Antibiotic Diarrhea Treatments
Diarrhea is usually a symptom that you are suffering from a disease (eg, gastroenteritis). Sometimes it is a sign of possible food poisoning. But today we will talk about diarrhea caused by antibiotics and how to treat it.
This is one of the reasons why you should always buy antibiotics only on prescription. As the article Basic concepts for the rational use of antibiotics in otorhinolaryngology points out, diarrhea is a side effect of certain antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, clindamycin, macrolides or penicillin. These drugs are quite aggressive with the gastrointestinal system.
Why does antibiotic-induced diarrhea occur?
The reason why antibiotics can cause diarrhea is their toxic effect on the intestines, as mentioned in the article Diarrhea caused by antibiotics.
These types of drugs alter the intestinal flora, causing the death of beneficial bacteria. Other microorganisms, such as the bacterium Clostridium difficile, multiply, causing diarrhea.
You can analyze many antibiotics to analyze the chance of suffering from diarrhea if you consume them. These elements (some of which we have already mentioned above) are clindamycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin and cephalosporins.
To determine if antibiotics are causing your diarrhea, it is important to see your doctor so that he or she can request appropriate tests. These consist of an analysis of the stool and, in the worst cases, a colonoscopy.
Symptoms and possible treatments
Although diarrhea can be a symptom of antibiotics, which can affect both children and adults and the elderly, it is much more common in the elderly.
In fact, diarrhea often occurs in people who have had abdominal surgery or are not on a very healthy diet. Below are the symptoms that are associated with antibiotic intake:
A person suffering from antibiotic-associated diarrhea should seek medical advice. If the situation is not serious, then the doctor will start a monitoring that will not consist, at any time, in stopping the use of antibiotics.
In other cases, your doctor may recommend that your prescription be replaced.
What happens if the diarrhea is severe? You can try to change the antibiotic. However, in extreme cases, the doctor recommends that the patient stop taking antibiotics and even take antidiarrheal drugs.
You must not forget to follow the doctor’s dietary instructions and constantly hydrate yourself, always having a bottle of water nearby. Probiotic use can be very helpful in these cases.
avert
To prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea, it is essential to avoid self-medication. In fact, in many countries, it is forbidden to sell these drugs to patients, unless they have a prescription.
Therefore, you should always go to the doctor if you do not feel well and do not take medication on your own.
If you are in contact with someone who has diarrhea, you need to prevent it from spreading. The best way to do this is by washing your hands after touching the affected person. If you work in a health institution, it is essential to use gloves.
Have you ever been diagnosed with antibiotic-induced diarrhea? Do you take medication without going to the doctor? We hope that this article has convinced you to seek medical advice if necessary, instead of taking measures that may endanger your gastrointestinal health.
