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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Dark Urine And Itchy Skin While On Antibiotics?

My mother has been on huge doses of antibiotics to treat an infection in her gut. She has, most recently, presented with golden urine, itchy skin and loose stools. The doctor stopped her antibiotic treatment immediately. It s been 3 days and the symptoms have not improved. Do you think there is an underlying issue rather than a reaction to the antibiotic?
posted on Tue, 24 Oct 2017
Twitter Fri, 25 May 2018 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 25 May 2018 Last reviewed on
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

"infection in the gut" is not a clear enough diagnosis as it may mean anything from a simple gastroenteritis to a serious case of diverticulitis. If I knew the diagnosis I might have gotten a better idea of her current situation and also evaluate her symptoms differently. "golden" urine is not indicative of a disease as yellow is the normal color of urine (unless you meant something else - please clarify). It may only mean negative water balance and perhaps dehydration. Itchiness after taking a drug is usually caused by an allergic reaction to it. An antihistamine may help with allergies. Loose stools are fairly common (almost 1 out of 10 patients taking antibiotics) and in most cases the antibiotic has to be stopped. If the loose stools persist (more than 2-3 bowel movements per day and/or you find blood in the stool and/or fever) then you should talk to your doctor for assessment and check for Clostridium difficile toxin in the stool. On the other hand, loose stools is a common symptom in "gut infections", so the current diagnosis is very important. In conclusion, symptoms like hers can sometimes be attributed to a drug reaction but there is no way to be sure without careful assessment of the patient herself (clinical examination and lab tests). Your best next step would be to contact the treating doctor for a re-assessment.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
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What Causes Dark Urine And Itchy Skin While On Antibiotics?

Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. infection in the gut is not a clear enough diagnosis as it may mean anything from a simple gastroenteritis to a serious case of diverticulitis. If I knew the diagnosis I might have gotten a better idea of her current situation and also evaluate her symptoms differently. golden urine is not indicative of a disease as yellow is the normal color of urine (unless you meant something else - please clarify). It may only mean negative water balance and perhaps dehydration. Itchiness after taking a drug is usually caused by an allergic reaction to it. An antihistamine may help with allergies. Loose stools are fairly common (almost 1 out of 10 patients taking antibiotics) and in most cases the antibiotic has to be stopped. If the loose stools persist (more than 2-3 bowel movements per day and/or you find blood in the stool and/or fever) then you should talk to your doctor for assessment and check for Clostridium difficile toxin in the stool. On the other hand, loose stools is a common symptom in gut infections , so the current diagnosis is very important. In conclusion, symptoms like hers can sometimes be attributed to a drug reaction but there is no way to be sure without careful assessment of the patient herself (clinical examination and lab tests). Your best next step would be to contact the treating doctor for a re-assessment. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.