OTC and Prescription Medications for Diarrhea

Bismuth subsalicylate is comparable to aspirin and will not be secure for certain people. Check with a healthcare skilled before taking bismuth subsalicylate if you might have any of the next symptoms or aspects:

Pepto-Bismol isn’t really useful for youngsters younger than 12. Due to the chance of Reye’s syndrome, it is crucial not to offer bismuth subsalicylate to children or adolescents who’ve chicken pox, are recovering from chicken pox, or have flu-like symptoms.

Side effects are rare with bismuth subsalicylate, but may include hearing problems or tinnitus (ringing within the ears). A short lived darkening of bowel movements or the tongue can even occur, but that is harmless and goes away after stopping the medication.

Kaopectate (Bismuth Subsalicylate)

Kaopectate is one other OTC option for managing diarrhea in adults and kids ages 12 and older.

Like Pepto-Bismol, the energetic ingredient is bismuth subsalicylate, and carries all the identical risks and precautions as described above.

Kaopectate is available in chewable tablets and as an oral liquid. Some people prefer the flavour of Kaopectate to the flavour of Pepto-Bismol.

Prescription Medicines for Diarrhea

Prescription medications could also be useful for treating chronic or frequent diarrhea attributable to medical conditions like irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), also often called diarrhea-predominant IBS.

Symptoms of IBS-D may include:

• Frequent and/or severe stomach pain
• Urgent must have bowel movements or accidents
• Restriction of normal each day activities resulting from IBS

The following pharmaceuticals are really useful for managing IBS-D by experts on the American Gastroenterological Association.

Alosetron

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lotronex (alosetron) to be used in adult females with chronic IBS-D who’ve had IBS symptoms for at the least six months and haven’t responded to other treatments. This medication just isn’t approved to be used in children or adult males, because it has not been shown to be effective in these populations.

Alosetron is available in an oral tablet, with a typical starting dosage of 0.5 mg twice each day. After 4 weeks, the dose could also be increased to 1 mg twice each day. If this dosage doesn’t help control your IBS symptoms inside 4 weeks, your healthcare provider will likely have you ever stop the medication.

Common negative effects of alosetron include constipation, abdominal pain, and nausea.

Rare but serious complications may occur consequently of prolonged constipation. Reach out to a healthcare provider if constipation lasts longer than usual or ends in pain. People with constipation problems and people taking a drugs called fluvoxamine mustn’t take alosetron.

Eluxadoline

Viberzi (eluxadoline) is one other treatment option for IBS-D. This prescription-only medication is FDA-approved to be used in adults.

Eluxadoline comes as an oral tablet. The typical dosage is 100 mg twice a day. A lower dosage of 75 mg twice each day is really useful for individuals with liver or kidney problems, those unable to tolerate the 100 mg dose, and people taking certain medications that interact with eluxadoline, similar to Neoral (cyclosporine).

Common negative effects of eluxadoline are constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. If severe constipation occurs, contact a healthcare skilled immediately. Eluxadoline just isn’t a secure option for everybody and shouldn’t be taken by individuals with:

Rifaximin

Xifaxan (rifaximin) is a prescription-only antibacterial drug that’s FDA-approved for the short-term treatment of IBS-D in adults.

This medication can be FDA-approved for other uses, including traveler’s diarrhea attributable to Escherichia coli (E. coli).

To treat IBS-D, the everyday dosage of rifaximin is 550 mg tablet 3 times per day for 14 days. If the diarrhea continues, a healthcare provider may prescribe as much as two more rounds of treatment.

Common negative effects of Xifaxan in individuals with IBS-D include nausea and elevated liver enzymes. Rarely, it could increase the chance of one other severe kind of diarrhea attributable to the bacteria Clostridioides difficile (C. diffpreviously often called Clostridium difficile).

When Do You Need a Prescription vs. OTC Medicine for Diarrhea?

In most cases, acute (short-term or occasional) diarrhea might be effectively managed with OTC anti-diarrhea medication.

Taking Imodium A-D or bismuth subsalicylate normally manages diarrhea quickly, typically stopping your symptoms inside a day or two. If diarrhea continues for over two days while taking an OTC antidiarrheal, stop taking the product and speak to a healthcare provider for advice. Seek immediate medical care if symptoms of dehydration develop.

If other symptoms accompany your diarrhea, similar to fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or bloating, seek the advice of a healthcare skilled before taking an OTC medication.

How to Manage Diarrhea Symptoms

When you might have diarrhea, drinking loads of fluids is the most effective solution to prevent dehydration. When you might have diarrhea, your body loses numerous water and electrolytes.

Signs of dehydration include headaches, feeling dizzy, or your heart beating abnormally. The best drinks to assist with rehydration are oral rehydration solutions (ORS). They provide a balanced mixture of sugars and salts. But should you cannot get ORS, other liquids like water, juice, sports drinks with electrolytes, and soups can even help.

The BRAT food regimen (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is a helpful option for reintroducing solid foods if you might have diarrhea. It consists of bland foods which might be easy to digest

A healthcare skilled may help determine whether other lifestyle changes are price trying for chronic or more frequent diarrhea. For example, they could recommend an elimination food regimen to find out if certain foods trigger your symptoms.

Summary

Diarrhea is generally temporary and resolves by itself, but OTC medications like Imodium A-D and Pepto-Bismol can provide relief.

For chronic or frequent diarrhea linked to conditions like IBS-D, prescription medications could also be mandatory. It’s necessary to follow dosage instructions and seek the advice of a healthcare skilled if needed.

If diarrhea persists for greater than two days or is accompanied by other symptoms, looking for medical advice is really useful.