Each of us can face such a problem as diarrhea. An unpleasant phenomenon can completely incapacitate and bedridden, or rather, to the toilet. And since a busy schedule does not provide for such a “vacation”, many are ready to use any potent drugs, if only to return to their usual way of life. An antibiotic for diarrhea in adults is the very first choice, and usually a person does not first visit a doctor. As a result, instead of one problem, two are obtained at once. Today our goal is to analyze in detail the mechanism of action of antibiotics for diarrhea, as well as discuss the rationality of such treatment.
What is diarrhea
This is a condition in which frequent bowel movements are noted, while a person experiences pain and discomfort, and the stool becomes watery. Such a condition can lead to dehydration, so treatment should not be delayed. But to accept what turned up by the arm, too, should not be. An antibiotic for diarrhea in adults helps, but only if certain bacteria have become the cause of its development. In all other cases, it will only aggravate the situation.
Causes of Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a consequence of abnormal functioning of the intestinal tract. As a result, the digestive process is accelerated, which leads to liquefaction of bowel movements and frequent bowel movements. But the causes of this condition can be very different. In this case, an antibiotic for diarrhea in adults is used only in some cases. It is unlikely that you will be able to determine the cause without a special examination and analysis, so be sure to consult a doctor first. Do not forget that diarrhea is not a disease, but only a symptom.
Listening to your body
Are you concerned about abdominal pain? Causes of diarrhea can be various gastrointestinal diseases. However, suddenly they usually do not appear. If you regularly or periodically have problems with the intestines, digestion, etc., but you still postpone going to the gastroenterologist, you should not be surprised that severe diarrhea begins at one “wonderful” moment. In this situation, immediate expert advice is needed. Diarrhea can be a symptom of ulcerative colitis. In this case, an antibiotic for diarrhea in adults helps only as part of complex therapy, so it is necessary to undergo an examination and get a doctor's prescription.
Other options
Diarrhea is a symptom that accompanies dozens of diseases. To quickly get rid of excruciating diarrhea, you need to know exactly why it appeared. Below we will name the main reasons.
- Poisoning by stale products. In this case, toxins enter the intestines, and the body seeks to remove them by means of loose stools and vomiting. Treatment of diarrhea with antibiotics in adults in this case is impractical. The use of sorbents will give much more benefit. The best known option is activated carbon or Smecta.
- Viral infections. There are a lot of them: these are enteroviruses, rotaviruses and adenoviruses. Hepatitis also sometimes causes diarrhea. At the same time, antibiotics are completely useless, viruses are immune to them.
- Helminths can also cause diarrhea. In this case, it is the result of intoxication with the vital products of parasites.
Bacterial diarrhea
The main reason is infection by pathogens. They can penetrate the intestines with unboiled water, unwashed foods, if personal hygiene is not observed. In this case, specific symptoms are observed. It can be profuse bloody or green discharge mixed with mucus. Often there is high fever and vomiting.
It should not be forgotten that the appearance of blood is a very alarming symptom that requires immediate diagnosis. It can indicate hemorrhoids and bowel cancer, Crohn's disease. It is impossible to self-medicate in this case.
If you have no time to go to the hospital
Banal indigestion, few perceive as a serious illness. If you do not have severe pain, but there are greenish discharge , without blood and mucus, then at first you can try the classic methods of therapy. However, remember that if diarrhea continues on the second day, you need to see a doctor to prescribe a more effective treatment. Which antibiotic for diarrhea in an adult to choose is unequivocally difficult to answer. We provide only well-known drugs for educational purposes.
- The most effective remedy is Levomycetin. This is one of the best antibacterial drugs that acts against a large number of infectious pathogens belonging to different groups. You need to take it 2-3 times a day for 1 tablet. The duration of therapy is up to a week.
- "Amoxicillin" is an antibacterial agent that has established itself well in the fight against various intestinal infections. Take 2 tablets 3-4 times a day.
- Metronidazole is another broad-spectrum agent against many different pathogens. Take it twice a day.
- “Ciprofloxacin” is a very powerful drug against pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. Recommended for 5 days.
Remember that the effect of the antibiotic should be noticeable during the first day. If time goes by and there are no improvements, this means that you have chosen the wrong path: either the drug was chosen incorrectly, or the cause of diarrhea is completely different. In this case, be sure to consult a doctor.
