligrams per day for over-the-counter use and 16 milligrams per day for prescription use. In order to get a high, you'd have to take in the "dozens or hundreds of pills kind of range, which wouldn’t happen accidentally," said Lynch. Often, said Lynch, people take loperamide in such high amounts to try to treat their withdrawal symptoms from other opioids. Loperamide acts on the opioid receptors in the gut to slow down digestion and reduce the number of bowel movements. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |