Drug-induced diarrheaDefinition: Diarrhea can have many causes, including medications. Diarrhea is a common side effect of medications through a variety of mechanisms. For example: - Laxatives can produce diarrhea by drawing water into the gut, increasing the muscular contraction of the intestine, lubricating the lining of the gut, or a combination of these effects.
- Antibiotics can produce diarrhea by destroying the normal bacteria of the intestine. These normal, good intestinal bacteria are called probiotics. Once these "friendly" bacteria are destroyed, a bad organism called Clostridium difficile may then colonize the GI tract. It can cause a severe, watery form of diarrhea called pseudomembranous colitis.
- Other drugs may be directly toxic to the GI tract.
See the full article on diarrhea.
Alternative Names: Diarrhea associated with medications
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Expectations (prognosis):
Calling your health care provider:
Prevention: To prevent diarrhea related to antibiotic use, talk to your doctor about taking probiotic supplements. A commonly recommended amount is 1 to 2 billion viable cells of Lactobacillus acidophilus each day while you are taking antibiotics. Continue for a few days after the course of antibiotics is complete.
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