They may also make your stools very dark in colour. A change in bowel habit is a common side effect of iron supplements and while some people get constipation, others get diarrhoea. Iron supplements - You may be prescribed iron supplements if you experience anaemia caused by your Crohn's or Colitis.This can lead to urgency and stools that are pale, bad smelling and oily – they therefore float and can be difficult to flush away. Malabsorption of fats - If you have Crohn’s in the ileum you may have difficulty absorbing fats.This draws water into the colon, causing watery diarrhoea. However, if part of the ileum is inflamed or has been removed, much higher levels of bile salts pass into the colon. Bile salts are produced in the liver and are usually reabsorbed in the ileum, so that only very small amounts enter the colon. Small bowel surgery for Crohn’s Disease - If you have had the end of your ileum removed, you may experience bile salt diarrhoea.Our guides Surgery for Crohn’s Disease and Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis have more information on what to expect. After this procedure your stools will tend to be much more liquid because you no longer have a colon to absorb the water. Colectomy and ileo-rectal anastomosis – During this operation the colon is removed, and the end of the ileum (the last part of the small intestine) is joined directly to the rectum.For example, acid-lowering treatments, such as omeprazole and lansoprazole, and antibiotics can also cause diarrhoea. Side effects of other drugs - Check whether diarrhoea is a side effect of any other medications you are taking.Talk to your doctor or IBD team about ways to manage this, or see our medicines guides, Aminosalicylates (5-ASAs), Azathioprineand Methotrexate for more information. Some immunosuppressants, such as azathioprine and methotrexate, can also cause diarrhoea, especially during the early weeks of treatment. Taking the tablets with or after food may reduce this side effect. Side effects of IBD medicines - Aminosalicylates (5-ASAs) such as mesalazine and sulfasalazine can cause diarrhoea.The looser faeces can also move more rapidly through the colon, causing more frequent bowel movements. This results in stools being loose and watery, or even entirely liquid, causing diarrhoea. However during a Crohn’s or Colitis flare-up, the cells in the lining of the intestine become inflamed, meaning the intestine can’t absorb all the nutrients and fluid. These collect in the last part of the colon and the rectum until they are passed out of the body in a bowel movement. Most of the water is normally absorbed here, and the leftover waste formed into solid stools. After the small intestine absorbs useful nutrients from what we’ve eaten, the liquid and non-digestible parts of food pass into the colon. Our guide on bowel incontinence has more information about this and ways to manage it.ĭiarrhoea happens when the intestines cannot absorb all the nutrients or fluid produced during the digestive process. It may also lead to bowel incontinence with leakage of stool. Diarrhoea is sometimes passed very rapidly, so can be called explosive. Sometimes diarrhoea is mixed with mucus, pus or blood, and a feeling of needing to rush to the toilet urgently.

Passing clear liquid from bowel