Activated charcoal for diarrhea( diarrhea)

We hope that everyone in the home medicine chest will have a place for activated carbon. The drug is cheap in cost, but quite effective and harmless in use. It belongs to the class of adsorbents - substances capable of absorbing by their surface molecules of products of tissue decay, toxins, slags in the liquid and gaseous state.

For diarrhea, activated charcoal is shown to both adults and children. But you should not expect a quick cure, because diarrhea has different causes and the right treatment can be chosen only by a doctor. Activated charcoal in diarrhea can be considered a symptomatic agent that can alleviate the condition.

Before using the medication or giving it to relatives, you should read the instructions carefully. This advice is good not only for tablets of coal, but for any most expensive medicine purchased at a pharmacy. We will try to acquaint the reader with the characteristics and medicinal properties of the drug.

Description of the preparation

Activated charcoal is produced:

• in tablets;
• capsules;
• granules;
• powder form;
• in the paste.

They are black. Long-term storage in a blister, in a dry place. Do not keep in the open, especially near odorous substances. Coal absorbs all the smells. Shelf life is indicated in the instructions - 2 years. But in practice it is shown that if coal tablets are properly contained, they can preserve a useful property for many years.

The property of activated charcoal to absorb in the intestine is well known:

• is a natural and synthetic alkaloids;
• gaseous substances;
• toxins of bacteria and plant origin;
• poisons( hydrocyanic acid);
• medications for hypnotics, cardiac glycosides, sulfonamides;
• some drugs;
• heavy metal salts;
• phenols.

When ingested taste and odor is not felt

The drug is not absorbed through the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, does not enter the blood, but passes all the way to the anus in unchanged form. It is excreted together with feces, so the feces turn black.

How do coal get activated?

It is known that coal remains from the combustion of wood, peat, animal bones. For medical purposes, stone and charcoal are used, the best adsorbent is a product from old trees( aged 50 or more years), from the coconut shell.

The feedstock undergoes stage-by-stage processing:

• carbonization reaction - carried out by calcination with a high temperature in anoxic environment, the carbonizate obtained has no healing properties, since the number of pores in it is small;
• activation process - is a treatment with hot steam produced by the action of water at a temperature of 800-1000 degrees Celsius and under high atmospheric pressure.

As a result, previously closed pores appear on the surface of the coal. This significantly increases the area of ​​contact with the environment.

For 1 g of coal, a useful area of ​​up to 1.5 thousand m2 is required.

For non-medical purposes, activation is caused by treatment with special chemicals, then the necessary temperature is created. Under such conditions, pores are much smaller, and they are more coarse. The obtained coal is used for discoloration of liquids, water filtration. It can be impregnated with chemical compounds, acids. Then it is dried and packed into the final packaging. It has been established that activated carbon, obtained when burning animal bones, rather than plant material, is the most absorbing ability.

When is activated carbon shown?

Medical application requires precisely regulated indications on:

• indications for use;
• dosage of the drug for a child, adult;
• how to drink the drug and how many times a day;
• possible use by pregnant women;
• has a negative effect on the body.

Diarrhea is of various origins. Activated charcoal is prescribed for diarrhea associated with intoxication of the body as a result of poisoning with external or internal toxins, accumulated substances with a negative effect on the intestine.

Coal helps to remove from the body those slags that enter the intestines. But does not affect the toxicosis, supported by a high concentration of certain substances in the blood. Drinking activated charcoal for diarrhea is recommended if it is caused by:

• by a disturbed diet, overeating with the formation of a significant amount of gases;
• disrupting the process of digesting food;
• by putrefaction with broken intestinal motility, alternating diarrhea and constipation;
• intoxication in renal and hepatic insufficiency;
• poisoning with drugs, pesticides, poor-quality food;
• an allergic reaction to food, other allergens;
• chemotherapy after complex treatment of malignant tumors.

The most common causes of diarrhea in adults and children

Liquid stools may occur in an adult as a result of:

• consuming spoiled foods;
• hit the body of certain pathological microorganisms in salmonellosis, dysentery;
• digestion disorders due to lack of enzymes in the intestine;
• vitamin deficiency;
• changes in the balance of intestinal bacteria;
• poisoning;
• a pronounced reaction to food allergens;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the digestive system.

