Lactose Intolerance, as you know, is a menace caused by lack of lactase enzyme in the intestine. This lack in enzyme production can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, flatulence, borborygmi (a rumbling sound of air moving inside the bowels), cramps and bloating. In babies, lactose intolerance can result in an added symptom – vomiting. However, the above five are the only symptoms and if anything else is reported, chances are the symptoms are not the result of lactose intolerance, but some other intestinal problem.
Remedies for lactose intolerance symptoms: Undigested lactose creates a real menace in the intestine. It does two things – 1. pulls all the water into the intestine, 2. gets fermented with bacteria present in the colon, producing lactic acid and gas. The water, gas and stool result in the five symptoms mentioned in the first paragraph. There are several ways to control the symptoms or even avoid them. But all these control measures are effective only if taken or done before lactose intake. With undigested lactose in the intestine, you cannot avoid the symptoms, but only control them to a certain extent.
Many people think that they can alleviate the symptoms if they take the usual pills or OTC drugs used for stomach cramps or diarrhea. This is often not the case. Such drugs can only aggravate the ailments and ask for more trouble. Below are a few remedies that will/won’t work with lactose intolerance:
1. Acid controllers: Heartburn controllers like Pepcid or Axid never work. Such pills work only on the acid in the stomach and not on the one in the intestine. Lactose Intolerance is a condition specific to the intestines and hence, avoid such pills.
2. Anti-diarrhea medication: These seldom work. In fact, they actually backfire. Diarrhea is the body’s way of eliminating the undigested lactose. All you can do is stay put with symptoms inspite of the awful feeling inside the bowels. Maybe, you can take loperamide with Imodium as the active ingredient. Studies reveal that loperamide slowed the transit time of the undigested lactose inside the intestines, giving the body more time to produce lactase. However, loperamide has to be taken before lactose consumption. In any case, loperamide can help produce better-formed stools, thereby reducing the discomfort caused by continued diarrhea.
3. Anti-gas pills: These don’t do anything but stay put in the stomach. Especially, taking them after consumption of lactose is a waste of energy and money.
4. Anti-flatulence drugs: Just like anti-gas medications, anti-flatulence pills too don’t work, except for pills with simethicone as an active ingredient. These help in reducing large gas bubbles into small ones, and make going through flatulence easy and quick.
5. Cramp-relief medicines: Unless you cure the cause (that is, eliminate the undigested lactose), you can never find solace. No cramp relief medication can rescue you from symptoms like abdominal pain.
