Clear water like diarrhea?

I've had "clear water" diarrhoea for over 5 weeks now and I've lost over 7 pounds in weight (which is some consolation!).

I was put on Citalopram antidepressants at the end of May and this started just over a week later. At first I was going nearly all day - the discharge was completely clear and slightly frothy - then it gradually subsided to about three times a day.

All I could eat for weeks was yogurt, cheese and plain crackers. For a few days I managed some fresh pasta with cheese sauce a few times. Anything else just set it all off again. I also lost my appetite and couldn't face eating anything - which is very unlike me.

about five days ago I thought it had finished. I was eating normally again and "going" normally and then, today, WHAM back it came again :(. My stomach cramps and is very bloated. I look about 5 months pregnant :(.

I went back to the doc for a checkup about the Citalopram two weeks ago and mentioned it to him but he didn't appear to be very worried about it. He just signed me off work for another two months and sent me on my way.

I'm really fed up with this because, unless I take Imodium or similar with me I'm afraid to go out of the house. Can anyone tell me what I might have and what to do about it?

Are you sure that it isn't mucus? I've been dealing with IBS-c for a long time myself, about 6 months ago I started taking senna and a stool softener, It has worked great, but every so often I'll get a flow of mucus several hours after I have a healthy BM, for me. Its clear, it smells, and I can't stop it..just run to the bathroom

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It seemed like a good idea at the time

It doesn't smell and I'm not taking anything else - just the Citalopram. I've just returned from holiday and I was so fed up that I went to a doctor in the town where I was on holiday. He told me to take the Citalopram every OTHER day and he also put me on Loperamide and Hyoscine Butylbromide to be taken four times a day. The combination appears to work (so far anyway).

I have had the same symptoms that everyone is describing, especially when traveling.  It makes vacations MISERABLE!  I've tried a few different medications with no luck.  My new husband, who is a doctor, said I should try probiotics.  I picked up Yoplait yogurt with probiotics.  It's called Yo-Plus for Digestive Health.  It worked within hours to produce fecal matter as opposed to just water.  The yogurt has probiotics and fiber. 

I've tried probiotic yogurts and the yogurt drinks too.  Although they were very nice, they didn't work all that well.  So far those meds the other doctor prescribed are doing the trick (although I still have the stomach cramps the diarrhoea seems to have stopped), but I don't want to have to take them indefinitely

I started taking Citalopram two weeks ago and the clear, odorless diarrhea hit me by surprise yesterday. I've been off dairy for a while, but I will have to try the yogurt. Thanks.

I went on a short trip this weekend and got to try out my probiotic yogurt theory. Much to my disappointment, it did not work. I tried using it as a preventitive measure and then tried using it to stop the problem...no luck! Next I will try digestive enzymes since it seems as though my body is not digesting what I eat. We'll see how that works. Has anyone else tried them?

I have been experiencing this clear water diarrhea also. It's so embarrassing as I am living in a shared house with 7 people and it seems to be mostly wind with very little liquid. I have it for around a week and then it returns to normal but it came back again a few days ago. I've had bowel problems for years and became very anxious when leaving the house :( The doctor put me on Citalopram to ease my anxiety a while ago but having read this thread I'm now wondering if this medication is not making the problem worse? To those who are taking Citalopram, are your symptoms still bad? Have you stayed on the medication?

I can't understand where the food that I am eating is going? I have diarrhea a lot but usually it's after i eat and quite a large volume. I have been eating normally but only small amounts of this water is presenting itself. It's so strange. I'm frightened that I'm storing it all up somewhere and am going to have a massive urge when I'm on a rammed commuter train. Ahh!

What you eat, when you eat and how much you eat are all very important.

I would start with a plain diet, small portions (try 4 to 6 meals a day, not 3 large sized meals) and monitor when you eat. Eating before a social event might bring on the D. Or just imagining needing to use a bathroom while out socializing (going to clubs with friends, seeing a movie, play, etc.) can also induce unnecessary stress to the point where you have D. I would eat nutritious meals earlier in the day of the evening you are going out with friends. For example, have a good breakfast, a mid-morning snack, good lunch and mid-afternoon snack. Then skip dinner. As long as you eat healthy before skipping dinner, you should be fine. Resume eating in the morning. You cannot do this 7 days a week but occasionally I believe skipping dinner is fine. I've done it for 10 years.

