How to treat diarrhea after antibiotics?

How to treat diarrhea after antibiotics? This is a common question. We will deal with this in the article below.

Modern medicine is hard to imagine without antibiotics. Using these drugs, you can minimize the risk of complications in the postoperative period, reduce the number of diseases of a purulent and bacterial nature, and also avoid the spread of such dangerous and contagious infectious pathologies as tetanus, dysentery, botulism, anthrax, etc.

The distribution and availability of antibiotics has led to the fact that their use is often irrational and unjustified. Often, patients self-medicate with antibiotics, without consulting a specialist. Over time, this has caused many infectious agents to become resistant to most antibiotics. In other words, cheap and simple drugs are no longer effective.

One of the main problems is the development of diarrhea after antibiotics. It can appear in every person taking these drugs, regardless of age. This type of diarrhea is called antibiotic-associated and most often occurs when taking antibacterial medications based on penicillin and cephalosporin.

Risk factors

There are certain circumstances that can increase the risk of developing diarrhea after antibiotics. Among them are the following factors:

1. The age of the patient. The greatest likelihood of such a complication is observed in children and the elderly. Diarrhea after antibiotics in a child is especially difficult.
2. Diseases in acute and chronic form, especially the gastrointestinal tract. First of all, when taking antibiotics, the detrimental effect is on the intestinal microflora.
3. Psychosomatic diseases.
4. Changing the antibiotic regimen that occurs when selecting drugs or the correct treatment regimen.
5. The appointment of high doses of antibacterial drugs in connection with the therapy of the underlying disease.

Diarrhea after antibiotics occurs against the background of intestinal dysbiosis, since broad-spectrum antibiotics adversely affect harmful microorganisms. "Tetracycline", "Aminoglycoside" and "Cephalosporin" most often provoke the development of such a complication.

Causes and symptoms

Diarrhea after taking antibiotics is an intestinal disease. There can be many reasons for its appearance: constant stress, eating poor-quality foods, etc. However, taking antibiotics is the most common factor causing diarrhea. It is very important to determine the correct cause of discomfort. The following indicators are taken into account:

1. The consistency of the chair.
2. The presence of soreness and discomfort in the abdomen.

Do not ignore intestinal upset. The number of manifestations of diarrhea must be considered. These indicators will help the specialist to accurately determine the cause of the disease and choose the appropriate treatment regimen.

What day appears?

Diarrhea after antibiotics can occur both on the first and tenth day after the start of taking antibacterial drugs. The main symptom is the presence of fluid and frequent bowel movements. In women and children, in addition, the following symptoms may occur:

1. Candidiasis in the vagina and in the mouth.
2. The appearance of sores in the corners of the mouth.
3. Soreness in the abdomen.
4. Pain on palpation.
5. Temperature rise.

If diarrhea begins after antibiotics, what should I do? About it further.

Feces are characterized by wateriness. Along with this, a person has a constant thirst, since the body is dehydrated against the background of diarrhea. Painkillers, as a rule, exacerbate the condition. The doctor, when diagnosed with antibiotic-associated diarrhea, relies on the patient’s medical history, medical history, and medication taken.

Treatment of diarrhea after antibiotics

The main thing that antibiotic-associated diarrhea therapy is aimed at is the restoration of its own intestinal microflora. For this purpose, "Bifidumbacterin" is very often prescribed. The drug must be mixed with any dairy product. It can be yogurt, kefir or yogurt without additives.

The powder is mixed with 100 ml of fermented milk drink, thoroughly mixed and drunk. Take three times a day before meals. The duration of the course is two weeks. Start taking immediately after antibiotic treatment.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

In addition, in addition to treating diarrhea, various probiotics and prebiotics are prescribed after taking antibiotics. They are used in high doses, unlike the main drugs. Prebiotics, like probiotics, can be taken orally, through enemas or a probe. It is also possible to enrich the body with such substances using a colonoscope.

Most often, specialists give preference when choosing a drug to drugs that have the greatest resistance to the acidic environment of the stomach. These include drugs such as Hilak forte, Linex, Bifidumbacterin, etc.

Also, with diarrhea after antibiotics in an adult, the doctor often prescribes drugs such as Loperamide. It should be borne in mind that in case of a pathology provoked by a bacterial infection, the use of antidiarrheal drugs is prohibited.

