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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffAntibiotic-associated diarrhea can cause signs and symptoms that range from mild to severe. Most often, you'll have only a slight change in the bacteria in your digestive tract, which can cause loose stools or more bowel movements a day than are normal for you.
If you develop these problems, they're likely to begin about five to 10 days after you start antibiotic therapy and to end within two weeks after you stop taking antibiotics. Sometimes, however, diarrhea and other symptoms may not appear for days or even weeks after you've finished antibiotic treatment.
When the overgrowth of harmful bacteria is severe, you may have signs and symptoms of colitis or pseudomembranous colitis, such as:
- Frequent, watery diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Fever, often higher than 101 F (38.3 C)
- Pus in your stool
- Bloody stools
- Nausea
- Dehydration
Most people experience an improvement within two weeks after beginning treatment for colitis or pseudomembranous colitis. However, sometimes signs and symptoms recur — usually within a month of the initial treatment — which means you may need to be treated a second or even a third time.
