Loperamide
Prescription status is set country by country — the label where you live is the one that applies.
Beta: the medication section is still being tested, and its data may contain errors. Do not rely on it for a decision about your own treatment.
Loperamide is an opioid receptor agonist that acts on the gut wall, slowing intestinal transit so that more water is reabsorbed and stools become firmer. At normal use it barely enters the brain, so it does not produce opioid effects centrally. It is a treatment for acute non-infectious diarrhoea; in India it is a Schedule H medicine under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, dispensed only on a doctor's prescription.
A usual adult range, not a national label — the dose and the timing differ by country and by product.
Approved uses differ by country — some of these may be off-label or unapproved where you live.
It can be taken with or without food, but only for short courses: prolonging use masks a problem rather than resolving it. It is not appropriate for infectious diarrhoea, where slowing the bowel traps the organism and can make matters worse — fever or blood in the stool points that way. Loperamide can prolong the QT interval on the ECG, which matters when it is combined with other QT-prolonging medicines or when heart rhythm is already a concern, and this risk rises sharply if the usual amount is exceeded.
See a doctor if diarrhoea persists beyond a couple of days, or if there is fever, blood or mucus in the stool, severe abdominal pain, bloating, or palpitations, fainting or an irregular heartbeat.
Reference information, not medical advice. Discuss any change with your doctor.