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Could I Take Colestipol For Diarrhoea?

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Posted on Sat, 23 Nov 2013
Question: I have had diarrhea for 5 months. Is colestipol the proper prescription for me?
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX Detailed Answer: Thanks for the query. I depends is this diarrhea caused by bile acids or something else. If this is caused by bile acids then you need to take colestipol,but if there is no improvement after 10 days of colestipol then this diarrhea may be related to some other disorder such as infectious diarrheas(parasite),inflammatory bowel disease,food allergy,IBD or some less common disorders. So if this persists I suggest to do colonoscopy and parasite stool analysis for the start. Then the right treatment can be started if you find the exact diagnosis. Wish you good health. Feel free to ask. Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (1 hour later)
what are bile acids; what does it come from and what symptom or test would show this is the problem? thank you, Sharon
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: Hi Detailed Answer: Bile acids are excreted from the liver into bowels and if there is excessive amount of bile acids,it can provoke diarrheas(this is called bile acids malabsorption).It can be seen in patients after cholecystectomy or in some pancreatic and bowel disorders. Colestipol reduce bile acids in bowel so it will stop diarrheas if this is the only cause. The most specific test is SeHCAT (75Se-homocholic acid taurine) test which is not available in most countries. So it is much easier to rule this out by giving colestipol and see its result. If there is no improvement then this is probably not caused by bile acids malabsorption. I suggest to check liver enzymes levels,bilirubin levels and amylase/lipase levels. It would reveal is there any disorder with pancreas or liver.If everything is fine,you should do more detailed gastroenterologic work up. Wish you good health.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 13888 Questions

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Could I Take Colestipol For Diarrhoea?

Brief Answer: Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX Detailed Answer: Thanks for the query. I depends is this diarrhea caused by bile acids or something else. If this is caused by bile acids then you need to take colestipol,but if there is no improvement after 10 days of colestipol then this diarrhea may be related to some other disorder such as infectious diarrheas(parasite),inflammatory bowel disease,food allergy,IBD or some less common disorders. So if this persists I suggest to do colonoscopy and parasite stool analysis for the start. Then the right treatment can be started if you find the exact diagnosis. Wish you good health. Feel free to ask. Regards