Heartbroken Mom Discovers Son Died of Secret Addiction to Opioid-Like Diarrhea Medicine
Editor’s note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran. We’re reposting it here to remind parents of this danger.
As one mother grieved the loss of her son to drug addiction in 2018, she sent a warning to other parents to keep the same thing from happening to their children.
After sending her 24-year-old son Ryan to rehab multiple times for his drug addiction, Dana believed he would finally get clean.
But four years after the death of her husband, her son would be taken from her too.
The toxicology report revealed Ryan had died of a loperamide overdose, an over-the-counter anti-diarrheal known as Imodium.
“A lot of addicts use it to one wean off of opiates or just to chill. Ryan was using it just to chill,” Dana said to WCNC. “From what I’ve been told it was his first time.”
When consumed in a large enough quantity, the drug can bring on a heroin-esque high.
“It’s an opioid agent and it helps to bind receptors in the brain and cause a similar euphoria or high,” said Dr. Scott Krakower, a physician who specializes in addiction disorders at Northwell Health, according to CBS News.
People found a cheap high in the drug that seemingly would be harmless, and in fact is — in small doses.
However, in the high doses required to hit the high that is sought, it is incredibly dangerous.
According to CBS, abusers of the drug ingest anywhere from 50-300 pills per day. Dana said Ryan took 100 to 200 pills
“According to the study, Imodium A-D, in large doses, works in the body the same way as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone,” CBS News reported.
“However, Imodium A-D is a cheaper alternative, as big box stores sell 400 tablets for less than $10.”
Unfortunately, at least for now, this is completely legal, and given the obscene cost of heroin compared to an over-the-counter medication, this trend is only likely to rise.
However, even those just experimenting with a new drug could feel permanent side effects.
Patients have been known to suffer from severe, incapacitating stomach cramps, heart failure and even death.
Two months after Ryan’s death, the FDA issued its first warning about Imodium abuse.
You may be thinking, “Why is this the first time I’ve heard of this?”
And that’s a major part of the problem.
With no public outcry, the pills continue to be, although over the counter, incredibly easy to access.
“Check and see what your child has and if they have you know boxes of Imodium or the bottles sitting around,” Dana said.
“They’re looking at it as it’s a cheap, quick high and they’re not going to get caught. They just don’t realize it’s going to kill them.”
This story has been updated to include Ryan’s story and his mother’s warning about the dangers of Imodium abuse.
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