Metabolic processes occur every second in the human body. The product of digestion is excreted in the form of urine and feces. Certain foods can stain biomass, sometimes giving it a black tint. Feces are the result of the processing of elements that enter the body, and a person’s health can be assessed by its external signs. Such a reaction is usually called “melena” or “chernukha,” and this failure is considered one of the dangerous signals sent by the body. Today we will discuss why black stool occurs when taking iron.
Why does stool change color?
Feces may be dark in color if you take medications that contain bismuth and foods that have the ability to change the color of stool at the same time. You should analyze your diet over the past few days to remove suspicious foods from your diet. If the color of the stool does not change, you will have to consult a doctor.
Black biomass can appear after consuming foods with a high iron content - beets, blueberries, etc. You may have taken activated carbon, vitamins, De-nol. In any case, you should keep track of the following:
- duration of appearance of dark-colored stool;
- the appearance of other symptoms of the disease.
Composition and effect of activated carbon
The tablets consist of a naturally occurring substance - activated carbon. It is a porous material with a characteristic black color and a rough surface. It is widely used in chemical industries, medicine and cosmetology. Tablets are used to relieve discomfort during poisoning or overeating. The active component is able to absorb all harmful substances and remove them from the body naturally.
Tablets are prescribed for the following pathologies:
- heaviness in the stomach caused by overeating fatty, spicy or salty foods;
- loose stools, diarrhea;
- food infections, salmonellosis, diphtheria (as an additional drug);
- allergies to food or medications.
Charcoal does not have an antiviral or antibacterial effect. It acts as a filter, absorbing harmful substances that negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract and the functioning of the body as a whole. In this regard, you cannot take pills on an ongoing basis, because the absorption of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which are necessary for vital intracellular processes, can be disrupted.
What foods contain iron?
A dark-colored biological mass occurs after eating certain foods:
- plant origin - currants, tomatoes, beets, grapes, red wine, bananas, blueberries;
- meat products - containing blood, livers, blood cells.
There are known cases when the feces turned black after strong drinks - tea or coffee, drunk in large quantities.
Feces turn dark after high-calorie foods, prunes and even pomegranates. Some freshly squeezed vegetable or fruit juices will also impart black tones to the stool.
Taking iron-containing medications
Black stools may occur when taking medications containing iron. It should be noted that there are a sufficient number of such funds. As a rule, such a condition does not conceal anything dangerous, and the doctor prescribing the therapeutic course warns of possible changes.
Changes in the color of the biological mass can be caused by regular use of the following medications:
- drugs for anemia;
- certain vitamins;
- activated carbon;
- medicines for the digestive system, which contain bismuth.
Additional therapy in such cases is not required, since feces that have changed their color when taking iron become normal a couple of days after the end of the treatment course.
But if your changes are caused by taking non-steroidal or narcotic compounds, anticoagulants, then the help of a specialist will come in handy.
It should be noted that medicinal compositions on their own do not provoke a change in the color of feces, but they are quite capable of damaging the mucous membrane, increasing the risk of internal bleeding. If the patient experiences such a pathological condition, then he begins to be bothered by pain or a burning sensation in the stomach, vomiting, and loss of performance.
If such symptoms are noticed, then black feces can become a danger signal not only for the child, but also for the adult.
Under what circumstances should you urgently consult a doctor?
If the cause of unusual stool in a person is bleeding or the development of a disease, it is usually accompanied by:
- abdominal pain;
- increase in temperature (sometimes very sharp and dangerous - up to 41˚C);
- dizziness;
- nausea and/or vomiting (including blood);
- presence of blood in feces;
- bleeding from the anus.
If you have at least one of the listed symptoms, immediately call an ambulance or try to get to the hospital yourself as soon as possible! It is especially important to do this if you are diagnosed with an ulcer, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or another disease described in the previous sections.
Remember that even a 5-minute delay can cause death, since often very dark or black-green stool is a consequence of internal bleeding.
Also, do not delay visiting a doctor if you have been experiencing symptoms for several days or the problem has occurred in a small child older than one week.
Black feces in expectant mothers when taking iron
For pregnant women, for normal fetal development, doctors often recommend multivitamin formulations containing iron, after taking which the feces become black. This condition is completely normal and does not require treatment. Experts assure that this is how the expectant mother’s body gets rid of excess iron and recommend not interrupting the intake of vitamins. But if a pregnant woman passes black stool not from taking products containing iron, then she will have to urgently donate blood for a general and biochemical analysis.
