Can Diarrhea Result From Using Heartburn Medication?

Diarrhea and heartburn are digestive symptoms that can be more common in individuals with certain gastrointestinal disorders. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid can increase the risk of chronic diarrhea due to their magnesium or calcium content. Antacids with magnesium in them may also cause diarrhea or worsen it. Antibiotics can also produce diarrhea, as the intestines normally contain bacteria like Clostridium difficile.

People taking proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers have a higher risk of infection from the potentially dangerous diarrhea bug, Clostridium difficile. Antacids do not usually have many side effects if taken occasionally and at the recommended dose. However, they can cause diarrhea or constipation.

In addition to collagenous colitis, any type of PPI may cause diarrhea as an adverse effect, although the risk might not be high and not clinically significant. Antacids should be taken as directed to reduce the risk of diarrhea or constipation and may increase the chance of developing food sensitivities. Common side effects include headache, diarrhea, and stomach pain, which are usually mild and go away when the medicine is stopped. Some antacids can cause constipation or diarrhea.

The ingredients used in antacids can vary, and excessive use can lead to different side effects. It is important to follow the recommended dosage and avoid overuse of antacids to maintain good health.

Is it normal to have diarrhea after taking omeprazole?

The most common omeprazole side effect is headache. But it can also cause stomach-related side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Taking omeprazole at high dosages, or for longer than a year, raises the risk of more serious side effects. These can include bone breaks and pneumonia (a lung infection).

Can high acidity cause diarrhea?

Excess bile acids entering the colon can cause the classic signs and symptoms of bile acid malabsorption (BAM), including watery stool, urgency and fecal incontinence. Although BAM has been associated with diarrhea for nearly 50 years, it remains an underrecognized and underdiagnosed cause of chronic diarrhea.

Studies have demonstrated that BAM occurs in about one-third of patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), up to 50 percent of those with functional diarrhea and 35 percent of those with microscopic colitis.

Even so, BAM is seldom considered in most cases of chronic diarrhea encountered by gastroenterologists and primary care physicians. As a result, patients may be extensively investigated with colonoscopies, CT enterography and other stool studies, diagnosed with other causes of diarrhea, or considered to have irritable bowel syndrome or functional diarrhea by exclusion, thereby delaying specific treatment.

Can too much gastric acid cause diarrhea?

The tumors that form with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome are made up of cells that secrete large amounts of the hormone gastrin. For this reason, they are sometimes called gastrinomas. Increased gastrin causes the stomach to make far too much acid. The excess acid then leads to peptic ulcers and sometimes to diarrhea.

Besides causing excess acid production, the tumors are often cancerous. Although the tumors tend to grow slowly, the cancer can spread elsewhere — most commonly to nearby lymph nodes or the liver.

Association with MEN 1. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome may be caused by an inherited condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN 1). People with MEN 1 also have tumors in the parathyroid glands. They may have tumors in their pituitary glands as well.

Why are my bowels not moving?

Lifestyle factors. Common lifestyle causes of constipation include:

• Not eating enough fiber.
• Not drinking enough water ( dehydration ).
• Not getting enough exercise.
• Changes in your regular routine, such as traveling or eating, or going to bed at different times.
• Consuming large amounts of milk or cheese.
• Stress.
• Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement.

Medications. Medications that can cause constipation include:

• Strong pain medicines, like narcotics containing codeine, oxycodone (Oxycontin®) and hydromorphone (Dilaudid®).
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) and naproxen (Aleve®).
• Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (like fluoxetine (Prozac®)) or tricyclic antidepressants (like amitriptyline (Elavil®)).
• Antacids containing calcium or aluminum, such as Tums®.
• Iron pills.
• Allergy medications, such as antihistamines (like diphenhydramine (Benadryl®)).
• Certain blood pressure medicines, including calcium channel blockers (like verapamil (Calan SR®), diltiazem (Cardizem®) and nifedipine (Procardia®)) and beta-blockers (like atenolol (Tenormin®)).
• Psychiatric medications, like clozapine (Clozaril®) and olanzapine (Zyprexa®).
• Antiseizure medications, such as phenytoin and gabapentin.
• Antinausea medications, like ondansetron (Zofran®).

What is the safest drug for acid reflux?

