Health Care, IBS

Important Bowel Disorders Treatments

Bowel Disorders Bowel Disorders

[toc]“Bowel disorder” is a common term for different types of bowel diseases. This can include inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Treatment options can include anti-inflammatory medications, analgesics to reduce pain, and fiber to help in smooth functioning of the bowels. Other types of medications include probiotics and tricyclic antidepressants.

Dietary changes also help in reducing intensity of bowel disorder symptoms. It plays an important role in speeding up the treatment process. Laxatives help in treating constipation associated with functional bowel disorders. Let us try to understand more about important bowel disorders treatments.


Treatments For Bowel Disorders

Anti-Inflammatory Medications

These medications are used to treat inflammation associated with bowel disorders. They are helpful in treating bowel disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis. They are primary line of medications used in almost all types of inflammatory bowel conditions.

The most common drugs prescribed in this category are corticosteroids, sulfasalazine, balsalazide, and mesalamine. These medications are available in both oral and suppository forms. The type of anti-inflammatory medication used to treat bowel disorders depends on location of bowel disease in the colon.

Analgesics

Mild to moderate pain is often associated with bowel disorders. Doctors normally prescribe pain medication for patients to alleviate discomfort. Analgesics play an important role in reducing the intensity of pain until the underlying bowel disorder is treated. The most common type of pain medications used is acetaminophen.

Aspirin and naproxen are usually not recommended for bowel disorders because they can worsen symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel diseases. Aspirin is not recommended for treating bowel disorders like ulcerative colitis. It is also not prescribed for children suffering from bowel disorders.

Probiotics

These are live bacteria which help in enhancing natural flora of the gut. The most common type of probiotics is lactobacillus. They are present in yoghurt. Probiotics are friendly bacteria. They help in treating bowel disorders by competing with non-friendly bacteria for food and other resources.

The probiotics play an important role in treating different symptoms associated with bowel disorders. They are normally recommended for treatment of diarrhea. Probiotic supplements are also available for patients who do not desire to eat food products like yoghurt.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics Antibiotics

Antibiotics play a critical role in treating bacterial infections caused by bacteria. They are helpful in reducing bacterial activity and creating a favorable environment in the body for abatement of bowel disorders.

They are used for treating bowel disorders like ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis. Neomycin and rifaximin are commonly used for treating bacterial infections. The type of antibiotics used to treat bowel disorder depends on severity of medical condition. Mild antibiotics are prescribed for treating bowel disorders in children. This is because strong antibiotics can have adverse effects in children.

Surgery

Bowel disorders often do not require surgery. However, surgery may be indicated in medical conditions which are intractable to medications. The most common type of bowel disorder which requires surgical treatment is diverticulitis. Diverticulitis can affect colon with small pouches of infection.

Surgery is performed to remove these pouches by excision. Surgery is also indicated for bowel disorders which cause obstruction of colon. The obstructed part of colon is removed. The other two ends of the colon are then sutured together. This procedure is called anastomosis.

Conclusion

Bowel disorders are very common around the world. Diarrhea, constipation, gastritis, and inflammatory bowel disease affect millions of people. The above-mentioned treatment options are used by physicians to treat bowel disorders effectively.