Is anyone else on Pepto for longer than the 8 weeks? Does anyone have info on pepto toxicity?
Thanks!
Long term use of pepto
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I was off and on it for longer than 8 weeks over the past 1 1/2 years. The GI doc was concerned about the aluminum magnesium silicate in it and the possible link to alzheimer's disease. He felt it was better to take other medication that has been tested and shown to be safer for longer periods of time rather than pepto which has not been tested. I still take it now and then, but not the original 6-8 tabs/day that I was taking.
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
I'm in the middle of making a decision about a similar thing and could use some advice. I've been taking 6 tabs a day for 5 weeks (although my doc wanted me to be taking 9). I was seeing a good response so he suggested that I try going off it for a week and only resuming if symptoms recurred. Today is three days after my last tablet and D. is beginning to return. Should I just go back on it now and finish out the 8 weeks or try and tough it out and hope it doesn't return in full force?
Like Jennifer I wonder about the 8 weeks, is that the cutoff before toxicity occurs? Did I mess up my treatment by not taking the max amount needed to reduce inflammation?
Thanks, OP for letting me tag on to your thread.
Like Jennifer I wonder about the 8 weeks, is that the cutoff before toxicity occurs? Did I mess up my treatment by not taking the max amount needed to reduce inflammation?
Thanks, OP for letting me tag on to your thread.
I looked at the inactive ingredients lists for Pepto and the liquid has the magnesium aluminum silicate but the tablets only have aluminum in the form of red dye 40 aluminum lake mentioned. I don't know if that makes a difference or not in respect to the Alzheimer's disease issue that your GI was concerned about but let's hope.dfpowell wrote:I was off and on it for longer than 8 weeks over the past 1 1/2 years. The GI doc was concerned about the aluminum magnesium silicate in it and the possible link to alzheimer's disease. He felt it was better to take other medication that has been tested and shown to be safer for longer periods of time rather than pepto which has not been tested. I still take it now and then, but not the original 6-8 tabs/day that I was taking.
OK, let's explore this issue a bit. First, consider that the label recommends no more than 16 tablets per day, so the "Pepto Treatment" for MC that Dr. Fine developed about 15 years ago is only half that. So contrarily to popular opinion, the "Pepto Treatment" is not a high dose.
The risk associated with bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) is not with the bismuth (a heavy metal), because the body normally absorbs less than 1 % of that. The risk is due to the salicylate, (aspirin). Each Pepto tablet contains 262.4 mg of bismuth subsalicylate, and this amounts to the equivalent of approximately 130 mg of aspirin. According to research, a toxic buildup should not occur as long as a dosage rate of 150 mg/kg of aspirin (which amounts to slightly more than one tablet of bismuth subsalicylate per kilogram of body weight) is not exceeded. For example, someone who weighs 50 kg (110 lbs) should be able to safely take approximately 50 Pepto tablets per day, without risking a toxic buildup. I'm not recommending that anyone try that, because it's way above the label recommendations, I'm just pointing out the limit regarding the risk of a toxic buildup of salicylates.
http://www.rxlist.com/helidac-drug/over ... ations.htm
Of course, bear in mind that it's possible to be allergic to either bismuth subsalicylate or one of the inactive ingredients in Pepto, and in that case, all bets are off, because the neurological effects of such an allergy can be unpredictable. And indeed, a fair percentage of us are not able to use the Pepto treatment because we experience neurological symptoms. For the rest of us, though, Pepto-Bismol is a relatively safe treatment (certainly safer than most prescription drugs — that's why it's available without a prescription.
A lot of doctors seem to feel threatened by OTC drugs that work well, and they sometimes make inappropriate remarks to criticize their usage. We have a member whose doctor discouraged the use of bismuth subsalicylate by suggesting, for example, that bismuth was a dangerous substance, "because it's so close to arsenic in the periodic table". Apparently it had been a long time since he even glanced at the periodic table, because in fact, bismuth is not even close to arsenic in the periodic table. The atomic weight of arsenic is 33, while the atomic weight of bismuth is 83.
Apparently chemistry isn't his strong suit. 
Remember that we're all different, and we all respond differently to various drugs. The risk of an adverse reaction is certainly real, and it does happen, but usually after high dosage rates for long periods of time, and/or because of an exceptional sensitivity to certain drugs or certain ingrdients. Here's an example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7753066
Tex
The risk associated with bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) is not with the bismuth (a heavy metal), because the body normally absorbs less than 1 % of that. The risk is due to the salicylate, (aspirin). Each Pepto tablet contains 262.4 mg of bismuth subsalicylate, and this amounts to the equivalent of approximately 130 mg of aspirin. According to research, a toxic buildup should not occur as long as a dosage rate of 150 mg/kg of aspirin (which amounts to slightly more than one tablet of bismuth subsalicylate per kilogram of body weight) is not exceeded. For example, someone who weighs 50 kg (110 lbs) should be able to safely take approximately 50 Pepto tablets per day, without risking a toxic buildup. I'm not recommending that anyone try that, because it's way above the label recommendations, I'm just pointing out the limit regarding the risk of a toxic buildup of salicylates.
http://www.rxlist.com/helidac-drug/over ... ations.htm
Of course, bear in mind that it's possible to be allergic to either bismuth subsalicylate or one of the inactive ingredients in Pepto, and in that case, all bets are off, because the neurological effects of such an allergy can be unpredictable. And indeed, a fair percentage of us are not able to use the Pepto treatment because we experience neurological symptoms. For the rest of us, though, Pepto-Bismol is a relatively safe treatment (certainly safer than most prescription drugs — that's why it's available without a prescription.
