User:Luox3457/Antimotility agent

Antimotility agents are used primarily to alleviate symptoms of diarrhea by decreasing intestinal motility. Electrolytes and water that would have been rapidly voided from the body have more time to be absorbed. Antimotility agents include loperamide (Imodium), diphenoxylate with atropine (Lomotil), and opiates such as paregoric, tincture of opium, codeine, and morphine. Concurrent use of loperamide and simethicone has been shown to produce a synergistic effect for relief of symptoms associated with diarrhea. In diarrhea caused by invasive pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter, the use of such agents has generally been strongly discouraged due to prolonged retention of pathogenic bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract, which may lead to development of clinical complications. However, evidence is lacking that use of antimotility agents cause harm when combined with antibiotics in Clostridium difficile cases of diarrhea. Use of antimotility agents in children and the elderly has also been discouraged in treatment of EHEC (Shiga-like toxin producing Escherichia coli) due to increased rate of hemolytic-uremic syndrome.