Diabetic Diarrhea (Cont.)

Symptoms That May Occur With Diabetic Diarrhea

Diabetic diarrhea often comes and goes. It may alternate with periods of normal bowel movements, or with constipation. It is typically painless, occurring both during the day as well as at night. It may also occur with the inability to control bowel movements (fecal incontinence).
 

Diagnosing Diarrhea in Diabetics

In order to make a diagnosis of diabetic diarrhea, the healthcare provider will typically ask a number of questions, perform a physical exam, and recommend certain tests or procedures. This step-wise approach is used to detect many of the common causes of diarrhea that can occur in diabetic and nondiabetic patients
 
(Click Diagnosing Diarrhea to learn about specific tests that may be used to help in diagnosing diarrhea in diabetics.)
 

Treatment for Diabetic Diarrhea

Treatment for diabetic diarrhea can be difficult. Often, treatments are aimed at dealing with symptoms, but they do not address the cause of the diarrhea. For short-term relief of symptoms, the healthcare provider may recommend diarrhea medicine such as loperamide (Imodium®) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol® and Kaopectate®). Loperamide slows down the speed of fluids moving through your intestines. Bismuth subsalicylate works by balancing the way fluid moves through your intestines.
 
For long-term control of diabetic diarrhea, the healthcare provider may recommend one of the following medicines:
 
  • Clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres®)
  • Antibiotics, such as tetracycline
  • Somatostatin analogs such as octreotide (Sandostatin®).
     
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD