Eluxadoline Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Eluxadoline Tablet (generic name: eluxadoline) is a prescription medicine used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) in adults. It belongs to a class of medicines called peripheral opioid receptor mixed agonists/antagonists and is classified as a controlled substance because it acts on opioid receptors and has some potential for abuse. It works by acting on receptors in the gut to slow bowel activity and reduce pain sensitivity, helping to ease diarrhea and abdominal pain, though it does not cure IBS-D.

What is Eluxadoline Tablet

Eluxadoline is a prescription tablet used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) in adults. It is a controlled substance because it acts on opioid receptors and has some potential for abuse.

Eluxadoline Tablet uses

• Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D)
• Recurrent diarrhea associated with IBS-D
• Abdominal discomfort associated with IBS-D
• Urgent bowel movements associated with IBS-D
• Frequent loose stools associated with IBS-D

Benefits of Eluxadoline Tablet

• Can reduce diarrhea symptoms such as loose or watery stools
• May help reduce abdominal pain
• Can improve stool consistency, frequency, and urgency of bowel movements
• May improve overall quality of life related to IBS-D symptoms

How Eluxadoline Tablet works

Eluxadoline works on receptors in the gut to slow down bowel activity and reduce sensitivity to pain, which helps ease diarrhea and stomach pain from IBS-D. It is not a cure, so symptoms can come back about a week after stopping the medicine.

Eluxadoline Tablet dosage

Take by mouth with food, twice daily, at around the same times every day. Follow your prescription label and your doctor's instructions exactly; do not take more, less, or more often than prescribed.

You may take loperamide occasionally for severe diarrhea while on this medicine, but stop loperamide right away if you become constipated. Continue your normal diet unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, with food; but if it's almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal schedule — do not double up.

People 65 and older or those with certain health conditions may be started on a lower dose by their doctor.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet (75 mg)
• Tablet (100 mg)

Side effects of Eluxadoline Tablet

Common

• Constipation
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Gas
• Sleepiness/drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Serious

• New or worsening stomach pain that may spread to the back or shoulder, with or without nausea and vomiting (possible sign of pancreatitis or sphincter of Oddi spasm)
• Severe constipation or constipation lasting more than 4 days
• Allergic reaction: hives, swelling of face or throat, shortness of breath, throat tightness, chest pain or tightness, or difficulty swallowing or breathing

Warnings and precautions

• Do not take this medicine if you do not have a gallbladder, as it significantly raises the risk of serious pancreatitis, including cases that required hospitalization or caused death.
• Do not use this medicine if you have had a blocked bile duct, a sphincter of Oddi problem, pancreatitis or a pancreas blockage, long-lasting or severe constipation, a bowel blockage, or liver disease.
• This medicine is an opioid and can lead to psychological dependence or misuse. Use it only exactly as your doctor directs.
• Avoid taking this medicine together with drugs that can increase its levels in the blood, such as cyclosporine, or with other drugs that cause constipation, including opioids and certain anticholinergic medicines, unless your doctor says it's okay.
• Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported, sometimes after just the first or second dose.
• This medicine should not be used during pregnancy, as it has not been studied in pregnant women. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or become pregnant while taking it.
• This medicine should not be used while breastfeeding, since it is not known whether it passes into human breast milk (it has been found in the milk of nursing rats).
• Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease before taking this medicine.
• This medicine should not be used by people with liver disease, as it can build up to much higher, potentially unsafe levels in the body.
• This medicine should not be used by people with alcohol abuse or addiction, or who drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks a day, because it raises the risk of a serious pancreas problem. Limit alcohol use while taking this medicine and discuss safe use of alcohol with your doctor.
• This medicine may make you feel sleepy, dizzy, or tired. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how it affects you.

Storage

• Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children
• Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom)
• Store tablets at room temperature (15 to 30°C)
• Dispose of unneeded medication through a medicine take-back program rather than flushing it down the toilet
• Keep all medication out of sight and reach of children

When to see a doctor

• Stop taking this medicine and get medical help right away if you have new or worsening pain in your upper stomach that may spread to your back or shoulder, with or without nausea and vomiting — this can be a sign of a serious pancreas or bile duct problem.
• Stop taking this medicine and contact your doctor if you develop severe constipation that lasts more than 4 days.
• Get emergency medical help if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives, trouble breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• If you think you have taken too much of this medicine, contact your healthcare professional, go to a hospital emergency department, or contact your regional poison control center immediately, even if you have no symptoms.

Alternatives

• Loperamide
• Rifaximin