According to statistics, diarrhea is one of the most common diseases. More than 90% of adults experience this problem once a year. Medications for diarrhea in adults belong to different pharmacological groups and are used depending on the cause of the disease.
Why does diarrhea develop?
Diarrhea is a violation of the normal activity of the intestine, accompanied by intense release from feces. This is a protective reaction of the body aimed at removing harmful products from the intestinal lumen. Long-term diarrhea threatens dehydration, loss of nutrients and leaching of beneficial microflora.
Diarrhea is just a symptom of a disease. The reason for it is the following factors:
- Violation of the normal intestinal microflora due to antibiotic therapy.
- Irritable bowel syndrome, which most scientists attribute to stress.
- Reproduction of pathogenic microbes ingested with food or with a common bacterial disease.
- Viral cause.
- A disease caused by unicellular parasites.
- Diarrhea as a result of defeat by helminths (helminthic invasion).
- Diarrhea when changing the usual diet - diarrhea of travelers.
In the treatment of any type of diarrhea, a sparing diet is prescribed and, if necessary, medications aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease and alleviating the symptoms.
Antibiotics
These diarrhea medicines in adults are prescribed for diarrhea of viral or bacterial origin. Systemic antibiotics are used, since bacteria from the intestines penetrate the blood quite easily and are carried throughout the body. Drugs should be prescribed by a doctor. It is good if a laboratory determination of the sensitivity of the pathogen is carried out.
With mild diarrhea, taking antibiotics is not advisable, since they themselves cause digestive upset due to the destruction of beneficial intestinal microflora.
At home, other antibacterial drugs that are part of the group of intestinal antiseptics are used to treat diarrhea .
Intestinal antiseptics
This group includes all known medicines for diarrhea in adults.
- "Furazolidone." The drug is from the group of nitrofurans. It is prescribed for the treatment of bacterial and invasive diarrhea (salmonellosis, dysentery, amoebiasis, giardiasis, trichomoniasis). Take 0.2 g four times a day before meals for 3-5 days.
- Enterofuril. Analogs - Nirofuroxazide, Ersefuril, Stopdiar. It is a derivative of nitrofuran, is active against streptococci and staphylococci, acts on salmonella, E. coli and a number of other gram-negative bacteria. It is widely used in the treatment of diarrhea of an obscure nature, since it does not interfere with the activity of beneficial intestinal microflora. Incompatible with alcohol.
- Intertix. It has an inhibitory effect on bacteria, a fungus from the genus Candida and dysenteric amoeba. It is used mainly for the treatment of diarrhea of fungal origin and for the prevention of amoebiasis in travelers. It is not recommended to use more than 1 month.
- "Rifaximin." The analogue is Alpha Normix. It has a very wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. Stains urine in a reddish color. Often prescribed for the prevention of postoperative complications in the intestine.
The drugs are not absorbed into the blood, but act in the lumen of the intestine. They have a wide spectrum of action on pathogenic bacteria, some are effective against fungi and protozoa. It is believed that intestinal antiseptics cause minimal damage to beneficial microflora and restore bacterial balance in the intestine.
Enterosorbents
This group includes "Smecta" - this is a medicine for diarrhea No. 1. The action of adsorbents is based on the binding of harmful substances - toxins, pathogenic bacteria, excess bile and hydrochloric acid and their removal from the intestines. Particles of sorbents have a porous structure, most of them are made from natural materials: shell rock, zeolites. They are not absorbed from the intestines. Assign for diarrhea of any etiology. With irritable bowel syndrome, enterosorbents do not eliminate diarrhea, but alleviate the patient's condition by binding gases and eliminating flatulence.
Activated carbon also belongs to enterosorbents, however, doctors allow its use if modern drugs are not available - it is 5-6 times less effective and mechanically injures the intestinal mucosa. Drugs recommended for the treatment of acute diarrhea:
- Smecta
- Enterosgel
- Polysorb
- Attapulgite.
Enterosorbents are usually taken in a course of 3-5 days, but not more than one week.
Means restoring normal microflora
By their action, preparations for the normalization of microflora can be divided into probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics contain a culture of beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics contain a substrate that stimulates the development of their own microbes in the intestine. Doctors recommend taking probiotics no matter what medicine for diarrhea is still prescribed. These are the following drugs:
- Eubicor. The drug is based on killed yeast and bran food. It has the properties of sorbents.
