Colitis medicine, both medical and natural remedies

When your intestines are inflamed due to injury or infection, the pain inevitably interferes with activities. Well, the most effective solution to ending this disease that attacks the digestive system is to consult a doctor. The doctor will give you a drug that matches the cause of your colitis so that it will heal quickly. What are the medicines? Come on, see the list below.

Various drug options for colitis

Inflammation of the intestine (colitis) is a disease that requires medical attention because of the injury to the lining of the colon. Moreover, colitis symptoms such as diarrhea and severe stomach pain can interfere with daily activities. Without treatment and neglected, symptoms will get worse. Worse yet, the risk of colon cancer will also increase.

The following are some drugs that are commonly used to treat colitis, namely:

1. Anti-inflammatory drugs of the large intestine

Your doctor can give you an anti-inflammatory drug from the corticosteroid or amino salicylate class to relieve your symptoms. Examples include mesalamine, balsalazide, and olsalazine. Which medication is prescribed for you will depend on the area of ​​the intestine that is affected by inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory drugs work to block the production of certain chemicals in the body that cause inflammation. This drug is also effective in relieving pain due to damage to intestinal tissue caused by inflammation.

2. Immune system suppressant drugs

Immune system suppressant drugs or immunosuppressant is often prescribed for people with colitis caused by Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns to attack healthy intestinal tissue because it thinks it is foreign.

These drugs work to suppress the immune response that releases inflammation-causing chemicals in the intestines. Some examples of immunosuppressant drugs include azathioprine and cyclosporine.

In addition, there are also inflammatory bowel drugs from the TNF class such as infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab. These drugs work to neutralize the proteins produced by your immune system.

For some people, a combination of several drugs in this class works better than one drug alone.

3. Antibiotics

To treat intestinal inflammation caused by a bacterial infection, the doctor will give antibiotics. Antibiotics that are often prescribed are ciprofloxacin and metronidazole. Antibiotics work to kill and slow the development of bacteria that cause intestinal inflammation.

Antibiotics must be taken and spent according to doctor's orders. Do not stop, increase, decrease, or extend the dose without your doctor knowing. The wrong way to take antibiotics can make the bacteria more resistant and your colitis even more difficult to treat.

4. Anti-diarrhea drugs

Diarrhea can be one of the symptoms of colitis that you are experiencing. So to relieve it, your doctor can prescribe you a diarrhea medication in the form of a fiber supplement, such as psyllium or methylcellulose powder.

For cases of intestinal inflammation with diarrhea that are more severe, the doctor will prescribe the drug loperamide (Imodium A-D).

5. Painkillers

Inflammation in the body will generally cause pain. The doctor will prescribe NSAID drugs such as paracetamol to relieve pain due to inflammation of the intestines.

Meanwhile, if the symptoms of pain are severe, the doctor can prescribe a stronger dose of pain medication. For example ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac sodium.

6. ORS

Symptoms of diarrhea due to appendicitis often make the body lack fluids. Therefore, your doctor may prescribe ORS for you.

Although not as the main drug to treat colitis. ORS that contain electrolytes can prevent dehydration. These replaceable body fluids can help relieve weakness and thirst due to frequent diarrhea.

7. Nutritional supplements

Inflammation can prevent the intestine from working optimally to absorb all the nutrients from food.

Therefore, chronic intestinal inflammation can put you at risk for iron deficiency anemia. The inflammation of the intestines due to Crohn's disease can also make you prone to vitamin D deficiency, although the exact cause is not known.

To treat nutritional deficiencies, your doctor can prescribe you supplements as needed. For example iron supplements, calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, or a combination of certain supplements.

Consult your doctor further to find out which drug is most suitable for the cause of your colitis, along with the correct dosage and rules of use.

Alternative medicine for colitis

Apart from medical drugs, mild colitis symptoms can also be relieved with alternative medicines. Some have already been observed for their efficacy by scientists in small studies. Various alternative drugs that are usually used to relieve symptoms, as reported on the Mayo Clinic website.

Probiotic and prebiotic supplements

Colon inflammation can occur due to infection from bacteria, such as E. coli. Infection occurs due to an uncontrolled number of bacteria. Therefore, to rebalance the number of good bacteria, probiotic supplements can be used as an alternative medicine.

This supplement contains artificial bacteria that are similar to the good bacteria in the intestines. When the number of good bacteria increases, the health of the digestive system may also improve.

Actually, probiotics are not only obtained through supplements. You can get probiotics from foods, such as low-sugar yogurt or tempeh.

Apart from probiotics, you also need prebiotics. Prebiotics can be said as "food" to work well in the intestines. Increasing the intake of prebiotics, of course, can encourage the growth of good bacteria. You can get prebiotics from

Fish oil

Fish oil is quite popular as an alternative medicine to treat various kinds of inflammation in the body, including colitis. This property is obtained from omega 3 in fish oil.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that is often used as a herbal remedy for various digestive problems, one of which is inflammation of the large intestine. The curcumin compound in this spice is known to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Consult a doctor if you are taking natural colitis medications

Although there are various alternative and natural medicines to treat colitis. However, you should not use the drug carelessly. Instead of curing, using herbal remedies without first consulting a doctor can worsen symptoms. In fact, it could lead to new health problems.

Alternative medicine does have the potential to reduce inflammation, as well as calm your stomach. However, research is still very limited in testing the effectiveness and safety of the drug. So, be reminded again to consult more doctors so that the treatment you are undergoing is always safe.

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