To schedule an appointment to discuss your diarrhea or other gastrointestinal issue, call us at 888-229-7408.

In addition to frequent loose, watery stools, other symptoms for diarrhea include:

• Stomach pain
• Cramps
• Bloating
• Thirst
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Blood in the stool 

To diagnose, we begin by collecting a thorough history and conducting a comprehensive physical exam. We’ll also talk about any medications you are currently taking, including over-the-counter medications or supplements, as some medications do have the potential to cause diarrhea. A blood test and stool test may be necessary to determine the cause of the diarrhea. An abdominal X-ray will be a simple way of identifying severe constipation and fecal loading, which might be the cause of diarrhea. 

If your diarrhea does not resolve on its own within a few days, your doctor may recommend any of the following:

• Over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicine, such as Imodium or Pepto-Bismol
• Antibiotics, if it’s been determined that your diarrhea is due to a problem with community of bacteria in your gut (microbiome)
• Medication adjustment, if one of your current medications is causing the diarrhea
• Replacing fluids, by drinking more, using oral rehydration solutions (like Pedialyte®) or receiving them intravenously (if your dehydration is severe or you are unable to hold them down). Children and elderly people especially are at risk for dehydration
• Treating other underlying conditions, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with the help of our multidisciplinary team to create a complete treatment plan
• Managing severe fecal loading and constipation identified by abdominal X-ray by doing a bowel cleanse/purge to relieve the diarrhea and initiating/designing a good bowel regimen with our multidisciplinary team to prevent recurrence of severe constipation

• High fiber diet
• Calcium Carbonate
• Imodium
• Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
• Low-fiber diet
• Low fiber meal plan