Oklahoma Mother Believes Anti-Diarrheal Medication Killed Daughter

Despite the opioid crisis in America, there's actually one, News 9 found, that you can buy right off the shelf. It's the anti-diarrheal medication Imodium AD, and as one Oklahoma family found out, it can be deadly.

“Always laughing, kind of the hit of the party,” Cindy McReynolds said about her daughter Elizabeth.

McReynolds holds a blanket filled with pictures of her daughter. She had it made for her granddaughter to remember her mom.

“She loved her daughter very much,” she said.

Elizabeth died two years ago at the age 29, and at first her family couldn't understand why.

“She died from taking diarrhea medicine, you know, we were in shock,” McReynolds said.

The young mother suffered from irritable bowel syndrome and was taking a prescribed medication. However, when she lost her job, she started self-medicating with Imodium AD.

“She had a box of it in her purse all the time,” she said.

Loperamide is a low-grade opioid and the main ingredient in Imodium AD. McReynold’s believed her daughter slowly became addicted to the over the counter drug which ultimately caused her death. Now, she wants the see the drug regulated and put behind the counter.

“I would feel like her death wasn't for not you know if we could get some kind of ban on this and knowing that it might save somebody's life in the long run,” she said. “Then I guess the sting wouldn't be so bad.”

Representative Cyndi Munson filed House Bill 3067, to regulate the over-the-counter drug. However, the bill didn't receive a hearing and is dead for this session. But Rep. Munson isn't giving up and plans to work on it during the interim and next session.