Loperamide shortage

[Dashwood]

I have been waiting for almost four weeks for my Loperamide prescription, but it seems there is a shortage, has anyone else experienced a problem with this particular drug? I think I may have to bulk buy at Aldi.

[JanA]

Yes, my daughter-in-law is experiencing the same problem. She was told my her pharmacist to purchase them privately, to which she replied "if there is a shortage, how can I purchase them privately" & was promptly told that she may be able to get them if she paid for them.

She assumed from that comment that the NHS had exhausted their supply!

[cherrybailey]

I had similar problem last year could not get my daily multivitamin/mineral complex capsule. Got desperate tried every chemist in the area for it. (and more) Over night waking up streaks of sore down my arms turning to scabs. My chemist's could not get them from the manufacture's.!!

Go to Aldi!

[Hidden]

My local chemist (Orpington) said she had no problems with supplies but had heard of somebody else asking about a shortage. The chemist's shop is in a Rowlands chain so maybe it is a problem with the individual chemist's supply chain? The pharmacist said it is an old medication and exactly the same as Imodium. Can you ask at another chemist's and perhaps retrieve your prescription?

[gutlesswonder]

It is the peak of the holiday season --isn't it likely that supplies have been hoovered up for "travelers tummy " ?

And/or there are periodic shortages of many drugs due to unscrupulous wholesalers shipping them overseas to take advantage of an higher local price.

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Loperamide is an analgesic which acts on the smooth muscle of the intestine.If taken for long periods immunity develops with reduced effectiveness and a consequent need for higher and higher doses and the tendency to seesaw unpredictably between 'all-stopped' and 'on-the-run' .

I experienced this.

Fortunately I discovered that my diarrhea was BAD - that is Bile Acid Diarrhea . The highly effective treatment for that is Questran , which does not ever induce a tolerance problem.

Most medics are completely unaware of this.

[Hidden]

Thanks for that. Questran / cholestyramine may well be a lifeline for those with bile acid diarrhoea. How long did you suffer before you found it?

[Dashwood]

Thanks everyone, Aldi have run out!!! My chemist (Boots) suggest I ask my doctor for a prescription of Immodium, but they are exactly the same medication. As they have partly prescribed my prescription I can't have it back to take elsewhere but I shall see if some local independents have it, as it's not a POD I should be able to buy it.

[DecemberLeigh]

There's a shortage of OTC loperamide. Everywhere is sold out. I saw a article US News about opiate addicts getting their fix? It can't get you high in any dosage so I don't know what that's about.

[DecemberLeigh]

US news says people are taking it to get high. This is an outrageous and dangerous lie to be spreading. It's like they WANT kids to die experimenting! It says in high enough doses you get the same euphoric effects of heroin.

This is impossible, as loperamide doesn't cross the BBB (blood brain barrier). It works mainly on receptors in the gut, and spine. Nothing can make it cross the BBB and make you high. I want to know why they are lying!

It also said it can be used to ease withdrawals from opiates. I don't know about this.

But it's sold OTC because it cannot cross the BBB, the particles are too big & nothing can be done to chemically change that.

Why are pharmicies out of prescription loperamide? If I understood the OP's question correctly.

I'm so angry that US news said if you put 500 pills in a blender you can get high like on heroin. Some kid will think that is safe & have a heart attack!