Loperamide Hcl
Brand names: Loperamide
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 421,165
- Medicare drug cost
- $8.1M
- Average cost per prescription
- $19.23
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 18,898
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Loperamide hydrochloride capsules are 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.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: TORSADES DE POINTES AND SUDDEN DEATH Cases of Torsades de Pointes, cardiac arrest, and death have been reported with the use of a higher than recommended dosages of loperamide hydrochloride (see WARNINGS and OVERDOSAGE). Loperamide hydrochloride is contraindicated in pediatric patients less than 2 years of age (see CONTRANIDICATIONS). Avoid loperamide hydrochloride 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).
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Nurse Practitioners 24.4%
- Internal Medicine 24.0%
- Family Medicine 23.0%
- Physician Assistants 6.7%
- Gastroenterology 5.8%
- Hematology & Oncology 4.5%
- Geriatric Medicine 2.3%
- Medical Oncology 1.8%
- General Practice 1.5%
- Infectious Disease 0.8%
- Colorectal Surgery 0.6%
- Emergency Medicine 0.6%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 38% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- South Carolina +82%
- Georgia +68%
- Alabama +60%
- Texas +60%
- North Carolina +56%
- Puerto Rico (smallest change) −40%
- Oklahoma (smallest change) +11%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Advanced Rx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | green oval tablet, 10 mm, scored to split in 2 | 44 375 |
Atlantic Biologicals Corp.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mg | green solution | |
Better Living Brands, LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | green oval tablet, 10 mm, scored to split in 2 | 44 375 |
Cvs Woonsocket Prescription Center, Incorporated
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mg | green solution | |
Direct_rx
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | brown capsule, 14 mm | 2 LOP |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Apr 2022 · McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. Corporate Office · Class II
cGMP deviations: Temperature abuse
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.