FIELD REFERENCE
Full criteria & treatment guidance
Indications
- Diarrhea relief under the actual Imodium A-D caplet/tablet label in the FS-ARN setting.
Contraindications & local exclusions
- The cited Imodium A-D tablet label excludes prior loperamide allergic reaction and bloody/black stool.
Precautions
- Fever, mucus in stool, liver disease and abnormal rhythm require medical advice. Excess dosing can cause serious cardiac harm; stop and seek advice for worsening symptoms, diarrhea beyond 2 days or abdominal swelling.
- These are selected safety checks, not a complete prescribing monograph. Product labeling and OCEMS authorization answer different questions; confirm the actual product, patient population and applicable order.
Scope & authority
- FS-ARN scope only; this listing is not a general ALS/BLS administration order.
- SO-F-02 supplies no pediatric field regimen.
Adult / adolescent
- SO-F-02 permits an authorized Fire Service RN to maintain this listed OTC product/category while functioning in the fire-service role. It is made available to firefighting personnel without a known allergy to the product.
- Use this medication only for the indications and doses printed on its container. OCEMS does not publish a universal dose for this product. Eligible personnel must obtain the medication from its container without assistance.
Pediatric
- SO-F-02 applies to adult and adolescent fire-service personnel. It does not authorize pediatric 9-1-1 dosing, and this page does not add consumer pediatric doses.
- Do not convert a package’s consumer pediatric directions into OCEMS field authority. Use an applicable pediatric standing order or medical direction for a child requiring care.
Pediatric dosing availability
- SO-F-02 supplies no pediatric 9-1-1 dosing or administration authority. This page does not add consumer pediatric doses.
| Weight | OCEMS pediatric dose |
|---|---|
| Any weight | No general OCEMS pediatric dose is listed; follow the applicable order or medical direction. |
Use, monitoring & documentation
- Identify the exact product, active ingredients, strength, and label before use; products in a named OTC category can have different formulations.
- Follow the product’s labeled indications, exclusions, dose, and interval within the authorized program. The absence of an EMS numerical dose here is intentional: SO-F-02 delegates those details to the product label.
UNDERSTAND THE CARE
Verify the selected loperamide product
Confirm the exact product, strength and label and assess whether the complaint fits that label within the program. The brand example does not supply a general pediatric or emergency-field antidiarrheal regimen. Record the amount already taken rather than relying on a tablet count without strength. The linked OCEMS document establishes the program context; a product-specific label answers a different question about the selected preparation.
Applying the guidance
Confirm that the person and setting fit the FS-ARN program before using the supply listing. Then reconcile the container, ingredients, strength, route and label with the intended use and document what was actually used. If the exact product is not established, retain that uncertainty rather than filling the gap with a consumer dose from another formulation. The pediatric limitation remains explicit.
Diagram text & teaching checkpoints
- Program
- Eligible FS-ARN setting and personnel.
- Identity
- Exact product, ingredients and formulation.
- Label
- Current directions, allergy and exclusions.
- Record
- Product and actual amount; no invented pediatric regimen.
Sources for this explanation
Original OCMedic teaching synthesis of the references below. Educational expansion updated ; this is not a new independent clinical-review date. Source-specific dates and limitations remain in the full guidance.
A symptom request still needs a label check
Before selecting the product, obtain the actual name, strength and amount already taken. A tablet count without the strength cannot establish prior exposure. Compare the symptom history and recent use with the current container’s restrictions; the named Imodium A-D example does not establish instructions for every product sold under a similar brand.
The listed program permits access to the OTC supply under SO-F-02, not treatment of every cause of diarrhea. Keep the label’s reasons to stop self-treatment or seek medical advice visible. The warning signs summarized above should not be buried beneath an attractive dosing or preparation graphic.
For example, a responder asking for repeated doses because symptoms are continuing needs a review of duration, associated symptoms and the label, rather than an assumption that another dose is appropriate. If clinical assessment is needed, use the appropriate care pathway. There is no pediatric 9-1-1 regimen to calculate from this supply-list entry.
Source: Over the Counter (OTC) Medications.