Also, painkillers should be used with caution in the treatment of diarrhea after antibiotics. It is best to refuse to take them for the duration of therapy. This is more true for patients who suffer from hemorrhoidal pain. Moreover, the form of analgesics taken does not matter. It can be ointments, and suspensions, and tablets.

Medicines that stop diarrhea

The following drugs will help stop diarrhea and normalize the water-salt balance:

1. Smecta.
2. "Rehydron".
3. Loperamide.
4. Phthalazole.
5. Immodium.

The above drugs help reduce the frequency of bowel movements, remove pain in the abdomen, colic, and also restore the water-salt balance of the body, which with diarrhea is greatly disturbed due to dehydration. It is very important for the recovery process to observe a special diet.

Popular drugs

The following drugs can be considered the most effective and common for the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea:

1. Linex A popular drug for restoring microflora, disturbed for various reasons, including taking antibiotics. Linex quickly copes with the consequences of such treatment. It is part of probiotics and contains beneficial microorganisms, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Probiotics should not be confused with prebiotics. The latter are nutrients. Linex can be taken even by young children. It is often prescribed for diarrhea.
2. "Rioflora Balance Neo." Also included in the group of probiotics. It differs from Linex in that it contains 9 strains of beneficial bacteria. The drug helps to restore the intestinal microflora, relieve symptoms of intestinal upset and prevent the effects of antibiotic therapy. “Rioflora Balance Neo” also has a healing effect and prevents the penetration of harmful microorganisms into the intestines. The drug can be taken starting from three years. At the same time, a separate form of the drug is produced for children. It can be used during lactation.
3. Enterosorbents. This is a group of drugs that help to remove toxins from the body produced by pathogens. The most common enterosorbents are Enterosgel and activated carbon. Smecta is also quite often prescribed, which is a powder for the preparation of a special solution. Another effective enterosorbent is Polysorb. It contains silicon dioxide, which effectively absorbs decay products, as well as toxins. The drug contributes to the normalization of the intestines.
   

Diet

If relapse occurs, in addition to drug treatment, the patient is recommended to adhere to therapeutic nutrition. For this purpose, foods that can provoke a digestive upset are excluded from the diet. Therapeutic diet should be gentle and pursue only one goal - the restoration of the intestines and the normalization of stool. From the moment that signs of antibiotic-associated diarrhea appear, the following foods and dishes should be preferred in the diet:

1. Steam omelet.
2. Wheat bread crackers.
3. Rice soup, rubbed through a sieve.
4. Mashed semolina or buckwheat porridge.
5. Sweet jelly made from fruits or berries.

For a change, you can include steam meat and fish dishes, soups on vegetable broth, cereals, etc. in the menu.

How to treat diarrhea after antibiotics?

Traditional medicine recipes

Many patients prefer to avoid taking medication. Therefore, they prefer traditional medicine recipes, which are aimed at getting rid of diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics. For treatment, decoctions of the following herbs are used:

1. St. John's wort 10 g of dry grass are brewed with one liter of boiling water. The mixture is infused for half an hour, after which 50 ml is taken 4 times a day.
2. A decoction of blueberries helps to get rid of discomfort in the abdomen. For its preparation, 2 tbsp. l dried berries are poured in a glass of boiling water. After 10 minutes, the broth is ready. Take one tablespoon every hour.
3. A decoction of wormwood is quite common for the treatment of diarrhea. 1 tbsp. l dry herbs poured a glass of boiling water, infused for 20 minutes. Then it is drunk in four doses per day.
4. An effective antiseptic is chamomile. To do this, a very cool broth is brewed. It should be insisted up to five hours. After that, a glass is taken.

Prebiotic Products

What else can you think of when diarrhea started after antibiotics? There is an alternative to prebiotics in folk medicine. So, with antibiotic-associated diarrhea, the following products are used:

1. Onion and garlic.
2. Tomatoes
3. Bananas
4. Chicory.
5. Artichokes.
6. Asparagus.

The above products contain carbohydrates, which are a good medium for positive microorganisms. Traditional medicine prescription treatment is available for any age category. Such therapy can really help to avoid dehydration and stop diarrhea.

However, it should be understood that the most common recipes of traditional medicine are used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that have become chronic. It is strongly not recommended to choose independently treatment for a child under three years of age.

Prevention

As for prevention, the observance of several rules can help prevent the development of diarrhea while taking antibiotics:

• Antibacterial drugs should be taken exclusively in accordance with the instructions of the attending physician.
• Concomitant use of antibiotics with probiotics.