Loperamide Hydrochloride 2 mg Capsule, 10-count — NDC 55154-5585-0 (Billing 55154-5585-00)

WARNINGS Cardiac Adverse Reactions, Including Torsades de Pointes and Sudden Death Cases of prolongation of the QT/QTc interval, Torsades de Pointes, other ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, some resulting in death, have been reported in adults with use of higher than recommended doses per day of loperamide hydrochloride capsules. Cases include patients who were abusing or misusing loperamide hydrochloride (see OVERDOSAGE and DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE ). Cases of syncope and ventricular tachycardia have been reported in adult patients receiving the recommended dosage of loperamide hydrochloride capsules.

Some of these patients were taking other drugs or had other risk factors that may have increased their risk of cardiac adverse reactions. Additionally, postmarketing cases of cardiac arrest, syncope, and respiratory depression have been reported in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age. Loperamide hydrochloride capsules are contraindicated in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age due to the risks of respiratory depression and serious cardiac adverse reactions.

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 and OVERDOSAGE ). Avoid loperamide hydrochloride capsules in: • combination with others drugs or herbal products that are known to prolong the QT interval, including Class 1A (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) or Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmics, antipsychotics (e.g., chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, ziprasidone), antibiotics (e.g., moxifloxacin), or any other drug known to prolong the QT interval (e.g., pentamidine, levomethadyl acetate, methadone). • patients with risk factors for QT prolongation, including patients with congenital long QT syndrome, with a history of cardiac arrhythmias or other cardiac conditions, elderly patients and those with electrolyte abnormalities.

Dehydration Fluid and electrolyte depletion often occur in patients who have diarrhea. In such cases, administration of appropriate fluid and electrolytes is very important. The use of loperamide hydrochloride capsules does not preclude the need for appropriate fluid and electrolyte therapy.

Gastrointestinal Disorders In general, loperamide hydrochloride capsules should not be used when inhibition of peristalsis is to be avoided due to the possible risk of significant sequelae including ileus, megacolon and toxic megacolon. Loperamide hydrochloride capsules must be discontinued promptly when constipation, abdominal distention or ileus develop. Treatment of diarrhea with loperamide hydrochloride capsules is only symptomatic.

Whenever an underlying etiology can be determined, specific treatment should be given when appropriate (or when indicated). Patients with AIDS treated with loperamide hydrochloride capsules for diarrhea should have therapy stopped at the earliest signs of abdominal distention. There have been isolated reports of toxic megacolon in AIDS patients with infectious colitis from both viral and bacterial pathogens treated with loperamide hydrochloride.

Variability in Pediatric Response Loperamide hydrochloride capsules should be used with special caution in pediatric patients because of the greater variability of response in this age group. Dehydration, particularly in pediatric patients less than 6 years of age, may further influence the variability of response to loperamide hydrochloride capsules. Loperamide hydrochloride capsules are contraindicated in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age due to the risks of respiratory depression and serious cardiac adverse reactions.

ADVERSE REACTIONS Clinical Trial Experience The adverse effects reported during clinical investigations of loperamide hydrochloride capsules 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. Acute Diarrhea Loperamide Hydrochloride Placebo No. of treated patients 231 236 Gastrointestinal AE% Constipation 2.6% 0.8% 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 in the table below. Chronic Diarrhea Loperamide Hydrochloride Placebo No. of treated patients 285 277 Gastrointestinal AE% Constipation 5.3% 0.0% Central and peripheral nervous system AE% Dizziness 1.4% 0.7% 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 76 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. Acute Diarrhea Chronic Diarrhea All Studies 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. No. of treated patients 1913 1371 3740 Gastrointestinal AE% Nausea 0.7% 3.2% 1.8% Constipation 1.6% 1.9% 1.7% Abdominal cramps 0.5% 3.0% 1.4% Postmarketing Experience The following adverse events have been reported: Cardiac Disorders: QT/QTc-interval prolongation, Torsades de Pointes, other ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, syncope, and death (see WARNINGS and OVERDOSAGE ).

Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Rash, pruritus, urticaria, angioedema, and extremely rare cases of bullous eruption including erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis have been reported with use of loperamide hydrochloride capsules. Immune System Disorders: 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.

Gastrointestinal Disorders: Dry mouth, abdominal pain, distention or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, dyspepsia, constipation, paralytic ileus, megacolon; including toxic megacolon (see CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS ). Renal and Urinary Disorders: Urinary retention Nervous System Disorders: Drowsiness, dizziness General Disorders and Administrative Site Conditions: Tiredness A number of the adverse events reported during the clinical investigations and postmarketing 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.

