I am working with a holistic/functional medicine doctor and I am taking some antimicrobials in form of tablets. I was wondering if we are able to digest those or do they need go be gelatin capsules or liqiud?
Thanks!
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Why shouldn't we be able to digest them? Tablets are dissolving quickly in watery solution and they are absorbed in the first part of the digestive tract. I would not worry about that.
Only some encapsuled meds, that are protected against gastric acid, might run through the bowel (partially) undigested if you have severe diarrhea.
Idk, I pass one of my medications every morning within 2-3 hours- I always see it come out in my stool. I told my doc and they upped my dosage of the medication to make sure I’m getting the correct amount (it’s my anti-depressant since it’s a delayed release tab). They said they do that for people who have gastric bypass and people without a colon since it may pass too quickly. My Colestipol also does that- it’s a HUGE tablet and doesn’t dissolve all the way. I guess we never really know unless we see it in the toilet bowel.
I also have problems with some tablets... Anything that is coated or extended release is a no-go. I usually request a capsule; if not available then I ask for a regular tablet. Also, I use gummy vitamins, etc. whenever possible. Perhaps your supplements might be available in a different format. Best of luck with your treatments.
Gelcaps or liquid are always preferable. That being said MOST tablets should be digestible. Depending on the person. Timed release medicine should never be taken by a colon-less person.
I’ve done some experimentation with extended release medications, and most of them seem to work just fine for me. I think they may fail for folks with rapid transit times, and I’d probably avoid formulations designed to target the ileum (or of course the colon). This is tricky since that information can be hard to find. Hopefully the prescribing doctor will know, and a quick conversation can help.
One example is budesonide (e.g. Entocort) which is designed for delayed release in the terminal ileum (and in the ascending colon for people with a colon / MC). For me there are usually no problems with efficacy, except when I have really bad diarrhea.
I think everyone is different and you have to experiment to see what works and what does not,
extended release tablets are a disaster for my jpouch function.
even b12 tablets ( not extended release) causes gi distress so I switched to sublingual.
what I am trying to say is that your body will tell you what works and what does not. I did not listen to my body early on and suffered a great deal. No doctor had any idea either that medicine was the major cause of my poor jpouch function early on.