Antibiotics work by killing off bacteria but cannot distinguish between “good” and “bad” bacteria.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea is more common when:
Occasionally, even a mild, narrow-spectrum antibiotic can cause bowel changes.
If this happens,C difficilecan begin to multiply and cause symptoms.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
difficile), and a life-threatening emergency known astoxic megacolon.
Treatment
Generally speaking, antibiotic-associated diarrhea will improve once the course of antibiotics is completed.
Sometimes it may be necessary to switch to another antibiotic if the symptoms are intolerable.
Chicken and beef broth help to replace sodium, while fruit juice and soda pop help replace lost potassium.
Prevention efforts would be needed to avoid the spread of infection.
difficilebacteria.Usually, probiotics should be taken within 24 hours of antibiotic use.
Set up reminders on your cell phone so that you don’t miss a dose.
If you do, take the dose immediately but do not double-dose to catch up.
Doing so may increase the risk of diarrhea and other drug side effect.
Most importantly, always finish the entire course even if you feel better.
Not finishing the whole course can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance.
Stopping antibiotics before an infection is cleared allows resistant bacteria to persist and multiply.
A 2017 update in theJournal of Clinical Microbiologyreported that the rate of moxifloxacin-resistantC.
difficilealready hovers between 2% and 87% depending on where you live.
However, antibiotics need to be used responsibly and with care.
In some cases, healthcare providers will recommend that probiotics be added to your diet while taking antibiotics.
Hand-washing can prevent further spread of infection, especially among those who are ill or in hospital.
Severe diarrhea should never be ignored or self-treated with anti-diarrheal drugs.
Predrag S.Analysis of risk factors and clinical manifestations associated withClostridium difficiledisease in Serbian hospitalized patients.Braz J Microbiol.
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