Loperamide Hydrochloride

• Cases of Torsades de Pointes, cardiac arrest, and death have been reported with the use of a higher than recommended dosages of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules (see WARNINGS and OVERDOSAGE).

• Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules is contraindicated in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).
• Avoid Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules dosages higher than recommended in adults and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older due to the risk of serious cardiac adverse reactions (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules (loperamide hydrochloride) is indicated for the control and symptomatic relief of acute nonspecific diarrhea in patients 2 years of age and older and of chronic diarrhea in adults associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules is also indicated for reducing the volume of discharge from ileostomies.

Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules is contraindicated in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age due to the risks of respiratory depression and serious cardiac adverse reactions (see

Avoid Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules dosages higher than recommended in adult or pediatric patients 2 years of age and older due to the risk of serious cardiac adverse reactions (See

(1 capsule = 2 mg)

Patients should receive appropriate fluid and electrolyte replacement as needed.

Acute Diarrhea

Two to five years (13 to 20 kg): 1 mg three times daily (3 mg total daily dosage) Six to eight years (20 to 30 kg): 2 mg twice daily. (4 mg total daily dosage)

Eight to twelve years (greater than 30kg): 2 mg three times daily (6 mg total daily dosage)

Following the first treatment day, it is recommended that subsequent Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules doses (1 mg/10 kg body weight) be administered only after a loose stool. The total daily dosage should not exceed recommended dosages for the first day.

Chronic Diarrhea

Adults

'The recommended initial dose is 4 mg (two capsules) followed by 2 mg (one capsule) after each unformed stool until diarrhea is controlled, after which the dosage of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules should be reduced to meet individual requirements. When the optimal daily dosage has been established, this amount may then be administered as a single dose or in divided doses. The average daily maintenance dosage in clinical trials was 4 to 8 mg (two to four capsules per day). The maximum daily dosage is 16 mg (eight capsules per day). If clinical improvement is not observed after treatment with 16 mg per day for at least 10 days, symptoms are unlikely to be controlled by further administration. Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules administration may be continued if diarrhea cannot be adequately controlled with diet or specific treatment.

Elderly

No formal pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in elderly subjects. However, there were no major differences reported in the drug disposition in elderly patients with diarrhea relative to young patients. No dose adjustment is required for the elderly.

In general, elderly patients may be more susceptible to drug-associated effects of the QT interval. Avoid Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules in elderly patients taking drugs that can result in prolongation of the QT interval (for example, Class IA or III antiarrhythmics) or in patients with risk factors for Torsades de Pointes (see

Renal Impairment

No pharmacokinetic data are available in patients with renal impairment. Since the metabolites and the unchanged drug are mainly excreted in the feces, no dosage adjustment is required for patients with renal impairment (see

Hepatic Impairment

The pharmacokinetics of loperamide have not been studied in patients with hepatic impairment.

Use Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules with caution in such patients because the systemic exposure may be increased due to reduced metabolism (see 

The adverse effects reported during clinical investigations of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules (loperamide hydrochloride) are difficult to distinguish from symptoms associated with the diarrheal syndrome. Adverse experiences recorded during clinical studies with Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules were generally of a minor and self-limiting nature. They were more commonly observed during the treatment of chronic diarrhea.

The adverse events reported are summarized irrespective of the causality assessment of the investigators.

1) Adverse events from 4 placebo-controlled studies in patients with acute diarrhea The adverse events with an incidence of 1.0% or greater, which were reported at least as often in patients on loperamide hydrochloride as on placebo, are presented in the table below.

The adverse events with an incidence of 1.0% or greater, which were more frequently reported in patients on placebo than on loperamide hydrochloride, were: dry mouth, flatulence, abdominal cramp and colic.

2) Adverse events from 20 placebo-controlled studies in patients with chronic diarrhea The adverse events with an incidence of 1.0% or greater, which were reported at least as often in patients on loperamide hydrochloride as on placebo, are presented below in the table below.

The adverse events with an incidence of 1.0% or greater, which were more frequently reported in patients on placebo than on loperamide hydrochloride were: nausea, vomiting, headache, meteorism, abdominal pain, abdominal cramp and colic.

3) Adverse events from seventy-six controlled and uncontrolled studies in patients with acute or chronic diarrhea The adverse events with an incidence of 1.0% or greater in patients from all studies are given in the table below.

    a. All patients in all studies, including those in which it was not specified if the adverse events occurred in patients with acute or chronic diarrhea.

The following adverse events have been reported:

QT/QTc interval prolongation, Torsades de Pointes, other ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, syncope, and death (see

Rash, pruritus, urticaria, and angioedema and extremely rare cases bullous eruption including erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis have been reported with use of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules.

Isolated occurrences of allergic reactions and in some cases severe hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylactic shock and anaphylactoid reactions have been reported with the use of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules.

Dry mouth, abdominal pain, distention or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, dyspepsia, constipation, paralytic ileus, megacolon; including toxic megacolon (see

Urinary retention

Drowsiness, dizziness

Tiredness

A number of the adverse events reported during the clinical investigations and post-marketing experience with loperamide are frequent symptoms of the underlying diarrheal syndrome (abdominal pain/discomfort, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, tiredness, drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, and flatulence). These symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from undesirable drug effects.

Concomitant use of Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules with inhibitors of CYP3A4 (e.g., itraconazole) or CYP2C8 (e.g., gemfibrozil) or inhibitors of P-glycoprotein (e.g., quinidine, ritonavir) can increase exposure to loperamide. The increased systemic exposure to loperamide may increase a risk for cardiac adverse reactions especially in patients who are taking multiple CYP enzyme inhibitors, or in patients with underlying cardiac conditions (see

CYP3A4 Inhibitors

Concomitant administration of multiple doses of 100 mg itraconazole twice daily, an inhibitor of both CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, with a single 4-mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride increased the peak plasma concentration and the systemic exposure to loperamide by 2.9-fold and 3.8-fold, respectively.

CYP2C8 Inhibitors

When a single 4-mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride was co-administered with 600 mg gemfibrozil, a strong inhibitor of CYP2C8, on day 3 of a 5-day treatment with gemfibrozil twice daily, the mean peak plasma concentration and the systemic exposure to loperamide was increased by 1.6-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively.

CYP3A4 and CYP2C8 Inhibitors

When multiple doses of both 100 mg itraconazole and 600 mg gemfibrozil twice daily were administered with a single 4-mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride, the mean peak plasma concentration and the systemic exposure to loperamide was increased by 4.2-fold and 12.6-fold, respectively.

P-glycoprotein Inhibitors

Concomitant administration of a 16 mg single dose of loperamide hydrochloride with a 600 mg single dose of quinidine or ritonavir, both of which are P-glycoprotein inhibitors, resulted in a 2- to 3-fold increase in loperamide plasma concentrations. Due to the potential for enhanced CNS adverse reactions when loperamide is co-administered with quinidine and with ritonavir, caution should be exercised when Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules USP, 2 mg is administered at the recommended dosages (2 mg, up to 16 mg maximum daily dose) with P-glycoprotein inhibitors.

When a single 16-mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride is coadministered with a 600 mg single dose of saquinavir, loperamide decreased saquinavir exposure by 54%, which may be of clinical relevance due to reduction of therapeutic efficacy of saquinavir. The effect of saquinavir on loperamide is of less clinical significance. Therefore, when Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsules is given with saquinavir, the therapeutic efficacy of saquinavir should be closely monitored.