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Suggest Remedies For Intermittent Diarrhea
Question: Intermittent diarrhea. It comes out like brown water. Then I take Imodium, which stops it.
Brief Answer:
Some questions to help guide my answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I have a few questions for you to help guide my answer.
When did this start/how long have you had it?
How many times a day do you have this?
Do you have any other symptoms? Chills, fever? Abdominal cramps? Nausea?
Have you been out of the country/traveling?
Has your TSH been checked recently (last 3 months) and is it in a normal range?
Have you ever had this before (in past year)?
By intermittent, are you referring to that the Imodium stops it, or that you only get it every few days regardless?
I'll write back with information after hearing from you. Thanks.
Some questions to help guide my answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I have a few questions for you to help guide my answer.
When did this start/how long have you had it?
How many times a day do you have this?
Do you have any other symptoms? Chills, fever? Abdominal cramps? Nausea?
Have you been out of the country/traveling?
Has your TSH been checked recently (last 3 months) and is it in a normal range?
Have you ever had this before (in past year)?
By intermittent, are you referring to that the Imodium stops it, or that you only get it every few days regardless?
I'll write back with information after hearing from you. Thanks.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Brief Answer:
About the diarrhea:
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for the information. Here are some thoughts:
A gastroenteritis (stomach flu, food poisoning/food infection, or other gastrointestinal infection) is still possible but less likely. I say less likely because usually there are some upper GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting - but not always) but most of all because your symptoms are not continuous.
Sometimes antibiotics can throw off the normal bowel flora and cause abnormal changes in bowel patterns.
As your TSH is normal, it isn't from thyroid abnormalities.
If you started a new medication or a higher dose of medication before this started, it may be related.
It's possible you may be sensitive to certain foods that are triggering this.
Irritable bowel syndrome can have symptoms of intermittent diarrhea and cramping. Sometimes this is set off by stress or an infection, but we really do not know enough about what causes IBS. However, IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion and so it is important to rule out other causes before assigning that diagnosis.
Given that this has gone on for 3 months, I think it is time to go in to be checked out. Your doctor may want to check a stool sample for culture, red, and white blood cells. Also a CBC and blood test for Celiac disease. And if you have not had a colonoscopy in the past 5 years, it would be a good idea to have one if other lab tests don't show anything.
In the meantime, observe whether there is any correlation with any foods (or activities).
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
About the diarrhea:
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for the information. Here are some thoughts:
A gastroenteritis (stomach flu, food poisoning/food infection, or other gastrointestinal infection) is still possible but less likely. I say less likely because usually there are some upper GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting - but not always) but most of all because your symptoms are not continuous.
Sometimes antibiotics can throw off the normal bowel flora and cause abnormal changes in bowel patterns.
As your TSH is normal, it isn't from thyroid abnormalities.
If you started a new medication or a higher dose of medication before this started, it may be related.
It's possible you may be sensitive to certain foods that are triggering this.
Irritable bowel syndrome can have symptoms of intermittent diarrhea and cramping. Sometimes this is set off by stress or an infection, but we really do not know enough about what causes IBS. However, IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion and so it is important to rule out other causes before assigning that diagnosis.
Given that this has gone on for 3 months, I think it is time to go in to be checked out. Your doctor may want to check a stool sample for culture, red, and white blood cells. Also a CBC and blood test for Celiac disease. And if you have not had a colonoscopy in the past 5 years, it would be a good idea to have one if other lab tests don't show anything.
In the meantime, observe whether there is any correlation with any foods (or activities).
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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