[Guest]

I was vacationing in Victoria when I came across a huge wonderful health food store. In this store I found a product called "activated charcoal tablets". I remembered hearing how these help with bloating and gas and decided to give them a shot. I downed two of them almost minutes after purchasing them. I didn't think much about them until I was awoken with severe cramps in my bowels. I tossed and turned in my bed and cursed those bloody capsules. Then, I bolted to the hotel bathroom and had what was honestly the largest bowel movement of my life. As I looked into the bowl (you know you've all peeked!) I saw that my stool was lined with pitch black charcoal globs. Anyways, the moral of this disgusting story is: charcoal can be quite harsh on the system....if you're trying it for the first time I would suggest taking only one tablet at first as to make sure you can tolerate it. Has anyone else had negative experiences with charcoal?

 

[flux]

Sounds like the pills were tainted. Something you should report to the manufacturer. Ironically, charcoal should adsorb anything poisonous, but the amount you took may have been too small to do that.

 

[bunged up]

LMAO!!! Not that i think your story is funny, but i tried those things a few years back, thinking they would help with bloating. Well, I was playing cards with some friends a couple hours after taking one. Inadvertantly, i burped, and this big black cloud came out of my mouth, and I got some STRANGE looks from my the others at the table...

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

HI IDLE AND GOSSIPING>I think FLUX is right about this, both the dose-probability of effectiveness and the possibility of contamination...but that depeneds on the formulation (a) hw much hcarcoal did you take (

what elese was in the preparation (what other chemicals).The chemical properties of charcoal are what make it useful for absorbing and eliminating toxins. As a poisoning antidote it is given in doses of 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, which is about from 25 grams to 100 grams. At this level it substantially aborbs and removes any drug or chemical except such things as alkalies (lye), petroleum products, strong acids, boric acid, lithium, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol.Daily use of charcoal for diarrhea of indeterminate etiology (if it is thought it may be from a contaminant or toxin) in children it is taken in split doses of (usually) around 750 mg to 1g every hour to a maximum of 4 grams per day. In adults the doses are limited to a maximim of about 12 grams per day.Like any bile-acid sequestrant, at these levels of ingestion charcoal can reduce the absorption of most drugs by an unpredictable amount, but genrally in the range of 25% to 30%, IF the drug is taken within 2 hours after a charcoal dose.BUNGEDUP...remind me not to sit across the table from you.Have a CFDMNL_________________ www.leapallergy.com

 

[Guest]

Okay, I think I figured out the problem. I took the charcoal along with my other daily medicine. The charcoal must have absorbed that medicine, eliminating it's affects and leaving me in much pain. If I try charcoal again I'll make sure not to take it within two hours of my other meds. Thanks for all your responses.