Enemas and antibiotic

Would like to know if while taking antibiotic î May take enemas

On zytromax not Really up set m'y bowel

DO NOT take enemas when on most antibiotics. Several of them go through more than one absorption cycle in the digestive tract and you will be reducing the effective dose by an unknown amount.

You will stay sick or get sicker.

Take zithromax (azithromycin) with food if it upsets your stomach.

Some antibiotics should be taken on an empty stomach, so don't play games with antibiotics. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

Thanks for the information on the antibiotics good to know

I would wait a couple of hours after taking the antibiotic before taking the enema

The big concern is the antibiotic being in the digestive tract When you take the enema. The enema may well blow the antibiotic or most of it anyway right out of you to where you have effectively missed that dose.

By waiting a few hours you have a good chance that the antibiotic has hit the bloodstream before the enema blows everything out

Read what Susie says:

Several of them go through more than one absorption cycle in the digestive tract and you will be reducing the effective dose by an unknown amount.

This means that antibiotics sometimes get absorbed at several points in the bowel (as conditions change), so you want to make sure it stays in the bowel for the normal transit time. If you wait a couple of hours before taking the enema it will have entered the large intestine (most likely) and you'll just be washing it out, potentially before it has been completely absorbed. In a nutshell Susie's advice seems to be "enemas only if you must" to which I would add "take them as long after the antibiotic dose as you can" so that the antibiotic has the best chance to be absorbed.

I try to postpone any enema activity until after antibiotic therapy.

Thank you for this information. I didn't know! A couple of times, doctor put me on a "Z-Pak" for a throat/respiratory infection with a fever. There's a good chance I had an enema.

A contraindication would be using an antibiotic that exerts it's main effect in the large intestine, like Flagyl, or Vancomycin, both used to kill off overgrowths of C. Diff. Taking an enema might wash out the helpful A/B's.

If I am having a viral diarrhea, I will take a tap water enema a couple days into the process to hopefully help flush out the viral bug. I've done this several times and it has shortened the duration of the diarrhea and stopped the dehydration.

Im with switchablesuzie on this one. A/B's should not be underestimated and folling directions is paramount. The digestive tract has a highly important role in the effectiveness of such meds, jyst leave your behind as is for the time you take antibiotics...

Just reiterating here that Jimmyt44 specified viral diarrhea. You shouldn't be on antibiotics for this, they won't help. It's like a viral head cold - you just need to wait for your body to fight it off, and if an enema makes you feel better go ahead. If you're on antibiotics for a bacterial issue it is different. You can take the enema before you start the pills, but afterwards keep to the schedule!

The antibiotic may create a situation whereby either one alone would be well tolerated, put them together however they could cause stomach upset.

For therapeutic reasons you may want to wait at least two hours after you take your regular dose of antibiotic before taking any enemas or laxatives

I second Susie's advice: FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!! I will add one more measure of safety. You can look online for the NF (National Formulary), which is an exhaustive publication of drugs, their indications (uses), contraindications (no-no's), and interactions with other drugs and, in some cases, OTC supplements. The latter is of particular interest to people who take several drugs daily. I have seen cases where a physician (or multiple physicians) prescribe a drug which negatively impacts another drug being taken. Things slip thru the crack, especially if you see several different doctors. If you are taking a whole mini-pharmacy daily, then my advice is to be sure all your doctors have a list of all the drugs and supplements (yes, vitamins, minerals, and that daily small dose aspirin ALL need to be included). Include the strength of each (# mg per pill) and how often you are taking it. A conscientious physician will then be able to make sure he's not prescribing a contraindicated drug. The smart patient will take charge of their own care and make sure their doctor(s) are working together to manage their course of treatment. Oh, and straight back to the original question: yes, asking your doctor about taking enemas can be embarrassing, but being red from embarrassment beats the heck out of being dead from an adverse drug reaction!

@Lisak said

The antibiotic may create a situation whereby either one alone would be well tolerated, put them together however they could cause stomach upset.

For therapeutic reasons you may want to wait at least two hours after you take your regular dose of antibiotic before taking any enemas or laxatives

Good show Lisak!

THAT'S EXACTLY WRONG --- and the reason NOT to listen to lay people for medical advice.

"Waiting two or more hours" (exactly HOW MANY more hours???) after taking an antibiotic, laxative or any other medication, depending on your intestinal transport speed may be just long enough to wash out the drug before it gets fully absorbed.

IF you feel you NEED an enema when taking medications --- NOT ONE FOR FUN --- take a SMALL enema like about a pint that will NOT clear the whole colon or it may be best to take it contemporaneously with the meds.

