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What Causes Diarrhea After Taking Augmentin?
Question: I started taking Augmentin on Monday for strep throat. Started having loose stools on Wednesday. Doctor changed antibiotic to Omnicef last night (Wednesday). I started taking a probiotic on Tuesday. How long should I expect loose stools to last? Is it ok to take Imodium or Pepto Bismol for the diarrhea?
Brief Answer:
Loose stool duration can't be predicted...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
diarrhea is a relatively common complication of treatment with antibiotics and augmentin in particular. The appearance of diarrhea warrants treatment discontinuation and perhaps prescription of alternative treatments.
This kind of infection (streptococcal pharyngitis/tonsilitis) can be left untreated and still be cured. The reason doctors prescribe antibiotics is to prevent complications, particularly in children. The complications are not so common though.
Antibiotic related diarrhea can be from mild to severe, so there is no single answer as to how it should be treated. Mild diarrhea without blood on the stool and fever can be treated with imodium. Severe bloody diarrhea should not be treated with imodium.
If you've had worsening fever then I would suggest stool examination for clostridium difficile toxins and perhaps treatment for it.
Omnicef is an antibiotic that may also cause diarrhea and I would be very cautious before prescribing it in a case like this, particularly when other alternatives exist.
The probiotics are just fine. They won't cause any side effects but they don't have adequately proven efficacy.
The duration of antibiotic related diarrhea cannot be predicted. It depends mostly on its severity. Most of the times it stops with the offending drug withdrawal. Other times treatment might be needed. Nobody can tell.
I hope I've addressed your concerns!
If you need further clarifications on the subject, please let me know.
Kind Regards!
Loose stool duration can't be predicted...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
diarrhea is a relatively common complication of treatment with antibiotics and augmentin in particular. The appearance of diarrhea warrants treatment discontinuation and perhaps prescription of alternative treatments.
This kind of infection (streptococcal pharyngitis/tonsilitis) can be left untreated and still be cured. The reason doctors prescribe antibiotics is to prevent complications, particularly in children. The complications are not so common though.
Antibiotic related diarrhea can be from mild to severe, so there is no single answer as to how it should be treated. Mild diarrhea without blood on the stool and fever can be treated with imodium. Severe bloody diarrhea should not be treated with imodium.
If you've had worsening fever then I would suggest stool examination for clostridium difficile toxins and perhaps treatment for it.
Omnicef is an antibiotic that may also cause diarrhea and I would be very cautious before prescribing it in a case like this, particularly when other alternatives exist.
The probiotics are just fine. They won't cause any side effects but they don't have adequately proven efficacy.
The duration of antibiotic related diarrhea cannot be predicted. It depends mostly on its severity. Most of the times it stops with the offending drug withdrawal. Other times treatment might be needed. Nobody can tell.
I hope I've addressed your concerns!
If you need further clarifications on the subject, please let me know.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you for uour response. I have not had any fever - even with strep - just loose stools since my second day on Augmentin. I know that strep will resolve on its own, even withtout antibiotics, but I have three children and work full time. I really cannot afford to have all of them get sick or to miss five days of work because I am contagious with strep. I have taken both amoxicillin and Omnicef before without any problems, so I plan to continue the Omnicef Are there any other things I can/should do or avoid while i wait for my system to get back to normal? Thanks. .
Brief Answer:
You can continue your treatment. Please read on.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
you have to understand that a strep throat is just a description for what could be caused by streptococcus, other bacteria or even viruses. Unless you've done a throat culture or at least a rapid strep-test you can't be sure it is streptococcus. There are some criteria to estimate the risk for streptococcus but nobody can decide - with clinical information alone - that streptococcus is the cause.
If it is streptococcus then after 24 hours on amoxicillin-clavulanate you shouldn't be contagious, unless you've taken this antibiotic very recently (past 3-4 months) or got it from somebody who did (perhaps your children). 24 hours is the time required to limit contagiousness to a minimum in the majority of cases for penicillin and similar antibiotics (amoxicillin is a broader spectrum penicillin) and 48 hours for macrolide antibiotics like clarithromycin etc.
If it is viral then you can do nothing to hasten your recovery. You can do nothing about infectivity either.
Continuing omnicef is a choice for a slightly faster recovery provided your throat has been infected by susceptible bacteria.
If you only had minor symptoms regarding your bowel movements then you can take imodium.
I hope I've clarified things for you!
If you've got more question, please ask!
If not, then please don't forget to rate my response.
My wishes for a fast recovery!
You can continue your treatment. Please read on.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
you have to understand that a strep throat is just a description for what could be caused by streptococcus, other bacteria or even viruses. Unless you've done a throat culture or at least a rapid strep-test you can't be sure it is streptococcus. There are some criteria to estimate the risk for streptococcus but nobody can decide - with clinical information alone - that streptococcus is the cause.
If it is streptococcus then after 24 hours on amoxicillin-clavulanate you shouldn't be contagious, unless you've taken this antibiotic very recently (past 3-4 months) or got it from somebody who did (perhaps your children). 24 hours is the time required to limit contagiousness to a minimum in the majority of cases for penicillin and similar antibiotics (amoxicillin is a broader spectrum penicillin) and 48 hours for macrolide antibiotics like clarithromycin etc.
If it is viral then you can do nothing to hasten your recovery. You can do nothing about infectivity either.
Continuing omnicef is a choice for a slightly faster recovery provided your throat has been infected by susceptible bacteria.
If you only had minor symptoms regarding your bowel movements then you can take imodium.
I hope I've clarified things for you!
If you've got more question, please ask!
If not, then please don't forget to rate my response.
My wishes for a fast recovery!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
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