A significant number of people with acid reflux also suffer from frequent coronary artery disease or irritable bowel symptoms. But this is a coincidence or connection. The answer is that there is a connection. There is at least one connection between acid reflux and diarrhea, and there may be more. In this article, we will briefly review the effects of these compounds.
Connection
The first of the two compounds is natural. This can potentially mean that both acid reflux and diarrhea are symptoms of a larger root problem. In this case, the problem is digestion. Medical sources say that acid reflux disease can occur when intestinal and lower gastric muscles relax involuntarily. It can also lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea.
The other link between acid reflux and diarrhea is not natural, but rather related to drugs. Several ongoing studies show that drugs taken to relieve acid reflux actually help to cause diarrhea. There are two main categories of acid reflux treatment - protein pump inhibitors (PPI) and H-2 blockers. Some typical versions of these drugs that you can recognize are Prilosec & Nexium for PPI, and Zantac and Pepcid for H-2 blockers. Diarrhea has been found to be a side effect of taking both of these categories of drugs.
Read on to find out why these drugs can cause diarrhea and what treatment options. You can also subscribe to a free acid reflux newsletter at the bottom of the page for natural treatments for acid reflux that do not cause diarrhea.
Cause
H-2 inhibitors and protein pump inhibitors have been shown to facilitate the overgrowth of bacteria Clostridium difficile (C-diff). Excessive amounts of C-diff growing in the colon or large intestine are responsible for causing diarrhea. And to exacerbate the situation, antibiotics taken for individual problems (or related) can kill the “good” bacteria that are needed to treat C-diff in the colon.
Colitis, a painful form of an intestinal infection spasm, can be the result of too much C-diff. Compounding the problems, these infections can spread very easily in populated areas, such as hospitals and hospitals.
Cause
In principle, the use of drugs to combat acid reflux actually weakens the body's defenses. Gastric acid in the human body is not only designed to digest food, but also acts as a barrier to prevent unwanted errors in our bodies. Preparations used to suppress gastric acid can actually weaken this form of protection, allowing access to certain bacteria (for example, C-diff) that would otherwise not be allowed.
This is also the reason that doctors often recommend more natural methods of dealing with acid reflux before resorting to medicine. Some of these methods include weight loss (if applicable), eating less frequently, eating less fatty foods, eating less spicy foods, limiting alcohol and smoking, and lifting your head while you sleep. They can often go a long way in controlling acid reflux if closely monitored.
Acid reflux and diarrhea are probably related in more than one way. If you have not yet exhausted these possibilities, you can try using some of the methods of treatment described above related to lifestyle and diet. If you are stuck using medicines, just remember to be aware of the infections that may result from a weakened line of defense. And, as a result, maintain frequent contact with your doctor.