Diarrhea after antibiotics in an adult
Such a problem is not rare. If the drug is selected incorrectly or an overdose of antibiotics was observed, after a few days unpleasant consequences will appear. Long-term use of antibacterial agents, even justified and recommended by the attending physician, leads to the death of all microflora. Drugs do not care if beneficial or harmful bacteria live in your intestines, so after the course you will need to restore the natural microflora for a long time. Not for nothing that, in parallel with the treatment with these drugs, doctors prescribe prebiotics and probiotics.
It turns out a very entertaining thing: you are taking drugs in order to get rid of diarrhea. As a result, all beneficial bacteria in the intestine die, and diarrhea develops when taking an antibiotic in an adult. What to do next? In fact, this outcome can be predicted in advance, as there are certain risk factors.
Take your time to take antibiotics
It is necessary to weigh the pros and cons so that later you do not encounter a similar disorder. What should be avoided (of course, if the cause is not due to pathogenic bacteria, and if the doctor did not recommend this particular treatment), so that diarrhea does not develop? Antibiotics! Adults (how to take drugs to avoid such consequences - we will discuss further) have a lot of options for solving the problem, including the possibility of resorting to alternative medicine. After all, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were treated without resorting to powerful artillery? So we leave antibiotic therapy for the most extreme case. And if it does occur, we take into account the following risk factors and adhere to certain rules:
- The age of a person. The older you are, the more vulnerable the microflora becomes. The risk group includes people who are over 65 years old. As for young children, it is necessary to choose drugs for them with great care, and it is advisable to provide this to the doctor.
- The presence of acute and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is no secret that taking antibiotics has a bad effect on the intestinal microflora. If there is a chronic disease in the history, then you should definitely consult a doctor before starting treatment.
- Diarrhea can provoke too high doses of medication, so do not try to speed up recovery in this way.
- It is very harmful to disrupt the regimen of taking antibacterial drugs. This can be a frequent change of different drugs, an arbitrarily shortened or extended course.
Dysbacteriosis at the end of treatment
Everyone is aware of the likelihood of such a violation. After about 7-10 days, diarrhea may develop after antibiotics in an adult. What to do and how to help your body? We have already named the cause of this complication: beneficial bacteria that are sensitive to it die under the influence of the drug. As a result, pain, bloating and a new attack of diarrhea are observed. Most often, this reaction occurs after taking strong antibiotics: tetracyclines, cephalosporins, taken in tablets and capsules.
Correction
So, we have diarrhea after antibiotics in an adult. Treatment should not include antibacterial drugs. In fact, such a disorder goes away by itself and does not require specific therapy. However, in order to help your intestines recover faster, additional therapeutic measures are used.
Diet
You need to organize your meals in a special way from the day you feel the symptoms of diarrhea. It is required to exclude everything fatty, fried, smoked and sweet. Be sure to drink plenty of water. In the early days, it is better to refuse food, and as intestinal function is restored, gradually include crackers and dietary meat, cottage cheese and light yogurt, baked apples and buckwheat in the diet.
If you follow the correct diet throughout the treatment and during the recovery period, that is, 10-15 days after discontinuation of the drug, then there is no such problem as diarrhea from antibiotics. What to do (an adult usually does not have time to spend days at home several times a month and treat diarrhea) if you encounter such a complication? Go through all the stages of a therapeutic diet again. That is, give up food completely, and then gradually add foods to the diet.
Medications
There are special remedies that help if diarrhea from antibiotics in adults has begun. How to take them? For the restoration of microflora, Bifidumbacterin is perfect. It is very good to use it from the first day of the end of taking antibiotics, mixing with natural yogurt. Dilute the contents of the bottle in half a glass of fermented milk drink and drink 2-3 times a day. It is necessary to take it for at least 2 weeks after the end of taking antibacterial agents.
Throughout the course of treatment, you need to drink sorbents. It can be Smecta or activated carbon. Take them one sachet or 2 tablets three times a day. Just not immediately after taking the medicine, maintain a certain interval. As a rule, such information is necessarily contained in the instructions. Sorbents will help remove toxins and protect microflora. Also, to mitigate the effects of antibiotics, it is recommended to take the Narine fermented milk product throughout the entire period of treatment and recovery after it.
Diarrhea when taking antibiotics in an adult is a common phenomenon, but it is quite easy to avoid. The main thing is to get useful information, and with such questions it is best to contact a specialist. Be healthy!