I have heard it claimed that antidiarrheals should be used sparingly or not at all, because they only prolong the course of diarrhea. The most common reasoning is that your body is trying to get rid of something, and stopping it only delays the expulsion. Sometimes this is said to get rid of “toxins,” and that term pings my bullshit meter I must admit.
Does this hold true, and is it the same for common diarrhea as well as rarer illnesses such as dysentery? Should I stop taking Immodium?
There are times you shouldn’t be using an anti-diarrhea medication, mainly when the diarrhea is caused by some type of bacteria. If you have dysentery or C. Diff diarrhea don’t use an anti-diarrhea medication. Now, if it is caused by some other normal cause, feel free to use the medication.
It depends (hah!) on the cause. I developed lymphocytic colitis. The treatment my doctor recommended is eight Pepto Bismols a day. For at least two months. It works, but they don’t really know why.
While it is understandable that expelling toxins may ping your bullshit meter, there are in fact bacteria that can infect your GI tract, like C. diff., that do produce toxins. These infections are often the result of antibiotics and anti-diarrheals should not be taken to treat diarrhea resulting from a recent course of antibiotics.
Another cause of diarrhea is lactose intolerance. Your system is reacting to undigested lactose reaching the colon, which can result in excess water and gas. An anti-diarrheal can keep the lactose in the system longer.
This also has exceptions. Those with IBS can suffer from spasming of the colon even after the lactose is gone or mostly gone. (One reason IBS used to be called spastic colon.) Taking an anti-diarrheal to quiet the system makes sense then.
The real problem is that hundreds of things can cause diarrhea. It’s hard to know whether getting the offending stuff out is best or relieving the symptoms is.
The best cure for the diarrhea brought on by antibiotics is death.