Lope is loperamide, which comes in 2 mg tablets . . . it was invented by Dr Paul Janssen at the eponymous pharmaceutical company in the early 1960s and became available in Europe and made a US CSA 1970 Schedule II Narcotic controlled substance in 1973, the USA in May1976, where it was moved to Schedule V in July 1978, and decontrolled in April 1982. It is a 4-phenylpiperidine synthetic opioid related to pethidine, alphaprodine, piritramide, isomethadone, and normethadone. High doses cause central narcotic effects including euphoria and analgesia, but it is known to cause cardiac arrhythmias and may have a connexion to some types of anaemia. It can arguably be called a substituted prodine, and like many but not all 4-phenylpiperidine opioids has neurotoxic metabolites which can accumulate -- one of these is LPP, which is the loperamide analogue of MPTP, the Parkinsons-inducing impurity found in attempted and in some cases ostensibly successful synthesis of MPPP or desmethylprodine.
So 200 mg a day is not good -- also let him know that the loperamide is blunting the physical and mental and other effects of the other narcotics in a fashion not unlike that of methadone, so jettisoning the loperamide may very well be easier than he expects. If he actually likes the feeling of loperamide compared to other narcotics, there are the other two members of its chemical and structural subfamily, diphenoxylate (Lomotil) and difenoxin (Motofen, Lyspafen) which have a more favourable CNS : peripheral : digestive system actions ratio and have a steeper dose-response curve and enter the CNS more readily -- cimetidine and omeprazole and a more direct potentiator like promethazine, hydroxyzine, cyclizine, or meclozine will stretch out a supply and make what he takes work better, then the gradual or stepwise reduction can begin.
Compared to loperamide and other narcotics of that type, morphine has very low toxicity an is extremely useful as can be seen in the fact that it was the main treatment for hypertension before the invention of beta blockers, allergies (along with Bolivian Marching Powder and speed) before the antihistamines, depression and anxiety before the psych meds of today came into use, and has never realy been replaced as an analgesic, anti-diarrhoeal, or antitussive action, the improvements on the latter are all narcotics . . .
Most of the natural and semi-synthetic opioids share the low relative toxicity of morphine, which can allow the habitués and addicts not only to lead a relatively productive lives but, provided that normal measures are taken for other things like nutrition and so forth, have a decent chance of adding to the user's lifespan . . . narcotic habituation careers measured in decades are well known, and the longest one amongst people I know was 101 years and 10 months on morphine; I'm about halfway there myself and I have had family members injured in combat or when fighting fires who are also on things like morphine, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, dihydromorphine &c and have been on narcotics round the clock for up to 65 years.
