Is it possible to drink activated charcoal if you have diarrhea? Activated charcoal is the simplest and most effective remedy for eliminating toxins from the digestive system. Its porous structure promotes maximum absorption of harmful substances.
The adsorbing properties of this drug make it possible to eliminate up to 60% of particles hazardous to health from the gastrointestinal tract. This is what made activated carbon one of the essential medicines in the treatment of diarrhea. It is especially effective in treating digestive disorders caused by household poisoning, as well as allergies to certain foods.
Main causes of diarrhea
The cause of diarrhea may be dysbacteriosis.
Most often, diarrhea occurs due to food poisoning. Other common reasons include the following:
- allergy;
- dysbacteriosis;
- avitaminosis.
Diarrhea is often caused by serious chronic diseases. In this case, complex therapy and compliance with all doctor’s recommendations are required. Taking activated carbon is recommended if the cause of indigestion is known.
Particular care must be taken if diarrhea begins in an infant. Young children quickly lose their vital supply of fluid. This leads to dehydration.
Children can be given activated carbon; this natural remedy is usually well tolerated and does not cause unpleasant consequences. Timely release of toxins allows you to quickly cope with diarrhea and normalize stool.
What are the dangers of diarrhea?
Some adults take indigestion lightly; they believe that diarrhea is not at all dangerous to health. In fact, this is not at all true; loose stools can quickly lead to dehydration. In addition, all nutrients and minerals are washed away, and the person becomes weaker. This is also very harmful to health, as the electrolyte balance of the body is disrupted. It is worth starting to treat diarrhea after the first loose bowel movement, so recovery will be faster and there will be less harm to the body.
If loose stools occur more than 10 times a day, you should immediately consult a doctor. In this case, dehydration has already begun and the help of specialists may be needed.
Basic admission rules
Activated carbon tablets can be ground into powder.
Doctors recommend taking activated carbon in the form of an introductory suspension. To do this, charcoal tablets are ground into powder, diluted with water, and drunk after the reaction is complete. If you swallow the tablets whole, the effect will be slower.
You can prepare 30 g of charcoal powder, add 150 ml of water and drink it. It is better to make the water temperature slightly above room temperature.
In case of poisoning, you can take 30 g of activated carbon at a time. The specific dosage is calculated based on the patient's weight.
Activated carbon should not be combined with other medicinal drugs. Its adsorbent properties will block the action of drugs. To avoid such an undesirable effect, it is necessary to dilute the intake of activated carbon and other medications over time.
You should take it no earlier than an hour after taking other medications. Another option is to drink activated charcoal first, and then take the next medicine an hour later.
Activated carbon has 2 contraindications. It is not advisable to use the product if you have an ulcer. If you have an individual intolerance, you should not take it at all.
Characteristics of the drug
Activated carbon is a sorbent that can absorb harmful substances.
Toxins can be formed during the digestive process or come from the external environment. Most often, charcoal tablets are prescribed for various poisonings and diarrhea. To produce the medicine, coal and charcoal are used. The best medicine is obtained from nut shells and trees that are more than 50 years old. The tree is exposed to high temperatures without oxygen. After this, the resulting coals are treated with steam or carbon dioxide to remove various impurities and give them a porous structure. Due to this, the absorbent capacity of the adsorbent is very high.
The shelf life of the drug may be unlimited, despite the fact that 2 years are indicated on the packaging. If you store the tablets in the original blister and in a cool, dry place, they will be good forever. There is no need to store carbon tablets next to volatile and strongly odorous substances; they are porous and absorb everything strongly.
Activated carbon is tasteless and odorless, it is not absorbed by the intestinal mucosa and does not penetrate into the bloodstream at all. The drug is removed from the body unchanged along with feces and toxic compounds.
How to increase the effectiveness of activated carbon?
It is not difficult to organize the treatment of diarrhea with activated carbon. To increase its effectiveness, it is recommended to follow the following expert advice:
- A couple of tablets can only help a baby. An adult needs to accept almost a whole standard. Generally, it is recommended to take 1 tablet per kilogram of weight.
- A single dose is not enough. After the first dose, you need to wait a few hours and repeat.
- Take the tablets with warm water; you should drink about a glass.
- If diarrhea occurs due to a chronic disease, activated carbon will not stabilize the situation. Complex treatment is required.
