Loperamide is an over-the-counter peripheral mu-opioid agonist commonly used to manage diarrhoea. When taken in an excessive dose, loperamide's penetration of the central nervous system increases, leading to euphoria, respiratory depression and other opioid effects. A health warning was released in the United States in 2016 with increased reports of excessive loperamide use leading to cardiac conduction abnormalities such as ventricular tachycardia, prolonged QTc and Torsades des Pointes. The growing number of cases is likely due to the increased restrictions on other opioids. Loperamide use disorder has been managed effectively in the United States and the United Kingdom using buprenorphine. In Australia, there have been recent opioid restrictions limiting easy access to opioids. We describe the case of a 28-year-old male who was admitted to hospital on multiple occasions with symptoms relating to loperamide use disorder. Buprenorphine was used to manage withdrawal symptoms in the hospital and maintain abstinence from loperamide in the community through an opioid agonist treatment program. To our knowledge, this is the first case study to describe the successful management of loperamide use disorder with buprenorphine within Australia. Our findings suggest that buprenorphine can be used to manage patients with loperamide associated withdrawal and help them remain abstinent upon discharge. Extramedical use of over-the-counter opioid medication may be becoming an emerging trend in Australia, and increased monitoring is warranted to prevent detrimental health outcomes.
Keywords: buprenorphine; loperamide; opioid agonist treatment; prolonged QTc.
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