Taking Antibiotics Can Cause Diarrhea, Clostridium Difficile Infection

Taking antibiotics is a must in many cases of illnesses and injuries. Those same antibiotics that help to cure one problem can, and often do, cause another problem, diarrhea.

When taking antibiotics, or just after taking a round of antibiotics, often patients will develop diarrhea that just won’t stop. The antibiotic treatment used to treat an infection sometimes kills the good colon bacteria and the Clostridium Difficile germ multiplies inside the colon. The germ produces toxins that inflame the digestive tract and results in diarrhea accompanied with cramping, stomach pain and a low grade fever.

This antibiotic caused diarrhea goes by several names, Clostridium Difficile, C. difficile, C. difficile-associated disease, pseudimembranous colitis, and antibiotic-associated colitis.

If the diarrhea starts while you are taking antibiotics, stop taking them and call your doctor, who will determine another course of treatment for you. If the diarrhea starts after the antibiotic treatment is completed, another antibiotic treatment using a different antibiotic will stop the Clostridium difficile diarrhea.

Adding foods or a supplement that contains probiotics will help restore the good bacteria to your colon. Yogurt contains the good bacteria that will help regualte your digestive tract.