- In case of allergic reactions or chemical poisoning, you cannot limit yourself to activated carbon. It is necessary to take other means to eliminate harmful substances from the entire body.
For more information about activated carbon, watch the video:
How does an adsorbent work in the intestines?
To know how activated charcoal helps with diarrhea, it is worth understanding what happens to the medication when it enters the intestines. This drug is completely safe for the intestinal mucosa and therefore has almost no contraindications. Once in any dosage in the digestive tract, the adsorbent immediately begins to act. Carbon tablets bind particles of toxic substances and minimize their absorption into the intestinal mucosa. The drug passes throughout the intestines and gently cleanses it, and after 8 hours it is completely eliminated naturally along with toxins. The fact that activated carbon has been removed from the intestines can be determined by black stool.
The question of whether regular activated carbon helps with diarrhea can be answered in the affirmative. Even severe diarrhea goes away within just a few hours after starting the drug.
It must be borne in mind that this adsorbent can only remove toxic substances from the gastrointestinal tract. If harmful substances have already entered the bloodstream or entered the body through the respiratory organs, then taking this drug will be pointless. In this case, the patient must be urgently taken to the nearest medical facility.
Indications for use
Activated carbon is also used for kidney failure.
The main indications for the use of this remedy are given below.
- As one of the weight loss measures (removal of toxins).
- Allergic manifestations (all types, including Quincke's edema).
- Drug poisoning.
- Alcohol poisoning, hangover syndrome.
- Metabolism problems.
- Kidney failure.
- Cirrhosis, hepatitis of any type.
- Infectious intestinal diseases (salmonellosis, dysentery).
- Poisoning (food, chemical, medicinal).
- Stomach acidity exceeding normal.
- Malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to intoxication (dyspepsia, putrefaction, fermentation, flatulence).
- The preparatory stage before internal examinations is for the adsorption of gases.
When is the medication prescribed?
Activated carbon can help with a number of diseases that are in one way or another associated with intoxication of the whole body:
- With increased formation of gases in the intestines.
- If digestion is difficult and dyspepsia is observed.
- If stagnation occurs in the stomach or intestines, which develops into putrefactive processes.
- To cleanse the body in case of kidney and liver failure.
- For various poisonings - food, medicinal and chemical.
- Activated charcoal is prescribed for diarrhea.
- Used in the complex treatment of allergies, diseases of the digestive tract and asthma.
- Prescribed to relieve intoxication after cancer treatment.
Carbon tablets are very hygroscopic, so they adsorb all toxic substances well.
Other sorbent options
White charcoal can relieve intestinal gas.
In addition to activated charcoal, there are other types of medications that remove toxins from the body. Among them is white coal.
It is made from silicon dioxide and highly dispersed microcrystalline cellulose. There are also auxiliary substances in the composition, such as potato starch and powdered sugar.
Silicon dioxide is effective in cleansing the body. It is able to remove toxins caused by the activity of microbes or chemicals.
It eliminates allergen substances to which the body reacts acutely. White coal can relieve intestinal gases, products of protein breakdown.
Contraindications
Although activated carbon belongs to natural medicines, there are certain contraindications to its use. If they are not taken into account, irreparable harm to health will be caused. You cannot be treated with the drug if you have a history of the following diseases:
- If a person is undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
- For peptic ulcers of the digestive organs.
- For internal bleeding.
- In case of intestinal obstruction.
- For surgical interventions in the previous six months.
- In case of individual intolerance to the medication.
When there are no contraindications to taking charcoal, then treating diarrhea with such an adsorbent is not only possible, but also necessary. It will relieve diarrhea in a short time without harmful effects on the entire body.
Benefits of white coal
White charcoal tablets have no taste.
Experts often recommend taking white coal, based on its following benefits:
- greater efficiency (4 g per day is enough);
- provides additional stimulation of intestinal function, as a result there is no need to worry about subsequent constipation;
- the tablets have no taste;
- you can swallow the tablets whole;
- removes excess gases from the intestines, prevents increased gas formation;
- helps normalize the functioning of the digestive system, facilitates the absorption of nutrients;
- reduces the potential for the formation of gallstones.
Mechanism of action
Once in the intestines, activated carbon takes the form of small particles. They are deposited on the contents, are not absorbed through the wall, but move along with the feces. The effect is enhanced by a large dose of the drug. There are practically no contraindications. Women can drink charcoal at any stage of pregnancy.
