Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care (Feb 2020)

Loperamide abuse: a case report and brief review

  • Leong J ,
  • Afu K ,
  • Starobinska E ,
  • Insel M

DOI
https://doi.org/10.13175/swjpcc007-20
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 2
pp. 73 – 75

Abstract

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No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 29-year-old man with unspecified mood disorder, childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and 2 prior suicide attempts with zolpidem and methadone presented with altered mental status as a transfer from an outside hospital. The patient was found in his truck outside of a grocery store by a bystander who contacted emergency medical services. At the time, he was noted to have seizure-like activity. He had an empty shopping bag in his possession with 14 empty loperamide (Imodium®) bottles, each were supposed to contain 24 tablets. The patient was taken to the nearest medical facility where he was found to be in status epilepticus. After no response to 4 mg intravenous (IV) lorazepam, he was then intubated for airway protection. Propofol infusion was started and a loading dose of levetiracetam 1600 mg IV was administered. Despite medical management, he continued to show evidence of seizure-like activity. Due to the lack of …

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