Loperamide

Reviewed on Jul 05, 2023. by Dr Daniel Atkinson GP Clinical Lead Registered with GMC (No. 4624794) Next review due on Jul 24, 2029.

Last updated on Jul 24, 2026.

Product info

Loperamide is a fast treatment for short-term diarrhoea.
It works by slowing down your bowels and making stools firmer.
It starts working within an hour.

Loperamide: essential info
Loperamide: instructions
Important stuff you need to know
FAQ

FAQ: Loperamide

Have something specific you want to know? Search our info below, or ask our experts a question if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

How is Loperamide different from other treatments for diarrhoea?

Answer:

You’ve got a few options when it comes to treating diarrhoea. Rehydration sachets are often used to treat short-term bouts. They replace your body’s natural salt and minerals that are lost when you have diarrhoea. These are available as both generic sachets that you can get in supermarkets and pharmacies, or branded versions like Dioralyte.

Loperamide treats diarrhoea in a different way. Antimotility medicines control the frequency of your bowel movements, which gives your stools a chance to become firmer. Other antimotility treatments for diarrhoea include Kaolin and Morphine Mixture, Lomotil (which contains diphenoxylate and atropine), and Imodium, which is a branded version of Loperamide.

Will Loperamide cause any side effects?

Answer:

Some of the most common side effects people get when using Loperamide are:

Headaches

Constipation

Nausea

Wind

Less common ones include:

Drowsiness

Dry mouth

Indigestion

Like all medications, the side effects people get vary person-to-person, and not everybody gets them.

If you develop symptoms like sudden facial swelling, an unusual rash, or skin blisters, you might need urgent medical attention as these are all signs of an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions need immediate medical attention, so you should head to your nearest hospital. Bringing your medication and its box with you will help staff get you the right treatment in a hurry.

The patient information leaflet (PIL) included with your medication contains a list of all the possible side effects you might develop, including allergic reactions.

How long does Loperamide take to work?

Answer:

Loperamide should start to work right away, usually within an hour of taking a capsule. For short-term bouts of diarrhoea, it’s recommended you take Loperamide for a maximum of 5 days. Generally, this should be enough time to treat your diarrhoea symptoms and allow your stools to become firm again.

If your symptoms don’t improve after 2 days, speak to a clinician. There might be an underlying cause of your loose stools that might need investigating further. Loperamide is sometimes prescribed for long-term management of diarrhoea — a clinician can advise you about taking the capsules to treat diarrhoea that doesn’t improve after a week.

How effective is Loperamide?

Answer:

Loperamide has been used medically since 1976,^[1] and is included in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ‘Essential Medicines List’. In a study that compared it to bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, loperamide was found to maintain control of diarrhoea for longer.^[2] It also treated diarrhoea faster, and more effectively.

Another study that measured its efficacy (how well it works) compared it again to bismuth subsalicylate, and a third antidiarrheal agent called diphenoxylate. Loperamide proved more effective at managing diarrhoea than both of the other antidiarrheals in the study.^[3]

Loperamide is generally prescribed for 1-2 days, which should be long enough to improve your symptoms. If your diarrhoea is caused by another condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn’s disease, you might need to take Loperamide for longer.

Do I need a prescription for Loperamide?

Answer:

Loperamide is a prescription-only medication. Before our clinicians write a prescription for you, they'll make sure Loperamide is safe and suitable for you to use.

Loperamide hydrochloride is sometimes classified differently when it’s included in branded medicines that are available over the counter. If you’re using a non-prescription medicine to manage your diarrhoea, you should make sure you know exactly what’s in it.

Treated trusted sources:

Sahi, Nidhi, et al. “Loperamide.” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 2023,
Dupont, Herberg L., et al. “Comparative Efficacy of Loperamide Hydrochloride and Bismuth Subsalicylate in the Management of Acute Diarrhoea.” The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 88, no. 6, June 1990, pp. S15–S19, https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(90)90270-n.
Ericsson, Charles D., and Philip C. Johnson. “Safety and Efficacy of Loperamide.” The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 88, no. 6, 20 June 1990, pp. S10–S14.

This is healthcare on your terms.

All from the comfort of your device. Get access to what you need, when you need it.

100% online

Ask questions and get expert recommendations, at the touch of a button.

Tailored choices

We'll narrow down some treatments for you to choose from based on your medical profile.

Express delivery

Receive your treatment by secure delivery, in discreet packaging.

Repeats made easy

Set your own delivery schedule and pause or make changes any time you like.

See how it works

Get to know our clinical team

They review our info and prescribe your treatments.

Dr Daniel Atkinson

GP Clinical Lead

Registered with GMC (No. 4624794)

Meet Daniel

Ms Sanjeda Chowdhury

Superintendent Pharmacist + Independent Prescriber

Registered with GPhC (No. 2202465)

Meet Sanjeda

Mr Craig Marsh

Independent Prescriber

Registered with GPhC (No. 2070724)

Meet Craig

Here’s what you had to say

Service reviews

4.48

Average rating based on 2297 reviews.

Our verification process

Rapid is the increder

Anonim Verified user Verified user on October 07, 2026

Works really well.