A lot of doctors seem to feel threatened by OTC drugs that work well, and they sometimes make inappropriate remarks to criticize their usage. We have a member whose doctor discouraged the use of bismuth subsalicylate by suggesting, for example, that bismuth was a dangerous substance, "because it's so close to arsenic in the periodic table". Apparently it had been a long time since he even glanced at the periodic table, because in fact, bismuth is not even close to arsenic in the periodic table. The atomic weight of arsenic is 33, while the atomic weight of bismuth is 83.
Apparently chemistry isn't his strong suit. Remember that we're all different, and we all respond differently to various drugs. The risk of an adverse reaction is certainly real, and it does happen, but usually after high dosage rates for long periods of time, and/or because of an exceptional sensitivity to certain drugs or certain ingrdients. Here's an example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7753066
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks, Tex. As always, you are very knowledgable in so many areas, which is why I often come here for info. :) Guess I'm just hoping for alternate causes to some things that are going on with me. :( Which there still may be, but apparently, it's not likely due to the Pepto. And since I've had all my blood work checked and am not deficient in anything but vit. D ...
I took 7 pills of Pepto for 8 weeks then decreased to 6 pills after that for a week, then 5 pills, etc. So I pretty much did almost the max dosage recommended by Dr. Fine but took that extra month to wean off as I don't believe in stopping anything cold turkey. I had no issues with the drug whatsoever and with that and my diet changes, I have been in remission of symptoms since September when I started the Pepto. Have now been off since the holidays and still doing well. Like Tex said, I was more concerned with the aspirin but luckily had no issues from it. And the fact it has aspartame in the chewables. Probably ingested too much of that! I think it's a very safe drug for those who don't react to it. Wouldn't recommend going over 3 months of a daily dosage though. I chose the whole regimen in hopes to get the maximum benefit. I do know of some who got constipated with it after a few weeks and had to stop.
Good luck!
Terri
Good luck!
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
That's good to know- I did 5 weeks with 6 tabs and then went cold turkey for 5 days and that didn't work well so I'm back on it today and upped the dose to 8 pills as per my doctor's orders. I'm going to stay on it for 3 more weeks and then try your slow taper to get back off it once again.
tlras wrote:I took 7 pills of Pepto for 8 weeks then decreased to 6 pills after that for a week, then 5 pills, etc. So I pretty much did almost the max dosage recommended by Dr. Fine but took that extra month to wean off as I don't believe in stopping anything cold turkey. I had no issues with the drug whatsoever and with that and my diet changes, I have been in remission of symptoms since September when I started the Pepto. Have now been off since the holidays and still doing well. Like Tex said, I was more concerned with the aspirin but luckily had no issues from it. And the fact it has aspartame in the chewables. Probably ingested too much of that! I think it's a very safe drug for those who don't react to it. Wouldn't recommend going over 3 months of a daily dosage though. I chose the whole regimen in hopes to get the maximum benefit. I do know of some who got constipated with it after a few weeks and had to stop.
Good luck!
Terri
Hi Doug,
It's certainly not impossible that it might help, but frankly I would be kind of surprised if it did, because it's mostly an anti-diarrheal.
Tex
It's certainly not impossible that it might help, but frankly I would be kind of surprised if it did, because it's mostly an anti-diarrheal.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Doug,
My experience with Pepto is that it didn't really help with bloating and stomach aches but it helped with my heartburn some. Only Alka Seltzer (aspirin free) and Tums worked on my bloating and abdominal pains. I take Tums on occasion for my heartburn. I don't touch Alka Seltzer anymore. As for bloating, I still occasionally get it but just ride it out as it only lasts 30 minutes or so at bedtime. It wouldn't hurt to try the Pepto just to see how it worked. It works great for nausea!
Terri
My experience with Pepto is that it didn't really help with bloating and stomach aches but it helped with my heartburn some. Only Alka Seltzer (aspirin free) and Tums worked on my bloating and abdominal pains. I take Tums on occasion for my heartburn. I don't touch Alka Seltzer anymore. As for bloating, I still occasionally get it but just ride it out as it only lasts 30 minutes or so at bedtime. It wouldn't hurt to try the Pepto just to see how it worked. It works great for nausea!
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.