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Overview on Gastrointestinal Pharmacology

From a historical viewpoint, successful GI drugs include antisecretory compounds, the histamine (H2) receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the discovery and development of which revolutionized the treatment of gastric ulcers, reducing the need for surgical intervention and leading to the first blockbuster drugs and a Nobel Prize in medicine for Sir James Black. The subsequent association of H pylori with gastritis and peptic ulcer formation and the use of antibiotic regimens in conjunction with H2 antagonists and PPIs as an even more effective means of ulcer therapy led to another Nobel Prize in the area to Barry Marshall and Robin Warren.

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 Common GI Medication and Their Side Effects: What You Should Know

OTC doesn’t mean risk-free... Magnesium supplements – Can trigger diarrhea. Pepto Bismol – May turn stools black, mimicking signs of internal bleeding. Probiotics & fiber supplements – May cause bloating or gas if introduced too quickly. Overuse of laxatives – Can lead to dehydration and weakened bowel function.

Articles of Interest

Common Gastro Medicines You Should Know About

Gastrointestinal disease treatment includes prescription and non-prescription medicines. These gastric medicines can be classified based on their use, such as drugs for nausea and vomiting, laxatives, antidiarrheal agents, irritable bowel syndrome, acid peptic disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and drugs for irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Medicines used for gastrointestinal issues rarely cause liver injury.

Gastrointestinal drugs

The drugs for the gastrointestinal system are designed for care and treatment of the digestive system organs (including the liver, biliary tract and pancreas) and diseases that may affect those organs. Among the latter are included constipation and diarrhea, Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, ulcers, stomach cancer, gallbladder disease, liver disease and hemorrhoids.

GI Cocktails: What Should You Know?

Although GI cocktails were once widely used to treat indigestion, their use isn’t recommended as often these days. “Studies don’t really recommend using GI cocktails anymore,” says Onyilofor. “Now we see our providers order more specific medications, depending on what the patient’s symptoms are.” There was never any clear, up-to-date evidence suggesting they are particularly effective.‌ Some studies found that GI cocktails were only as effective as plain antacids.‌

Pharmacologic Consideration of Commonly Used Gastrointestinal Drugs in the Elderly

Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations in older adults can be caused or alleviated by drug therapy. GI medications, such as proton pump inhibitors and histamine-2 receptor antagonists, are among the most commonly used medications in long-term care facilities in the United States.1 As in most other areas of medicine, evidence-based approaches are advocated when clinicians select medications to mitigate or treat GI conditions and prevent drug-induced GI adverse events. Assessment of the risk versus benefit of treatment in frail elderly patients is complex because of underlying pathophysiologic changes and responses to drug therapy as well as changes in drug metabolism or elimination.

Resources

GI for Kids

List of some of the Medications used in Pediatric GI...

Johns Hopkins

GI medication list...