As they move, toxic substances are retained on the pores of the carbon particles. Their reabsorption into the blood is significantly reduced. The time from taking the pills to leaving the intestines is about 8 hours. Excretion is confirmed by the coloring of stool black.
Please note that activated charcoal does not work for respiratory infections and there is no point in taking it to reduce intoxication. Special treatment should be carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the doctor.
For intestinal infections, you can drink charcoal tablets, since some of the microorganisms are inside the small and large intestines. But it does not act on the main cause of diarrhea; the main treatment of diarrhea and intoxication depends on the use of antimicrobial drugs. Coal does not kill pathological organisms, but only cleans up the “battlefield”.
Is it worth using?
Many, having seen the scheme for treating intestinal slagging with charcoal, will ask themselves: “Do I need to waste my energy, stick to proper nutrition, give up alcohol, if I already feel good?” If you want your hair to shine, your nails to become strong and not gray and broken, your overall well-being to improve, it to become easier to move, all the unevenness and roughness have disappeared from your face, abdominal pain has gone away, gases have stopped tormenting you, especially during important meetings or going to the movies, then you should still think and answer yourself: “yes, it’s worth it.”
Who should not take activated charcoal?
The drug is contraindicated in patients:
- when undergoing a course of radiation and chemotherapy;
- in the stage of exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease;
- if there are signs of internal bleeding;
- when intestinal patency is impaired (adhesive disease, tumor);
- if less than six months have passed since surgery on the digestive tract;
- with very rare individual intolerance.
If a person simultaneously takes other medications orally, it should be borne in mind that activated charcoal reduces their effectiveness, since it can bind part of the dose. Women taking contraceptive medications should also be aware of the decrease in their activity during charcoal treatment and switch to other means of contraception. You can use charcoal for diarrhea. It is indicated in many cases as a safe enterosorbent. But it is advisable to first identify the cause and consult a doctor.
Some tips for using charcoal in children
Activated carbon is sold in every pharmacy, and therefore becomes one of the most affordable drugs, its action is very similar to Enterosgel, Phosphalugel. But the price is only several times cheaper. There are some tips for those parents who decide to start using charcoal instead of expensive drugs:
- Before you start giving charcoal, you need to consult a doctor so that he can help you accurately calculate the dosage and tell you whether charcoal will help in a particular case or not.
- The drug should be given an hour or two before meals or after, because charcoal can absorb beneficial nutrients
- The course of treatment should not last more than three days. Only a specialist can increase the treatment period
- Charcoal binds well and colors the chair almost black. Therefore, while taking charcoal, it is better to give your child more water to avoid dehydration.
Previously, activated carbon was only sold in tablet form. Today it can also be found in the form of granules, powder and even gel. Each parent must choose the most optimal form of release so that the child definitely does not refuse to take it. Everyone knows that coal doesn’t have a very pleasant taste, and it’s also black. Therefore, children are recommended to mix with water. Giving activated carbon to children is possible, and sometimes even necessary, especially when it comes to poisoning or intoxication.
Analogues of activated carbon for diarrhea
For diarrhea, you can take other enterosorbents:
- Sorbex,
- Carbopect,
- White coal.
Sorbex
Sorbex is available in capsules with a black cap and body, they have a white inscription in Latin. Inside the capsules there is a black shiny coarse powder.
The medication contains activated carbon as an active ingredient. In addition, the composition includes inactive ingredients:
- gelatin,
- iron oxide black,
- black shiny BN.
Sorbex can only be treated in patients over 7 years of age.
If you have diarrhea, you should drink the drug 1-2 hours before or after eating or taking other medications.
Drink Sorbex in the following doses:
| Age | Dosage regimen |
| Over 7 years old | 1-3 capsules three to four times a day. |
| For adults | On average, you need to take 2-8 capsules (0.5-2 g) three to four times a day. The highest single dosage is 12 capsules, which corresponds to 3 g. |
Carbopect
Carbopect is available in 2 dosage forms:
- Capsules. They contain activated carbon (110 mg). In addition to it, they contain fillers: gelatin, water, MCC, pectin. They are colorless, containing black granules with shiny inclusions inside.
- Pills. They contain activated carbon (0.23 g). In addition to it, the drug contains pectin, E470, E460. The tablets have a flat-cylindrical shape. They are black with shiny and grayish-beige patches and may be unevenly colored. Their surface is rough. There is a line that allows you to split the tablet in half.