Drug Interactions Effects of Other Drugs on Loperamide 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 WARNINGS ). Monitor patients for cardiac adverse reactions.

CYP3A4 Inhibitors Itraconazole 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 Gemfibrozil When a single 4 mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride was coadministered 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 coadministered with quinidine and with ritonavir, caution should be exercised when loperamide hydrochloride capsules are administered at the recommended dosages (2 mg, up to 16 mg maximum daily dose) with P-glycoprotein inhibitors. Effects of Loperamide on Other Drugs Saquinavir 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 are given with saquinavir, the therapeutic efficacy of saquinavir should be closely monitored.

PRECAUTIONS General Allergic Reactions Extremely rare allergic reactions including anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock have been reported. Hepatic Impairment The effects of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of loperamide have not been studied. Use loperamide hydrochloride capsules with caution in such patients because the systemic exposure to loperamide may be increased due to reduced metabolism.

Monitor patients with hepatic impairment closely for signs of central nervous system (CNS) toxicity. Renal Impairment No pharmacokinetic data are available in patients with renal impairment. Since it has been reported that the majority of the drug is metabolized and metabolites or the unchanged drug are excreted mainly in the feces, dosage adjustments in patients with renal impairment are not required.

Geriatric Use No formal studies have been conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of loperamide in elderly subjects. However, in two studies that enrolled elderly patients, there were no major differences in the drug disposition in elderly patients with diarrhea relative to young patients. In general, elderly patients may be more susceptible to drug-associated effects on 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 WARNINGS ). Information for Patients Advise patients: • to take loperamide hydrochloride capsules at the prescribed dosage. Use of a higher than prescribed dosage is not recommended (see WARNINGS ).

Report to a healthcare facility if you or someone you are caring for taking loperamide hydrochloride capsules experiences a fainting episode, a rapid or irregular heartbeat or becomes unresponsive. • with acute diarrhea, that if clinical improvement is not observed in 48 hours, discontinue loperamide hydrochloride capsules and contact their healthcare provider. • to contact their healthcare provider if they see blood in their stools, or if they develop a fever or abdominal distention. • to use caution when driving a car or operating machinery, as tiredness, dizziness, or drowsiness may occur in the setting of diarrheal syndromes treated with loperamide hydrochloride capsules (see ADVERSE REACTIONS ). • to tell their healthcare provider about all the medications they are taking, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbal supplements, especially if they take Class 1A (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) or Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmics, antipsychotics (e.g., chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, ziprasidone), antibiotics (e.g., moxifloxacin), or any other drug known to prolong the QT interval (e.g., pentamidine, levomethadyl acetate, methadone).

Drug Interactions Effects of Other Drugs on Loperamide 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 WARNINGS ). Monitor patients for cardiac adverse reactions.

CYP3A4 Inhibitors Itraconazole 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 Gemfibrozil When a single 4 mg dose of loperamide hydrochloride was coadministered 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 concent… [Excerpted — this section continues on DailyMed.]

DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE Controlled Substance Loperamide is not a controlled substance. Abuse Loperamide is a mu-opioid agonist. A human abuse potential study of loperamide hydrochloride at single doses up to 60 mg (3.75 times the recommended maximum adult dosage of 16 mg per day) was compared, in a double-blind cross-over design using nine subjects who had been active opiate users, to a threshold dose of codeine sulfate at 120 mg (96 mg base) or placebo.

This resulted in one subject (11%) feeling a drug on placebo and identifying it as "dope" (heroin) and liking it slightly. Codeine was felt by 56% of subjects and identified as "dope" by 44%. Loperamide was felt by 44% of subjects and identified as "dope" by 11% and possibly dope mixed with some other kind of drug by another 22%.

Loperamide abuse and misuse have been reported, especially at doses of 60 mg or greater. Loperamide can have greater CNS opioid effects at higher doses or with coadministration of drugs that increase systemic exposure and/or increase CNS penetration of loperamide (through inhibition of the CYP450 enzyme system or inhibition of P-glycoprotein). Loperamide is primarily being misused for relief from opioid withdrawal, and abused by a few users who obtain some (reportedly mild-moderate) level of euphoria.

Dependence In animals, parenteral administration of loperamide hydrochloride can cause physical dependence, cross-tolerance to opioids, and all the other pharmacologic effects typical of mu-opioid agonists. Studies in morphine-dependent monkeys demonstrated that loperamide hydrochloride at doses above those recommended for humans prevented signs of morphine withdrawal.