If a woman suffers from an ulcer, she is prescribed a stool test to detect occult blood. Loose, dark-colored stools, accompanied by signs of collapse, pallor and cold sweat, indicate an urgent need to see a specialist.
Dark color of stool when a pregnant woman takes iron may be a sign of a dangerous disease that will require urgent treatment.
Other properties
In addition to changes in color, the stool may differ from usual in its structure, appearance, and the presence of inclusions. The following features indicate pathologies of internal organs:
- Ribbon-shaped flattened feces are noted with sigmoiditis. In some cases, it accompanies a cancerous tumor or spasm of the rectal sphincter.
- So-called sheep feces in the form of numerous hard balls of a dark shade most often indicate chronic constipation due to colitis or ulcerative processes.
- The absence of formed feces characterizes people who prefer to eat only plants. Vegetarian diets include a lot of dietary fiber, which is not digested.
- A pungent and putrid odor indicates a long stay of food in the intestinal cavity, when strong fermentation and rotting begin.
- Frequent and loose stools (diarrhea) may be one of the symptoms of acute pancreatitis or exacerbation of a chronic disease. In this case, immediately after eating, bloating and cramping pain appear in the abdomen, and after a short time, emptying is observed.
- When the pancreas is inflamed, the stool has a shiny surface due to the presence of fat and a viscous consistency (sticks to the toilet bowl). When examined with the naked eye, particles of undigested food (muscle and connective tissue fibers, starch grains) are visible.
In the absence of pathology of the gastrointestinal tract and a balanced menu, feces have a cylindrical shape, dark color and medium density consistency. It contains 20% solids and 80% water. The frequency of bowel movements should not exceed twice a day. A healthy person experiences a feeling of relief after a bowel movement.
Important! If, along with changes in stool, typical signs of pancreatitis are observed, you should consult a doctor, take the necessary tests and begin treatment.
Inflammation of the pancreas is usually accompanied by:
- girdle pain;
- increased symptoms after overeating and eating fatty or spicy foods;
- bloating, tenesmus.
In the absence of professional help, the acute process can develop into chronic pancreatitis. A sharp release of active enzymes, if they are not neutralized by special drugs, leads to self-digestion of the organ and necrosis.
Black stool from vitamins containing iron
Many people ask whether the color of stool changes when taking vitamin complexes containing iron. Sometimes it happens. This is explained by the fact that most formulations contain not only vitamins, but also mineral supplements, one of which is iron. Once in the stomach, under the influence of hydrochloric acid it will oxidize, pass through the intestinal tract, mix with feces, giving it a black tint. In addition, the metal will cause a special smell of biological masses, and in some cases cause constipation.
Some doctors claim that when taking vitamins, the stool turns black due to excess iron that is not absorbed by the esophagus.
It is believed that vitamins can give a black color to the stool of both children and adults. In this case, the change will be of a physiological nature, which is provided by the manufacturer of the complex and is reflected in the accompanying instructions.
If you find black feces while taking vitamins and are absolutely sure that this is the reason, you should not worry and stop the course. For children, it is recommended to make sure that they do not eat delicious vitamins without your supervision, otherwise the daily dose of iron for them will be increased significantly.
When prescribed to infants
For a woman carrying a child, a lack of iron in the body can be dangerous. The fact is that it is its molecules that transport all nutritional components. And no matter what nutrition is prescribed, the baby’s body will not absorb the necessary substances.
An infant may be prescribed Maltofer in the following cases:
- with anemia;
- during artificial feeding;
- premature or dystrophic children;
- if you gain weight slowly.
The duration of the appointment is prescribed by the doctor. In the case of a premature baby, the duration can be up to five months.
Useful tips
- Reasons why stool in men, women and children can change color from black to white:
bile pigments that are involved in hemoglobin metabolism; food ration; the rate of digestion and passage of food through the intestines.
- Taking iron supplements by an adult causes the stool to become black-green in color, and when taking bismuth, the stool becomes black.
White or grayish-white color should be no less alarming than dark color. This color indicates the cessation of bile flow into the intestines.
- With a meat diet, the stool is dark brown.
- When vegetative - light brown.
- Greenish-yellow – indicates carbohydrate fermentation in the intestines.
- Golden yellow - indicates the content of unchanged bilirubin (often characteristic of infants).
- Orange-light yellow color of stool in those who adhere to a dairy diet.
Have you ever had black stool? What was the reason for this, and what treatment methods helped you? These questions, of course, are of a rather intimate nature, but a huge number of people who are looking for a solution to their problem on the Internet cannot ask such questions personally due to shyness or indecisiveness. Perhaps it is your experience and your advice that will help save someone's life.
