How does cholestyramine help with diarrhea?
A Drug to Lower Cholesterol May Also Help Chronic Diarrhea It belongs to a class of drugs known as bile acid binders or sequestrants and works by attaching itself to bile acids within the digestive tract so that they pass from the body.
How long does it take for cholestyramine to work for diarrhea?
How long should it take for cholestyramine to work? In some conditions cholestyramine may take up to one month to work.
How often can you take cholestyramine for diarrhea?
Cholestyramine comes in a chewable bar and in a powder that must be mixed with fluids or food. It usually is taken two to four times a day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take cholestyramine exactly as directed.
Can you take cholestyramine long term?
Take as directed Cholestyramine is used for long-term treatment. It comes with risks if you don’t take it as prescribed. If you stop taking the drug or don’t take it at all: If you don’t take this drug, your cholesterol may not improve. This could increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Does cholestyramine cause weight gain?
Renal: Hematuria, dysuria, burnt odor to urine, diuresis. Miscellaneous: Weight loss, weight gain, increased libido, swollen glands, edema, dental bleeding, dental caries, erosion of tooth enamel, tooth discoloration.
What is the best medicine for chronic diarrhea?
Two types of meds relieve diarrhea in different ways:
- Loperamide (Imodium) slows the movement of food through your intestines, which lets your body absorb more liquid.
- Bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol) balances out how fluid moves through your digestive tract.
What happens when you stop taking cholestyramine?
When you stop taking cholestyramine, your blood cholesterol levels may increase again. Your doctor may want you to follow a special diet to help prevent this from happening.
Can cholestyramine cause weight gain?
How do you treat bile acid diarrhea naturally?
The main treatments for bile acid diarrhoea are a low-fat diet and taking a medicine called a bile acid binder. A low-fat diet helps to reduce the symptoms of bile acid diarrhoea. Medicines that bind to bile acids in your gut (bowel) are usually very effective.
What does yellow liquid diarrhea mean?
Yellow liquid poop could indicate an underlying disorder in the liver or gallbladder. Bright yellow liquid stool can also be a sign of giardiasis, an infection caused by an intestinal parasite that you can get from drinking contaminated water.
Are there off label uses for cholestyramine resin?
Off Label Uses. Chronic diarrhea due to bile acid malabsorption. Data from a limited number of patients studied suggests that cholestyramine resin may be effective in the treatment of chronic diarrhea related to bile acid malabsorption [Borghede 2011], [Wilcox 2014].
How is cholestyramine used to treat bile acid diarrhea?
If you have a condition known as bile acid diarrhea (BAD)—also known as bile acid malabsorption (BAM)—in which an excess of bile acids spill into the colon and trigger loose and watery stools, the medication has the effect of reducing diarrhea symptoms. 1 Bile acids are produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
How often to take cholestyramine resin for dyslipidemia?
Additional data may be needed to further define the role of cholestyramine resin in this condition. Dyslipidemia: Oral: Initial: 4 g 1 to 2 times/day; increase gradually over ≥1-month intervals; maintenance: 8 to 16 g/day divided in 2 doses; maximum: 24 g/day.
How does cholestyramine work to lower cholesterol levels?
If you have high cholesterol, this reduction of bile acids from cholestyramine triggers your body to convert blood cholesterol into bile acids, which has the effect of reducing the levels of cholesterol in your blood. Cholestyramine is used along with dietary changes to lower low-density lipoproteins (LDL).