Antidiarrheals like loperamide and diphenoxalate atropine are medications that increase the absorption of fluids and electrolytes in the intestines to treat diarrhea. In this mnemonic video we'll cover important facts about antidiarrheals so you'll be ready come test day. As a janitor, I'm used to cleaning up messes but I wasn't expecting to have to clean up something like this today.
I apologize for the gross image, but trust me, the way I need to clean up this diarrhea is going to help you remember that this video is about anti-diarrheals. Get it? Cleaning up diarrhea for anti-diarrheals.
Let's start with the most common anti-diarrheal drug names. Like I said, I wasn't planning on this bathroom disaster, so I wore a nice pair of loafers to work. I should have known better.
I am a janitor, after all. I hope I can get this poop off my loafers. Let these loafers symbolize the drug names loperamide.
Loafer for loperamide, okay? Loperamide is often referred to by its brand name, Imodium, but remember that the NCLEX will use the generic name of loperamide. Just remember me cleaning diarrhea off my loafer to remember that loperamide is an anti-diarrheal. In order to really clean my loafer, I had to take it all the way off my foot. Now the trick is going to be to try to keep my sock clean, especially because they are my favorite tropical dolphin socks.
These tropical dolphin socks are our symbol for the combination drug diphenoxalate atropine. Dolphin socks for diphenoxalate, get it? And the tropics are our recurring symbol for atropine.
The combination of diphenoxalate and atropine, also called lamotyl, can be used to treat diarrhea. Finally, as you might have already guessed from my surroundings, the job of anti-diarrheals is to treat or stop diarrhea. Both of the anti-diarrheals we just covered are synthetic opiates that bind to the opiate receptors in the gut. As you probably already know, opioids cause constipation as a side effect when given for pain. However, in this case, that side effect of constipation is actually being harnessed as a primary effect in order to slow down bowel movements to treat diarrhea.
Note that despite being opioids, neither of these drugs are controlled substances because they are metabolized quickly and have a low abuse potential. It's also important to note that while these antidiarrheals will increase the frequency and liquidity of the stool, it doesn't actually address the underlying cause. So, if the diarrhea is due to a bacterial infection, antibiotics would also be necessary to actually cure the diarrhea.
Make sense? Alright, that's it for this mnemonic. Let's recap.
Antidiarrheals include the drugs loperamide and diphenoxalate atropine. These drugs are used to treat diarrhea by reducing the frequency and liquidity of stool. And now we're actually done with anti-diarrheals. I better get back to work, but I'll see you next time.