The best advice is not to take unnecessary enemas while on medications. You are really messing with its absorption.

REALLY??

So why is THAT EXACT INFO almost word for word on the label instructions for Milk of Magnesia?

Also, when I was in my junior and senior years of high school and through all four years of college, I was on birth control.

I followed that same rule and never had any problems.

I was only on antibiotic ONE ROUND that whole time. I was told about the fact that many antibiotics can diminish the effect of birth control. I did have to deal with that, but never had any problems with laxatives and birth control!

@Lisak said

REALLY??

So why is THAT EXACT INFO almost word for word on the label instructions for Milk of Magnesia?

Also, when I was in my junior and senior years of high school and through all four years of college, I was on birth control.

I followed that same rule and never had any problems.

I was only on antibiotic ONE ROUND that whole time. I was told about the fact that many antibiotics can diminish the effect of birth control. I did have to deal with that, but never had any problems with laxatives and birth control!

Compounds like MOM and other calcium, magnesium or aluminum compounds in foods, other medications and antacids can inactivate many antibiotics, especially cephalosporins, quinolones and tetracyclines. Basically, do not take unnecessary enemas or laxatives when taking antibiotics as you can shorten the time available for absorption by speeding up the transit or washing out the antibiotic from the colon.

I made no mention of birth control pills in my post.

Furthermore, the ONLY antibiotic that affects birth control pills is rifampin, which I doubt you ever had.

@SwitchableSuise: Basically, do not take unnecessary enemas or laxatives when taking antibiotics as you can shorten the time available for absorption by speeding up the transit or washing out the antibiotic from the colon.

Leaned something new! Wonder how many know this - thanks.

In college, Student health services(Where I got my birth control) DID advise using "additional protection" when you are on antibiotic.

Maybe that has changed now.

I believe Zithromax is a heavy-duty antibiotic used to combat the flu because I had that many many years ago not to mention the price is so expensive for a seven-day Supply. Is that why you are using it?

Flu is caused by a virus. No antibiótic works against a virus, only antivirus drugs.

Many antibiotics cause diarrhea sooner or later because they kill the microcritters in your bowel that process food into poo. This effect is often worse for oral antibiotics, but can happen with either oral or IV. To mitigate this now-recognized effect, doctors are also ordering probiotic supplement along with the antibiotics. While this helps some, it doesn't solve the problem.

Last summer was on an antibiotic and for the following six months had a lot of issues with loose poo and great urgency., despite the probiotics. These effects continued months after the end of antibiotic treatment. I strongly suspect that the probiotics did not contain all the needed microcritters needed to properly process poo. thankfully, things have now normalized.

I'm unconvinced that a colon washout with warm water or saline will do much to speed the transit time of poo and reduce the effectiveness of an antibiotic, considering one's bowel is already emptying itself many times per day. Also, a gentle enema can be soothing by wash out irritating substances and reduce the frequency of evacuations.

YMMV

My intestinal tract is unhappy when on abx and its effects linger so, When finished the WHOLE course I indulge myself with a nice series including Dr Bonners early the festivities. Enemas till clear is always good advice.

One thing to understand here

Every antibiotic has it's "spectrum"

It's "spectrum" is simply the list of specific infections against which it is effective.

ALL antibiotics are "powerful" against the infections that fall within it's spectrum

Any particular antibiotic has NO EFFECT against a bacteria that falls outside it's spectrum.

Not all antibiotics have equally broad spectrums. SOOOO taking a narrower spectrum antibiotic like Penicillin works just as well as say Zithromax as long as the particular bacteria you have falls within it's spectrum.

Over use of broad spectrum antibiotic when not necessary is a major issue in antibiotic resistant strains

If the antibiotic causes an upset stomach, a small emollient enema will help. A potato starch enema with a tablespoon of potato starch dissolved well in a small amount of cold water and then right ounces of boiling water added makes a soothing enema. Let it cool to 105 degrees and use a six or eight ounce bulb syringe to inject it after a loose stool. Do not expel this enema. It will be absorbed. My girlfriend and I have also used flaxseed enemas. Two tablespoons of flaxseed added to twelve ounces of boiling water and then left to cool. We pour it through a cheap pantyhose and squeeze it to get the gel out. Then in a knee chest position, she will inject the solution into me using a six ounce bulb syringe and I do the same to her. We maintain the position for five minutes then lie on our right side for five minutes and then sit for another five minutes. We do this occasionally at night just before bedtime, then we put a pillow under our hips and the next morning all or almost all of the enema is absorbed. This is good anytime your stomach is upset.