Drugs That Cause Diarrhea

The list of drugs that can cause diarrhea is particularly extensive. According to the first study cited at the end of the article, in the year 2000 over 700 drugs on the market were involved in the onset of diarrhea.

Among those most commonly responsible for this disorder, the study in question recalls:

• antibiotics, especially if broad spectrum: they involve a destruction of the normal microbial flora of the large intestine, increasing the probability of enteric proliferation of pathogens responsible for diarrhea. This undesirable effect can be at least partially prevented by associating the antimicrobial drug with a specific treatment with probiotics
• some weight loss medications, such as acarbose, reduce the absorption of carbohydrates and dietary fats causing diarrhea
• laxatives
• antacids containing magnesium salts (to compensate for the laxative effect, magnesium hydroxide is often associated with aluminum hydroxide, as occurs in Maalox)
• products containing lactose as an excipient: in patients strongly inolerant to this sugar, even the ingestion of minimal amounts of lactose can cause diarrhea
• products containing polyols, such as sorbitol and mannitol: sugars with a known laxative effect
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• cimetidine
• prostaglandins
• colchicine
• antineoplastics
• antiarrhythmic drugs
• anticholinergic agents
• thiazide diuretics

Active ingredients that cause Diarrhea 2

1. Cardiovascular active drugs

• Methyldopa, digoxin, quinidine, propranolol, hydralazine, ACE inhibitors, procainamide

3. Musculoskeletal active drugs

• colchicine, indomethacin, auranofin, naproxen, phenylbutazone, mefenamic acid

5. Endocrine active drugs

• oral hypoglycemic agents, clofibrate, thyroxine

Bibliography:

1. Drug-induced diarrhoea. Chassany O, Michaux A, Bergmann JF. Drug Saf. 2000 Jan; 22: 53-72.
2. Drug-Associated Diarrhoea and Constipation in Older People. Ranjit N Ratnaike, Austin G Milton, Olimpia Nigro

Other Articles on "Drugs That Cause Diarrhea"

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2. Diarrhea
3. Diarrhea: causes and treatment
4. Dysentery
5. Traveler's Diarrhea
6. Chronic diarrhea
7. Chronic Diarrhea: Types, Symptoms and Complications
8. Chronic diarrhea: Diagnosis, Treatment, Diet
9. Diet and diarrhea
10. Nutrition and diarrhea
11. Diarrhea and Antibiotics
12. Diarrhea - Drugs to Treat Diarrhea
13. Herbal Teas Against Diarrhea