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Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're interested in trying complementary and alternative treatments for antibiotic-associated diarrhea, discuss your options with your doctor. One option may be probiotics — concentrated supplements of beneficial bacteria. Probiotics are available in capsule or liquid form and are also added to some foods, such as certain brands of yogurt.
In theory, eating a probiotic product causes good bacteria to travel to your intestines to help boost the level of good bacteria in your digestive tract and help defeat the bad bacteria. But there's limited evidence to support the use of probiotics as a treatment for antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Probiotic products contain different strains of bacteria at varying doses. It's not clear which bacteria are most helpful or what doses are needed.
- Kelly CP, et al. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea, pseudomembranous enterocolitis and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189880460-5/0/1389/0.html. Accessed March 19, 2010.
- Ferri FF. Pseudomembranous colitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189880460-5/0/2088/0.html. Accessed March 19, 2010.
- Thielman NM, et al. Antibiotic-associated colitis. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniq=190074036#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP%3Bfrom%3Dcontent%3Bisbn%3D978-0-443-06839-3%3Btype%3DbookHome. Accessed March 19, 2010.
- O'Mahony S, et al. Enteric bacterial flora and bacterial overgrowth. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189880460-5/0/1389/0.html. Accessed March 26, 2010.
- Diarrhea. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diarrhea/index.htm. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Peterson MA. Disorders of the large intestine. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&uniq=191219029#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP%3Bfrom%3Dcontent%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0%3Btype%3DbookHome. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Diarrhea. ADA Nutrition Care Manual. http://nutritioncaremanual.org/topic.cfm?ncm_heading=Nutrition%20Care&ncm_toc_id=19099. Accessed March 26, 2010.
- Parkes GC, et al. The mechanisms and efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2009;9:237.
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