For short-term relief, your best bet may be an antacid or an H2 blocker. If you have frequent heartburn or a stomach ulcer, your healthcare provider may recommend a PPI instead. They’ve been around for years and are considered safe and effective treatments. Many people rely on them for relief.

Is An antacid A Laxative?

Magnesium-containing antacids tend to be laxative whereas aluminium-containing antacids tend to be constipating. Antacids containing both magnesium and aluminium may balance out these effects and so minimise any possible side-effects of diarrhoea or constipation.

For a full list of all the side-effects and possible interactions associated with your medicine, consult the leaflet that comes with your medication.

If you are taking antacids, you should avoid taking them at the same time as you take other medication. This is because antacids can affect how well other medication is absorbed.

Is it normal to have diarrhea after indigestion?

Indigestion, stomach flu, and food poisoning are common causes of acute abdominal pain and diarrhea. In these cases, your symptoms will last for less than 1 or 2 days and often get better without medical treatment.

Infections or diseases that affect the organs in your abdomen can also cause pain with diarrhea. Organs in the abdomen include your:

• Intestines
• kidneys
• appendix
• spleen
• stomach
• gallbladder
• liver
• pancreas

How long does it take for your stomach to return to normal after omeprazole?

You should start to feel better within 2 to 3 days, but it may take up to 4 weeks for omeprazole to work fully. You may still have some acid symptoms during this time.

If you treated yourself with omeprazole that you bought from a pharmacy and your symptoms are no better after 2 weeks, tell your doctor. They may want to do tests or put you on a different medicine.

If you feel you are not getting any better, speak to your doctor. They may suggest trying another PPI, such as pantoprazole or rabeprazole.

If you take omeprazole for more than 3 months, the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall.

What drug gives you diarrhea?

OverviewAntibiotics. Antidepressants. Antacids. Proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid). Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy).

Overview. Many prescription and non-prescription medicines can cause diarrhea. A few examples are:

• Antibiotics.
• Antidepressants.
• Antacids.
• Proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid).
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy).

Many antibiotics cause diarrhea. Usually the diarrhea is mild and will clear up without treatment. A more serious type of diarrhea caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile may occur while taking the antibiotic or shortly after finishing the antibiotic.

Does acid reflux medicine give you diarrhea?

PPI administration may cause diarrhea in addition to collagenous colitis, due to various mechanisms such as easier colonization of enteropathogenic bacteria, inadequate protein digestion in the stomach, and a possible influence on H, K-ATPase in the colonic mucosa. In the absence of gastric acid, bacteria like Clostridium difficile, Salmonella, and Campylobacter species can easily colonize in the gut, leading to enterocolitis and diarrhea or loose bowels. Inhibition of gastric acid secretion by PPI administration may cause diarrhea. Nongastric H, K-ATPase in the human colon may regulate colonic fluid secretion.

Clinical studies have reported similar incidences of diarrhea between lansoprazole, omeprazole, and placebo treated groups, with most resolving spontaneously while patients continued PPIs. A recent cohort study comparing PPI and antireflux surgery as a long-term treatment of GERD showed a similar incidence of diarrhea between the two treatment strategies.

This prospective observational study had some limitations, including its open-label design and the small size of the cohort. Future larger studies are needed to clarify the risk of diarrhea associated with administration of different PPIs.

Why do I get diarrhea after taking antacids?

Antacids that have magnesium in them may also cause diarrhea or make it worse.

• Normally, the intestines have many different bacteria. They keep each other in balance. Antibiotics destroy some of these bacteria, which allow other types to grow too much.
• In some cases, antibiotics can allow a type of bacteria called Clostridioides difficile to grow too much. This can lead to severe, watery, and often bloody diarrhea due to a condition called pseudomembranous colitis.

• Chemotherapy medicines used to treat cancer.
• Drugs used to treat heartburn and stomach ulcers, such as omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), dexlanxoprazole (Dexilant), rabeprazole (Aciphex), pantoprazole (Protonix), cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Zantac 360 and Pepcid), and nizatidine (Axid). This is uncommon.
• Medicines that suppress the immune system (such as mycophenolate).
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used to treat pain and arthritis, such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Metformin used to treat diabetes.

Some herbal teas contain senna or other “natural” laxatives that can cause diarrhea. Other vitamins, minerals, or supplements may also cause diarrhea.