title: Drug-induced diarrhea.
abstract: Many drugs have been known to cause diarrhea, although their mechanism of action has not been well described. The gastrointestinal tract may become dysregulated when exposed to a drug that could disrupt mechanisms controlling mucosal permeability, transport, motility, and gut metabolism. This review examines the mechanism by which drugs induce diarrhea within the broad classification of watery, inflammatory, and fatty characteristics of the stool. Treatment may vary depending on this classification and usually includes withdrawal of the offending drug. However, in some cases, diarrhea may resolve with continued use or through nonspecific agents, such as Lomotil (Pfizer, New York, NY) or loperamide.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0764, USA. bpabraha@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Bincy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Joseph H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sellin
mesh_terms: D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations