Imodium
Meaning of Imodium: Loperamide, marketed as Imodium, slows intestinal movement to treat diarrhea by allowing more fluid to be absorbed from the stool.
Definition of Imodium
Imodium is a brand name for loperamide, a medication used to treat diarrhea. Loperamide acts on receptors in the wall of the intestine that are related to the receptors opioid pain medications act on, but at typical doses it works mainly within the gut and does not produce the effects on the brain associated with opioid pain relievers.
By acting on these receptors, loperamide slows the muscular contractions that move contents through the intestine. This slower transit allows more time for water to be absorbed from the stool, which reduces the frequency of bowel movements and produces firmer stool.
Loperamide is used for both short term, acute diarrhea and certain longer term diarrheal conditions, and it is available without a prescription in standard doses, though it is generally not used when diarrhea is accompanied by high fever or blood in the stool, since these features can suggest an infection where slowing the gut may not be appropriate.
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Used in a sentence
Loperamide was used to help manage the patient's acute diarrhea.
Good to know
Loperamide acts mainly within the intestine at typical doses rather than on the brain, which distinguishes its effects from those of opioid medications used for pain despite acting on a related receptor.