- Hilak forte. A prebiotic containing metabolic products of beneficial intestinal microflora.
- Linex It consists of 3 types of bacteria that live in the small and large intestines: lactobacilli, enterococci and bifidobacteria.
- "Bactisubtil" and the like ("Sporobacterin", "Biosporin", "Baktisporin") contain spores of bacteria from the genus Bacillus, which inhibit the growth of pathogenic microflora.
Enterol belongs to the same group, but we will talk about it separately.
Enterol
The best cure for diarrhea of any origin is the probiotic Enterol. It consists of dried fungi from the genus Saccharomyces. Due to the activity of these microorganisms in the intestinal lumen, Enterol has a complex effect that distinguishes it from other probiotics.
- The direct inhibitory effect on pathogenic microflora does not affect beneficial bacteria.
- Saccharomycetes bind bacterial toxins or destroy them, secreting specific enzymes.
- They have an immunomodulatory effect and stimulate the production of intestinal juice due to the release of polyamines. They also have antiviral activity due to the stimulation of antibody production.
Enterol activity decreases when taking antifungal drugs.
Dehydration
In acute diarrhea, a significant amount of fluid and electrolytes is excreted from the body.
They must be replenished regardless of the purpose of other drugs for diarrhea. What medicines best restore water balance? These are primarily pharmaceutical salt solutions:
They are sold in the form of a powder, which is diluted in water. You need to drink often and in small portions.
Drugs that affect intestinal tone
What cure for diarrhea can be harmful? Loperamide is often used to stop acute diarrhea. Meanwhile, its effect is based solely on the treatment of symptoms, and not the cause of the disease. "Loperamide" refers to a group of opiate drugs. By acting on intestinal receptors, the medicine relaxes smooth muscles, and peristalsis (the advancement of food masses) slows down or stops altogether. Thus, diarrhea, arising as a protective reaction of the body in order to remove harmful products and toxins from the intestine, stops. This approach is justified in the treatment of very few diseases:
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Crohn's disease.
- Secretory diarrhea.
- In the treatment of cancer of the intestine.
Frequent use of Loperamide is not recommended, as well as taking more than 1 capsule.
Immunity stimulants
In acute intestinal infections , diarrhea always develops. Treatment - drugs from the group of antibacterial drugs and substances that stimulate the immune system. An excellent drug developed by domestic scientists in the late 1990s is the Galavit immunomodulator. Among other indications for use, it is recommended for acute intestinal infections, accompanied by symptoms of intoxication and fever. Galavit is compatible with all medicines prescribed for the treatment of diarrhea. It is available in the form of tablets, candles and ampoules. Take two tablets once, then 1 tablet 3-4 times a day for 3-4 days until the signs of the disease disappear. Usually 1-2 days is enough.
How to combine medication for poisoning and diarrhea
How to combine diarrhea medicines in adults? If diarrhea without fever and signs of poisoning (headache, vomiting, sweating, heart rhythm disturbance), then an approximate treatment regimen is as follows:
- Smecta - 1 sachet three times a day. Between taking the drug, food and other medicines, you need to take a break. The course of treatment is 2-4 days.
- "Enterol" - for 7-10 days in the morning and evening 1 hour before meals.
- When dehydrated, drink Regidron.
Medications for diarrhea in adults with fever, vomiting, headache:
- In addition to Smecta and Enterol, Enterofuril is taken 200 mg four times a day for 3 days.
- "Galavit" - tablets under the tongue 3-4 times a day until the disappearance of diarrhea, vomiting and lowering the temperature.
Antibiotics and other antibacterial drugs, except Enterofuril, cannot be prescribed on their own, since they cause an imbalance of microflora in the intestines and can aggravate the situation. "Loperamide" is taken in case of emergency as an exception.
With signs of acute poisoning, indomitable vomiting, impurities in the stool of blood, you should immediately seek medical help. Medical intervention is also required if diarrhea lasts more than 3-4 days. Medication for poisoning and diarrhea should be prescribed by a specialist.
Many people suffer from manifestations of diarrhea, especially during a diet change during travel, in stressful situations, or in the use of poor-quality food. With a mild disease, you can conduct a course of treatment at home, taking drugs from the group of enterosorbents and intestinal antiseptics. To restore normal microflora, it is advisable to drink a course of probiotics.