When diarrhea is lost a lot of water, the condition is called dehydration

In children, diarrhea often occurs:

• when overfed;
• transition to "adult" food;
• a violation of the diet of a nursing mother;
• overheating in the heat;
• from fright or fear.

The above reasons say that activated charcoal for diarrhea can not be considered a universal remedy. However, it is necessary in combination therapy. It goes well with many medications. As a natural remedy, it acts gently, does not cause additional irritation of the mucous membrane. Coal absorbs any unwanted substances that are littering the digestive tract, including toxins.

Mechanism of action

Once in the intestines, the activated carbon has the appearance of fine particles. They are deposited on the contents, not absorbed through the wall, but move along with the calves. The action is intensified by a large dose of the drug. There are practically no contraindications. Coal can be drunk to women at any time of pregnancy.

As toxic particles move through the pores of the coal particles. Their reverse absorption into the blood is significantly reduced. The time from taking the tablets to leaving the intestine is about 8 hours. Excretion is confirmed by staining the feces in black.

With intestinal infections, you can drink carbon tablets, since some of the microorganisms are inside the small and large intestine. But the main cause of diarrhea, it does not work, the main treatment for diarrhea and intoxication depends on the use of antimicrobial drugs. Coal does not kill pathological organisms, but only cleans the "battlefield".

How do I calculate the dosage?

In an effort to get rid of diarrhea, people are trying to increase the number of tablets taken. This can not be tolerated. Extra dosage promotes constipation and intestinal obstruction. A low dose is also not suitable, since it is ineffective when exposed to the intestine.

The network has recommendations on how to treat diarrhea explicitly without medical approval. According to them, to know how much and how to take activated charcoal for diarrhea, you need to calculate the weight of a person.

The following chart should be adhered to:

• for adults - 0.25 g( 1 tablet) per kg of weight( we draw the attention of the reader that 60 kg of weight will have to drink 60 tablets a day!);
• pregnant - 1-2 tablets less, as the weight is increased due to the growing uterus;
• for children under 10 years - it is possible to give activated charcoal at the rate of 1 tablet per 15 kg of weight;
• child over 10 years of age - the dosage is calculated by adult standards.

The above scheme is suitable only for diarrhea caused by severe poisoning. We recommend that you still adhere to the tested dosages and take activated charcoal according to the rules of any therapeutic agent. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 8 g( 32 tablets of 0.25).A calculation for the weight of an adult should be carried out according to the scheme: 0.1-0.2 g per kg of weight.

The drug should be taken orally within an hour and a half before meals or an hour after it. You can divide the daily dose by 3-4 admission. If convenient, then swallow the tablets, squeezed them with water. But it is better to prepare a suspension: single dose crush and dilute in 100 ml of water.

In this form, activated charcoal will act faster( in half an hour)

When diarrhea caused by poisoning, it is recommended that an adult take 20-30 grams per day, children under 7 years of age - up to 5 g( 20 tablets), 7 to 14 years - 7 grams(28 tablets).In this case, the daily dose is divided into 10 or more receptions. For drinking it is recommended acidified water with lemon juice in a volume of 2-3 cups. This helps to avoid dehydration.

Who should not take activated charcoal?

The drug is contraindicated in patients:

• when undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy;
• in the stage of exacerbation of peptic ulcer;
• if there are signs of internal bleeding;
• when the permeability of the intestine is broken( adhesions, swelling);
• if less than half a year has elapsed, after surgery on the digestive tract;
• with very rare individual intolerance.

If a person takes other medicines at the same time, it should be taken into account that activated charcoal reduces their effectiveness, since it can bind part of the dose. Women taking contraceptives should also be aware of a decrease in their activity during the treatment of charcoal and switch to other contraceptive methods. You can apply charcoal for diarrhea. It is shown in many cases as a safe enterosorbent. But it is desirable to find out the cause and consult a doctor.