Who can take loperamide
Loperamide is available to buy without a prescription for:
- anyone aged 12 years or over with short-term diarrhoea
- adults (18 years or over) with short-term diarrhoea caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but only if a doctor has diagnosed IBS – if you're not sure whether you have IBS, talk to your doctor
It's available on prescription only for:
- children aged 11 years or under
- adults with long-lasting diarrhoea
Important: Younger children
Only give loperamide to children aged 11 years or under if their doctor prescribes it.
Who may not be able to take loperamide
Loperamide is not suitable for some people.
Do not take loperamide if you:
- have severe diarrhoea after taking antibiotics
- are having a flare-up of an inflammatory bowel condition like ulcerative colitis
- are constipated or your stomach looks swollen
Talk to your doctor before taking loperamide if you:
- have ever had an allergic reaction to loperamide or any other medicine
- have had diarrhoea for more than 48 hours
- have HIV and your stomach becomes swollen
- have liver problems
- have blood in your poo and a high temperature – these can be signs of dysentery
- are trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant or you're breastfeeding
If you have diarrhoea and IBS, talk to your doctor before taking loperamide if you:
- are aged 40 years or over and it's some time since your last IBS attack, or if your symptoms are different this time
- have recently had blood in your poo (your poo might be bright red or black)
- get bad constipation
- are feeling or being sick
- have lost your appetite or lost weight
- have a high temperature
- have trouble peeing or find peeing painful
- have recently travelled abroad – you may have picked up a stomach bug