I am passing black stools since two days. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am passing black stools since two days. I am on medication since four months. The current medication I am taking is Irozorb and Cranbe. Please suggest me what to do.

Answer 1

Hello.

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Iron in Irozorb can make the stools black or it may be happening due to gastritis or stomach ulcers. It is the iron that oxidizes and give black color, but it seems like you are taking these medications since four months. Did you have black color stools before?Do you have any abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting? Did you increase the dose of Irozorb?

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It seems like the black stools are due to iron in Irozorb. However, it looks like you had low platelet counts as documented before two times, which may indicate slow bleeding (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Here is what I would suggest; get a CBC (complete blood count) now to check your platelet and Hb (hemoglobin). Why are you taking iron and folic acid supplements in the first place? If it is not an absolute necessity to take Irozorb, then I would suggest stopping it and check by the stool color. Now coming to your second question, if you do not have an active lesion and you have no chances of pregnancy, then using Zovirax (Acyclovir) may not be helpful if you have IgG positive only. Also, it also depends upon how many episodes you had in the past. Zovirax should not make you fat.