Who can and cannot 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

Only give loperamide to children aged 11 years or under if their doctor prescribes it.

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