Anonym Verified user Verified user on October 05, 2026

Easy to use. Received answer in a timely matter.

Kelly Verified user Verified user on October 01, 2026

Professionelt og brugervenligt

Anonym Verified user Verified user on October 01, 2026

Top service ! Fast & efficient !

Eugen Verified user Verified user on September 29, 2026

See all our reviews

Perfect treatment and follow-up. I recommend it!

Anônimo

Good guidance. Great dialogues with the supervisor.

Harald

Treated is easy to navigate through. It made a significant difference to me to get access to the treatment quickly, safely, and convenienetly instead of waiting for months to go through the system. This has really impacted my life which was getting to a very uncomfortable point.

Sara

Quick and easy communication and help! I'll use it again

Claudia

Customer-friendly, service-oriented and excellent advice. I am extremely satisfied

Wilhelmina Antonia

I am satisfied, though, the orders and the treatment have also helped me a lot.

Anoniem

Very good

Anonim

Failed brilliantly

Maija

I am happy with how the communication is going, so that I have a question, it will be answered very quickly. The care is completely fine.

Marije

It is good that there is something like this

Karl-Heinz

Great and fast delivery

Marie

Great!!! Really good idea. Really feel like new

Sander

Everything was great I got what I already had back then without going to the dermatologist who told me anyway that would just be a deformity of my toenail... I also took out a subscription... I can recommend

Nancy

I am Very satisfied.

Claes

Very good response and good overall

Linda

Quick review of journal and shipping

Anonym

So the picture has already improved. After taking it, you don't notice anything for the first few weeks. The effect is evident later.

Anonym

I feel very well informed, the questionnaire is detailed and the feedback is timely. Thank you so much!

Anonym

This could not have been an easier process. You see, nobody knew I'd started smoking again --closet smoker----and one main dread was having a discussion with my family doctor or anyone finding out. My husband loves to check the mail and would have asked questions had the wrapping been obvious of the contents. There's nobody blasting my phone. And the cost is extremely reasonable.

Anonymous

Good to contact

Anonym

Great I've quit smoking and so far I'm doing good

Michele

Everything about the product and the order is well communicated.

Anne-Marie

Works fantastically well, I am very satisfied.

Anonym

Everything has been really good and I have nothing bad to say.

Anonyymi

Fast delivery and processing of orders

Torben

I love it. Best place for treatment. Thank you very much

Michele

Very satisfied. Great communication and fast action

Anoniem

Easy prescription and careful review of the information provided.

Anonym

Treated is a great option for obtaining medication if you are afraid to ask your own doctor. You also get the real stuff, not secretly refilled junk. I did discover one small disadvantage: they check whether the medication you already have fits what you want to order. There are only several people with the same name, so I got questions about drugs that I don't know at all.

Anoniem

Very reassuring framework

Anonym

Perfect service. Fast delivery. Great communication thumbs up

Lars

Very pleased with your service. Quick feedback when you have questions and good follow-up. Thank you!

Anonym

I am very happy to recommend it to others.

Csaba

Fast handling and good follow-up

Anne

Effective, from the eliberarea prescripției to the delivery of treatment.

Mirabela

Super responsive and quick.

Anonymous

Professional and efficient. Valid individual assessment

Anonym

As you choose, you will decrease the potential for lack

Anonim

Very nice treatment works perfectly

Anoniem

Very good service. Great accuracy and professional. They feel safe with you.

Cecilia

Exemplary response and fast delivery. Very satisfied!

Anonym

Super professionel og tryg behandling

Luna

very fast and well helped, and very fast delivery

Dick David

The process and quality of product was great, helped me a lot!

Anonymous

Give us the inbox treatment

We're making healthcare more about you. Sign up to our newsletter for personalised health articles that make a difference.

Loperamide isn’t available right now. But there is an alternative.

Try Imodium

OR Notify me

Loperamide

Product info

This is healthcare on your terms.

100% online

Tailored choices

Express delivery

Repeats made easy

Get to know our clinical team

Dr Daniel Atkinson

Ms Sanjeda Chowdhury

Mr Craig Marsh

Here’s what you had to say

Read more about Loperamide

Further reading

Best Ways to Treat Diarrhoea

Give us the inbox treatment

Loperamide

Product info

What is Loperamide?

How does Loperamide work?

What doses of Loperamide are there?

Treated trusted sources:

How to take Loperamide

Does Loperamide work right away?

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Loperamide?

Treated trusted sources:

FAQ: Loperamide

How is Loperamide different from other treatments for diarrhoea?

Will Loperamide cause any side effects?

How long does Loperamide take to work?

How effective is Loperamide?

Do I need a prescription for Loperamide?

Treated trusted sources:

How we reviewed this page:

This is healthcare on your terms.

100% online

Tailored choices

Express delivery

Repeats made easy

Get to know our clinical team

Dr Daniel Atkinson

Ms Sanjeda Chowdhury

Mr Craig Marsh

Here’s what you had to say

Read more about Loperamide

Further reading

Best Ways to Treat Diarrhoea

Give us the inbox treatment

Dr Daniel Atkinson

Choose your shipping location

Tell us about a problem

Sign up to our newsletter for all the latest on Diarrhoea and more.