What plain foods am I suggesting - bananas, applesauce, half sandwiches (deli sliced turkey) on white bread, yogurt, cup of soup (chicken noodle is very mild on the gut), mashed/baked potatoes, small side salads (choose iceberg lettuce of baby greens, or salads with nuts and berries), white rice, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, plain english muffins, plain bagels, etc. Avoid spicy foods, nuts, a lot of candy, whole wheat products and fresh berries (strawberry, blueberry, blackberries, red raspberry), fresh pineapple (canned is okay).

But definitely start a food journal. Just an ordinary notebook will suffice. Designate a page for each day and record every single thing you put in your mouth - how many glasses of water you have that day, any beverages, foods, how much, possibly when you ate them, if you took any medications that day, if you had something else going on, such as extra stress, a cold you were fighting, nasal allergies, etc. All of this is important info. I've had antibiotics give me D. Also the prep they give you for a cat scan - it cleaned me out more effectively than a bowel prep does! And without the nausea too........

I wish you well.

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- Rectal Cancer 4/29/99, Stage I, no treatment necessary
(5 hour colon resection: 90% sigmoid removed, 15 inches of colon removed, gall bladder removed, temporary colostomy, reversed 8 weeks later)
- Chronic IBS/D symptoms, multiple bm's, on low residue diet
- Takes Colace 50 mg each evening

You might want to possibly be checked out for C-diff infection perhaps.

I had the clear water with no odor and tons of gas four straight days in a row.
My wife and I had company visiting from out of town and we went out to eat every day with a few meals made at home.
I was scared this morning since it was going to be day #5. I looked up my symptoms on google and found this site.
On my second round to the bathroom within 2 hours I let out the gas and water and then a regular stool was released. The water stage and hopefully the gas stage has been broken.
My wife and I came to the conclusion, that the abrupt change in diet and added grease,french fries, breaded shrimp,calamari and other appetizers are most likely the cause. Also being under minor stress to be a good host probably didn't help.
I was about to try the probiotics (Yoplait) to help with the digestion and will still get some to make sure all goes back to normal.
I hope this helps. I know how uncomfortable all that gas is and how frustrating and embarrassing it can be.

I prefer Stonyfield plain or vanilla flavored yogurt. You find this brand in the health food section or sometimes I find the large sized tubs near regular yogurt brands. The acidopholis is very high in this organic brand and you want that right now foodlover. Also a plain, BRAT diet isn't a bad idea.

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- Rectal Cancer 4/29/99, Stage I, no treatment necessary
(5 hour colon resection: 90% sigmoid removed, 15 inches of colon removed, gall bladder removed, temporary colostomy, reversed 8 weeks later)
- Chronic IBS/D symptoms, multiple bm's, on low residue diet
- Takes Colace 50 mg each evening

No one knows the cause of ibs and it is probably multifactorial. Watery stool is only one part of the syndrome. By definition, this is not true diarrhea unless you pass more than 250g in 24 hours and if you do, its not ibs! That aside, you could try a low carbohydrate diet for a while and maybe consider Cholestyramine which will help if there is an element of bile salt diarrhea. Apart from this, Loperamide or Codeine can sometimes help. Have you looked at alternative medicine too? Probiotics such as ProVen or VSL maybe helpful.

Cryptosporidium parvum - EVERYONE who has posted or wondered what may be the cause should seriously look into this little parasite. It is easily and highly communicable, and if left untreated can continue to cause the issues that you speak about. It may not be this, but if it is this is easily treated. This little parasite + already existing IBS conditions could also account for the clarity and composition of discharge.

hey guys im having the same thing right now and what i think it just caused that i baked a pumpkin pie and i guess i didnt cook it well enough and that when it started my diarrhea and now it went to clear water so should i drink alot of milk to make this go away fast?

Hello, I am experiencing these same symptoms. Like some of these folks, I experience this when traveling too but not always just then. Sometimes i wonder if its just a coincidence. It comes in cycles. Maybe a week of clear diaharia with a spit like foam and lots of gas followed by a few regular bowel movements. Then back to clear again. My stomach growls and gurgles low in my body. Sometimes is so loud that others can hear it. I just accredit it to being hungry but that's not it.

