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What Causes Diarrhea And Black Stool?
Posted on
Mon, 13 Oct 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 13 Oct 2014
Answered on
Mon, 10 Nov 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : I have had extremely watery diarheaa for the past 3 days. It has turned into a black tar appearance yesterday. I have been taking Pepto Bismol, but read on the bottle not to take if had black stool. can you tell me why. What can I do to get some relief until I can get to my doctor tomorrow?
Brief Answer:
possible bleeding
Detailed Answer:
black tarry stool is always a red flag for intestinal bleeding, most commonly coming from the stomach, small bowel, but could also represent bleeding from the colon.
The confusing part is that pepto bismol can turn stools dark near black without causing bleeding, which then confuses us physicians in order to determine if you are indeed bleeding or its just the medication side effect. You would need to get a blood test to check your hemoglobin and see if it is low, then it would be concerning for bleeding. Stool can be tested for microscopic blood, but this test is not 100%.
In my experience, when bleeding occurs, the stools are black tarrry, fould smelling. Pepto bismol cause stool to become near black, but these are usually solid stools, no change in smell.
If you are feeling weak, you should go to the hospital immediately to get checked out. Avoid pain medications (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) as this can precipitate a bleed as well.
For the diarrhea, you should take imodium as needed, but i advise you to get seen as soon as possible by a physician.
possible bleeding
Detailed Answer:
black tarry stool is always a red flag for intestinal bleeding, most commonly coming from the stomach, small bowel, but could also represent bleeding from the colon.
The confusing part is that pepto bismol can turn stools dark near black without causing bleeding, which then confuses us physicians in order to determine if you are indeed bleeding or its just the medication side effect. You would need to get a blood test to check your hemoglobin and see if it is low, then it would be concerning for bleeding. Stool can be tested for microscopic blood, but this test is not 100%.
In my experience, when bleeding occurs, the stools are black tarrry, fould smelling. Pepto bismol cause stool to become near black, but these are usually solid stools, no change in smell.
If you are feeling weak, you should go to the hospital immediately to get checked out. Avoid pain medications (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) as this can precipitate a bleed as well.
For the diarrhea, you should take imodium as needed, but i advise you to get seen as soon as possible by a physician.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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