Antibiotic-associated diarrhea

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in your intestinal tract, causing harmful bacteria to grow beyond their normal numbers. The result is often frequent, watery bowel movements.

Most often, antibiotic-associated diarrhea is fairly mild and clears up shortly after you stop taking the antibiotic. But sometimes you may develop colitis, an inflammation of your colon, or a more serious form of colitis called pseudomembranous colitis. Both can cause abdominal pain, fever and bloody diarrhea.

Effective treatments exist for mild antibiotic-associated diarrhea, as well as for colon inflammation. In addition, taking supplements of beneficial bacteria or eating yogurt may relieve symptoms or help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Diarrhea – Basic Information

Diarrhea

On this page:

• What is diarrhea?
• What causes diarrhea?
• What are the symptoms of diarrhea?
• Diarrhea in Children
• Dehydration
• When should a doctor be consulted?
• How is the cause of diarrhea diagnosed?
• How is diarrhea treated?
• Preventing Traveler’s Diarrhea
• Hope through Research
• Points to Remember
• For More Information

(more…)

The Basics of Diarrhea

Diarrhea describes bowel movements (stools) that are loose and watery. It is very common and usually not serious. Many people will have diarrhea once or twice each year. It typically lasts two to three days and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. Others have diarrhea often as part of irritable bowel syndrome or other chronic diseases of the large intestine.

Doctors classify diarrhea as “osmotic,” “secretory,” or “exudative.”

Osmotic diarrhea means that something in the bowel is drawing water from the body into the bowel. A common example of this is “dietetic candy” or “chewing gum” diarrhea, in which a sugar substitute, such as sorbitol, is not absorbed by the body but draws water from the body into the bowel, resulting in diarrhea. (more…)

Diarrhea: What To Do If You Are Ill

If you have diarrhea, preventing dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids is the most important thing to do.

This is especially important for young children, pregnant women, and persons living with compromised immune systems (such as those living with AIDS, those who have received an organ transplant, or those receiving certain types of chemotherapy).

Seek medical care immediately if :

• your diarrhea is bloody
• your diarrhea does not resolve in 5 days
• your diarrhea is accompanied by fever or chills
• you are dehydrated. (Signs of dehydration include: dry or “cottony” mouth, cracked lips, dry flushed skin, headache, irritability, not urinating at least four times a day, no tears when crying, no sweating, or confusion).

A health care provider may prescribe medicine to help replace the fluids your body has lost because of the diarrhea. In some cases, over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications slow the diarrhea.

Remember, for the health and safety of those sharing the pool water, don’t swim when you have diarrhea. Diarrhea can contaminate the pool and make other people sick.