FIRST-LINE TREATMENT IN ACUTE NON-DYSENTERIC DIARRHEA - CLINICAL COMPARISON OF LOPERAMIDE OXIDE, LOPERAMIDE AND PLACEBO

The use of antimicrobial agents for the treatment of acute diarrhoea h as become more common with the introduction of quinolone compounds, wh ich are active against most types of bacterial pathogens, Despite the fact that such drugs have been used for empirical therapy or even for prophylaxis, current opinion would restrict their use to specific grou ps of patients who are likely to show particular benefit from them. No n-specific therapy seems a more appropriate initial treatment for case s of acute, non-dysenteric diarrhoea, Clinical trial data are presente d here comparing the effects of loperamide oxide 1 and 2 mg to those o f placebo and loperamide 2 mg in this condition, All the drug preparat ions were significantly superior to placebo, in particular reducing th e time to complete relief of symptoms to about 24 hours, as opposed to 45 hours on placebo treatment. Of these preparations, loperamide oxid e 1 mg is to be preferred, as it produces fewer constipation-like epis odes after treatment. The introduction of loperamide oxide 1 mg repres ents a useful advance in the non-specific treatment of acute, non-dyse nteric diarrhoea.