Pepto Bismol Cured Me?

[Peata]

Is there anything special about this product? Because it seemed to have cured my diarrhea that I was plagued with for at least a year. Where everytime you go to the bathroom, even to just urinate, you end up doing what you didn't want to do.

I had to go on a course of antibiotics last month for something, and got what i believe is colitis from it, which made my "normal" diarrhea seem quite tame. Anyway, when i stopped the antibiotic, i used Pepto Bismol until the diarrhea stopped. And I've barely had to use Pepto since, as though it has cured it.

Before, I'd tried immodium, but it did nothing. in the past, I tried Pepto for gastritis but it didn't seem to help that. But it seems like a cure for the chronic diarrhea i had.

So I was just wanting to make the post as a sort of follow-up to all my diarrhea woes I posted about before, and see if anyone had any peaty insights on Pepto.

 

[kiran]

The active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol is bismuth subsalicylate. Bismuth is known to inhibit growth of H. Pylori and some other strains of bacteria and fungi.

 

[messtafarian]

Was just going to say the same thing. Bismuth alone kills H. Pylori but also other strains of unwelcome bacteria. Salicylate might help with inflammation. It's good stuff IMHO.

 

[Peata]

Thanks.

i forgot that when i tried pepto for gastritis, I think it was the tablets i used instead of the liquid. For some reason, the tablets didn't seem to do anything for me.

 

[messtafarian]

Gastritis is different though. Sometimes that has to do with temp. failure of peristalsis; kind of a semi-gastroparesis, and what could help in that case is carrot or cascara. Next time try one, then try the other :)

 

[lindsay]

Wow!! No way? Did it cause constipation for you though, or are you able to have normal bowel movements now?

 

[Peata]

Doing a little reading on this, I suspect I may have developed "microscopic colitis". And I read that indeed, Pepto Bismol treats it.

 

[Peata]

Gastritis is different though. Sometimes that has to do with temp. failure of peristalsis; kind of a semi-gastroparesis, and what could help in that case is carrot or cascara. Next time try one, then try the other :)

yes, I just mentioned the gastritis and pepto as a sort of explanation as to why i hadn't tried it again when i had that diarrhea. My assumption more or less that well if it didn't work for one gastro issue, i wouldn't bother buying it for another. I did try other things from the drugstore, including Immodium, but it didn't help my bowel either.

 

[Peata]

Wow!! No way? Did it cause constipation for you though, or are you able to have normal bowel movements now?

I used it until the diarrhea stopped, and if i felt it starting to come back, would take more. I stopped taking it when I felt my bowels were ok, because I didn't want to go the other way and get constipation. Now I just seem to have a normal bowel movement with regular form each day. But I have it handy in case the diarrhea tries to come back.

 

[messtafarian]

Wow!! No way? Did it cause constipation for you though, or are you able to have normal bowel movements now?

I think Pepto kind of fits the Peat model in that it's been medicine for roughly 100 years. Bismuth kills the badbug, salicylics calm inflammation. There is nothing else in Pepto but a little blush. I can't think of a situation in which it would hurt matters unless one was taking way too much bismuth which is a metal and can upset the uptake of other trace metals.

And also; in the case of gastroparesis it would just put more stuff in you you can't digest or move out of you.

 

[Peata]

It's so strange to have normal bathroom times after all this time (a year? I can't remember now). I mean I'd always had the catch-all IBS dx, but the chronic diarrhea was something that really stuck around this past year.

 

[tomisonbottom]

It's so strange to have normal bathroom times after all this time (a year? I can't remember now). I mean I'd always had the catch-all IBS dx, but the chronic diarrhea was something that really stuck around this past year.

Awesome! What kind did you take, Liquid, chewables, etc?

And was it the normal brand? Thanks for sharing!

 

[messtafarian]

It's so strange to have normal bathroom times after all this time (a year? I can't remember now). I mean I'd always had the catch-all IBS dx, but the chronic diarrhea was something that really stuck around this past year.

Bugs.

I just had a very similar experience.

I'm not crazy about probiotics but that might be a handy followup -- obviously there's some dysbiosis or you would not have had one microbe that died when you smothered it with pink stuff.

 

[Peata]

It's so strange to have normal bathroom times after all this time (a year? I can't remember now). I mean I'd always had the catch-all IBS dx, but the chronic diarrhea was something that really stuck around this past year.

Awesome! What kind did you take, Liquid, chewables, etc?

And was it the normal brand? Thanks for sharing!

It's the liquid. The bottle I have now is just regular Pepto Bismol, says "5 symptom digestive relief". I took one or two T. when the urge for diarrhea hit until it stopped, so at first I was taking it kind of frequently, then it seemed like I only needed it once in a while. And none lately.

 

[Peata]

So, to recap, i think I"ve had "microscopic colitis" for some time. Then I got ill in November and went on an antibiotic that gave me the worst GI symptoms of my life - what I think was colitis. Severe diarrhea with severe intestinal pain and blood in stool. Stopping antibiotic stopped the colitis but seemed to bring back the "regular" diarrhea, which I then hit with the Pepto. Since then, I seemed cured. Unfortunately, had another short course of antibiotic after a doctor visit and started getting diarrhea (nothing severe like with the other antibiotic), but i used Pepto which seemed to help it. Since off the antibiotic, things have been fine again.

 

[messtafarian]

Well, you are either allergic to an excipient in the antibiotics or there is some deeprooted resistant pathogen that hates bismuth.

If it were me, I would stick with pepto and get the best and freshest probiotics I could find. Like I said, I am not convinced about probiotics but practically, you could just kill everything with antibiotics again.

 

[Peata]

mess, do you think if I'm feeling fine and having no issues that i need the probiotics even then? I have eaten yogurt but i know it only has one or two strains.

 

[messtafarian]

Oh no! If you're feeling fine then do nothing. I thought you were still having some kind of symptom.

Probiotics are weird. There are bacteria in those pills but we have no idea really what they are. But if you were at the moment growing some kind of bad pathogen they might help by just taking up space. If you're ok, then don't bother.

 

[Peata]

No, thankfully I seem fine.

 

[yoshiesque]

how long did you take this for?

I have had IBS with diarrhea for over a year now. im really sick of it. pretty sure mine was a stress/anxiety induced issue but now im wondering if i have other things like SIBO and so on.

I am willing to give this a try though because its getting really frustrating for me.