diarrhea and antibiotics

  Can anything be done to minimize the diarrhea caused by antibiotics? My 9.5 month old was just put on augmentin for an ear infection and already has diarrhea (day 2). Would yogurt help? Mandy
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Dear Mandy :
Thank you for your question.
The diarrhea associated with antibiotics ( Augmentin has a 45% incidence of watery stools) is self limiting with the discontinuation of the antibiotic. It has to do with an alteration in the normal gut ( bacterial flora ). Yogurt is famous for being more digested than milk and would be a good alternative in stomach inflammation ( gastritis). Either way , there is no harm in trying the yogurt .
The diarrhea maybe an indication for changing the antibiotic if it is significant enough to cause fluid losses to the extent of dehydration, or if the diarrhea is mixed with mucus and blood with or without a fever.
L.M.
Disclaimer : this information is for educational purposes only.
Keywords : Antibiotics*( infectious disease) , diarrhea*(gastroenterology)