I have not been able to notice any correlation between the bouts of clear dh and the food i eat. I've heard someone mention Splenda and I do use that in my coffee almost every day so I guess I'll try not using that and just see what happens. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

DEAR IBS8 

DID YOU EVER HAVE YOUR SYMPTOMS RELEIVED?  IF SO WHAT DID THEY GIVE TO YOU?  THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY TESTS ON ME, AND I AM NO FURTHER TODAY AS TO A DIAGNOSIS THAN I WAS WHEN I STARTED A YEAR AGO AND I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME SYMPTOMS THAT YOU DO.  MY DOCTORS ARE STUMPED AND I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE YOU HAVE COME UPON THE SOLUTION.

THANKS FOR ANY HELP THAT ANYONE HAS

Friends--I too have had similar symptoms with clear odorless waterlike bowel discharge. I typically do not have ibs or other bowel issues. Recently after a long plane flight I had this continual "clear waterlike bm" for about 36-48 hours. There were no cramps or anything normally associated with diarrea--simply uncontrolable bowel movements of this waterlike substance. Then it went away as quickly as it came on when I started having normal bm's again. I had no normal bm's while this waterlike substance was coming. The next long plane flight produced no problems. But then, a couple of weeks ago I had another trip with a long plane flight (different airline and different food) and the exact same thing happened the following day. It too stopped in 48 hours exactly as had occurred previously. However, the next plane flight a week ago did NOT result in the waterlike bm's. Doesn't seem it can be a parasite, nor diet as suggested by others. Stress doesn't typically affect my digestive system, so that too seems unlikely. It's a very strange phenomenon. Seems like someone needs to find out why the water is there and why there is no bowel control--instead of passing gas one passes this watery substance. I'd love to hear of any further answers!

One other possible thought is that we may be getting overly dehydrated on some long plane flights. Could that be a potential cause?

I really don't think this is the case. My symptoms began directly AFTER the plane flights and lasted a couple of days. I thought it was a strange bug of some kind, until it occurred exactly the same a month or so later after another trip. It's not like a regular bout with dh, as in my case at least there were no cramps or anything like that. I felt completely normal, except had no bowel control and would excrete only the clear liquid multiple times a day.

I just recently had the same exact problem with the clear D.  I also had severe cramping, I was going so many times a day I would loose count and when I did go, it would last for ever.  Felt like I was in the bathroom for an hour.  The night before this started, I had sever gas and my stomach was making so many noises, it sounded like a video game.  That also continued throughout.  I finally went to the dr after 5 days or so.  He told me, once it is clear, that means you have a pretty bad infection that is usually from a parasite.  He said when clear that your body or bowels & intestines is using the fluids around and pushing it out.  (I dont think Im explaining that right, sorry but made since how dr explained)  Anyhow, he put me on 2 strong antibiotics and something for all the d symptoms because imodium was doing nothing for me.  It cleared up in less then 2 days.  I assume though with as long as you have had yours, you would know by now if it was an infection.

Something else though that is embarrasing and gross but i was burping alot, which is not normal for me, and the burps all smelt somewhat like my D.  And the D wasn't a normal foul d or poop smell but just an odd odor.  Any one ever had that?  The dr. didnt seem to say anything about that.

I awoke last week with horrible stomach pain and started to severely vomit. about 20 minutes later, I was vomiting and having uncontrollable D. that would gush, initially large clear amounts, and eventually tapering to smaller amounts, but still unable to control it. Both went on for about 12 hours, although it was more dry heaves the last six of those hours. I do have a chronic liver disease, but my enzymes were mildly elevated. I had severe chills. I ended up in the hospital for two days just to get rehydrated and be administered an anti-emetic IV. The Dr.s did not seem too concerned but this was not a normal pattern for me. ??????

I too have had this condition on and off for about 3-4 years (mostly OFF thank Jah).... had big scans, blood tests, doctors, etc, with no actual effective treatment.... but they all put it down to temporary STRESS which I have to agree with.

I had it again this weekend, following 3 weeks of worry about my daughter and also grand-daughter in hospital.

Brown wee but totally CLEAR water from the back!! ... and where did the food go? No constipation or hardness, but extruciating twisted pain deep in the lower gut as I've had many times in 3-4 yrs.

Its gone now, quite suddenly, now that daughters are back home and apparently OK.

Its a wierd one OK, when you think you've filled your pants with a cow pat and all you can see when you look is a clear odor-free puddle.... and it all happens so suddenly, no time to go anywhere anyway.

... for what its worth.

I also suffer from the clear diahrrea. As stated in one of the replies, no one actually believed me...however, as gross as it sounds, I video'd it on my cell phone and now my spouse believes me.