I would ask your gastro/surgeon  first.

Definitely heck with your doctor.  Activated charcoal will cause constipation, it also will absorb many nutrients in your GI tract.  We give charcoal to patients who have presented to the ER with drug ingestion for its absorbative properties.

@Jaypea posted:

Definitely heck with your doctor.  Activated charcoal will cause constipation, it also will absorb many nutrients in your GI tract.  We give charcoal to patients who have presented to the ER with drug ingestion for its absorbative properties.

Thank-you for sharing

Thank you, that was my understanding as well. I am aware that it is used for some instances of poison control and drug overdoses. However more and more, it's showing up in naturopathic fields and it can now be purchased over the counter alongside products like Gas-X and imodium as an anti-gas / anti-diarrheal product.  There was a thread here going back a number of years (2013) where someone had asked Dr. Bo Shen, and he wasn't against using it, provided the timing of ingestion was done correctly so as not to interfere with other medications / supplements. However, that was quite a long time ago and I'm sure advice has evolved.   My intention was not to take it regularly, but only when I have particularly bad symptoms of gas. I appreciate the responses. I will continue to avoid it for the time being.  It is something I would like to discuss with my surgeon, but things have been extremely challenging with COVID, which is still quite bad here in Ontario to the point that hospitals have cancelled all elective procedures, so just getting my surgeon for general questions is nearly impossible at the moment. I miss the simpler times.

There isn’t much data on this. However, the only way to know if it might be helpful to you is to try it. You just need to space it out from any medications you take. You will know after a day or so if it helps.

I presume you have tried simethicone, which is usually prescribed for intestinal gas. Digestive enzymes like Beano are worth a try too. Another suggestion is to reduce your carbohydrate and cruciferous vegetable consumption. Oil of peppermint supplements may help with the cramping from gas and make it easier to pass.

Much of intestinal gas is from undigested carbohydrates and/or swallowed air. When you finally get to see your doctor you may want to talk about SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). A course of antibiotics may be what is needed to set you straight.

Jan

@Jan Dollar posted:

There isn’t much data on this. However, the only way to know if it might be helpful to you is to try it. You just need to space it out from any medications you take. You will know after a day or so if it helps.

I presume you have tried simethicone, which is usually prescribed for intestinal gas. Digestive enzymes like Beano are worth a try too. Another suggestion is to reduce your carbohydrate and cruciferous vegetable consumption. Oil of peppermint supplements may help with the cramping from gas and make it easier to pass.

Much of intestinal gas is from undigested carbohydrates and/or swallowed air. When you finally get to see your doctor you may want to talk about SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). A course of antibiotics may be what is needed to set you straight.

Jan

Thanks Jan! I have been using Beano for several years with some success. I've considered the possibility of SIBO but my symptoms are intermittent. I may go a few weeks without any noticeable issues, but then have a stretch of several days with nearly constant gas/gurgling. I am considering trying to go lactose free for a period and see if that makes a difference as well. Pouchitis is another possible culprit, but again the intermittent symptoms might suggest otherwise.  I do have a telehealth appointment scheduled with my GP tomorrow for an unrelated issue and I will ask about a course of antibiotics, although she tends to defer anything pouch related to my surgeon, and of course, he is not super accessible right now. Maybe she can get a call into his office on my behalf.

You may want to ask for the same Rx you have gotten before from your GI. It is a reasonable step to see if this solves the gas issue. Whenever I was on a course of Flagyl, the gas factory was shut down!

But, going off lactose is also an easy option to explore. Your sensitivity could wax and wane if you are having intermittent mild inflammation. Plus, lactase production tends to reduce as we age. My husband found that when his colitis flares his lactose intolerance gets out of control. Now he just uses lactose free milk, but is OK with regular cheese, ice cream and yogurt. So, it has not been a huge change in his diet.

Good luck with your video visit!

Jan

Thanks again, Jan. Getting older is fun   I have been lucky overall. The last time I was on a course of cipro/Flagyl was 6 years ago, so in that case my GP will probably be reluctant to prescribe anything, just based on my past experiences with her. Plus the cipro in particular really slowed down my motility, which I always worry about since I have had partial obstructions related to adhesions. The last thing I want is to get bunged up. I will see what my GP suggests.  13+ years with the pouch and there is always some new adventure!

Hi Spooky,

My dad was old-school and used to burn toast for me to eat when I was a kid and had bloody stools...I hated it but it helped a lot. Slowed things down substantially...But it took a couple of days to work (and caused black output...Beware!)

When I moved over here, my GP was also a naturopath. She put me on activated charcoal for 1 month when my gallbladder/liver acted up the first time over 30yrs ago...it was better than burnt toast and did help with both the gas and the 'whatever was wrong with me and my output'.

That said, I have a k pouch. My output is always in a liquid state and the charcoal did thicken things up. I could deal with it without difficulty back then (now I get occlusions due to a permanent twist/elbow in my small bowel so I do not know if it is advisable).

As Jan said, you do not know until you try it. It is not a long-term treatment. It can have side effects such as absorption problems. Not sure of the cost where you are but over here it costs less than a cup of coffee for a 30 day supply.

Not something that will break the bank.

Keep us posted on how it works out for you.

Sharon

I found it helped me alot yesterday ,did a huge bowel movement.ginger ale and activated charcoal may calm the stomach goblins but more research needed.