Cardiac Arrhythmia Secondary to Loperamide Abuse and Toxicity

Loperamide is a synthetic, over-the-counter, antidiarrheal medication that is widely available and used for the treatment of diarrhea. It is a peripherally acting opioid agonist acting mostly on the mu-opioid receptors in the gut. It was thought to be a very safe medication up until very recently, as the bioavailability of the drug is very low. At significantly higher doses, it is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and mimic the effects of centrally acting opioids. However, at these significantly high doses it also leads to significant cardiotoxic consequences. Here we present a case of a 31-year-old male with significant cardiotoxicity secondary to misuse and abuse of loperamide.