Burning Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

If you have burning diarrhea, it means you’re feeling a painful and urgent need to go to the bathroom. The burning happens because the lining of your rectum and anus gets irritated by acid or inflammation.

At Center One Medical in Sarasota, FL, our doctors who specialize in Internal Medicine and Digestive Health focus on finding out the exact cause of your GI symptoms. We help you feel better fast and create long-term solutions, making sure your digestive health is part of your overall care.

What Causes Burning Diarrhea?

The most common reason for the painful burning is the rapid transit of stool, which prevents the body from neutralizing irritating compounds before they are eliminated. Figuring out the exact cause often needs medical tests:

Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM)

Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM) is a common but often missed cause of burning diarrhea. Normally, the liver makes bile acids, which are stored in the gallbladder and then released into the small intestine to help break down fats. If these bile acids are not absorbed as they should be and move quickly into the colon, they can irritate the colon’s lining. This irritation is strong and can cause severe, watery diarrhea with a burning feeling. BAM can happen for different reasons, like after some surgeries, diseases that affect the small intestine, or for unknown reasons. It is sometimes mistaken for other digestive problems.

Dietary Irritants

Burning diarrhea often happens after eating or drinking things that irritate your stomach and intestines. Spicy foods, which have capsaicin, can make your digestive system feel hot or cause a burning feeling when you go to the bathroom. Drinks like coffee, energy drinks, and alcohol can also upset your stomach and make things worse. Acidic foods, such as oranges, lemons, and tomatoes, might not break down fully and can cause pain and burning when you have a bowel movement. These foods and drinks can make the lining of your bottom sore, making it hurt or feel uncomfortable when you go to the bathroom.

Gastrointestinal Infections

Eating spicy foods, drinking caffeine or alcohol, or using artificial sweeteners can upset your digestive system and cause burning diarrhea. Infections from bacteria, viruses, or parasites (like C. diff or Salmonella) can also make your colon very inflamed, leading to fast, acidic stools that burn. Long-term problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or food intolerances can also cause ongoing burning when you have diarrhea. When your colon gets irritated and stool moves quickly, the burning feeling can get worse.

Medication Side Effects

Some medicines, like antibiotics, can upset the natural balance of bacteria in your gut. This can lead to diarrhea and a burning feeling. Other drugs, such as some laxatives, chemotherapy, or medicines with magnesium, can also bother your digestive system. This irritation or imbalance can cause you to have more frequent, watery bowel movements and a burning feeling when you go to the bathroom. If you notice burning diarrhea after starting a new medicine, talk to your doctor about other options or ways to help your symptoms.

Underlying GI Conditions

Long-term stomach and bowel problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, or problems with absorbing food can cause ongoing irritation inside your digestive system. These issues often lead to symptoms like burning diarrhea because they hurt the lining of your gut. Getting the right medical treatment and regular care is important to control symptoms, reduce irritation, and avoid other problems from these conditions.

Stress and Anxiety

Your brain and digestive system are closely connected. When you feel a lot of stress, your body releases more of a hormone called cortisol. This can make your bowels move faster, which may cause diarrhea. Stress can also make your digestive system more sensitive, making the burning feeling during diarrhea worse. Reducing stress and using relaxation techniques can help lessen these symptoms and improve your digestion.

How We Diagnose Burning Diarrhea at Center One Medical

To find out why you have burning diarrhea, we follow a few steps to understand your symptoms:

1. Targeted Stool Analysis

We start by testing your stool for different problems. We check for infections like Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), which can cause serious stomach issues. We also look at inflammation markers such as calprotectin to see if your digestive tract is inflamed. In addition, we check for signs that your body isn’t absorbing nutrients well, like undigested fat in your stool. These tests help us figure out what is causing your symptoms so we can suggest the best treatment for you.

2. Blood Work

We do blood tests to look for signs of infection, like high white blood cell counts, and signs of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein. Blood tests also show if you are missing important nutrients, like electrolytes, iron, or vitamins, which can happen with ongoing diarrhea. These tests give us key information to help find out what is causing burning diarrhea and decide on the best treatment.

3. Review of Medications and Diet

We do blood tests to look for infections, inflammation, or other problems that might be causing your symptoms. Our team also checks if your medicines could be causing side effects and works with you to find out if certain foods or high-acid diets are triggers. This personalized approach helps us find the main cause of burning diarrhea and create a treatment plan that fits your needs.

4. Endoscopic Procedures

We use special tools called endoscopes, such as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, to look inside the digestive system. These tests let our doctors see if there is swelling, sores, or other problems. During endoscopy, we can also take small tissue samples (biopsies) to check in the lab. This helps us find out if someone has conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Celiac Disease, infections, or other reasons for burning diarrhea. This thorough method helps us make the right diagnosis and choose the best treatment for our patients.

Comprehensive Treatment for Lasting Relief

Effective treatment for burning diarrhea focuses on fixing the main cause to provide lasting relief. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Targeted Pharmacological Therapy

Treatment options may include the following, depending on the diagnosis:

• Bile Acid Sequestrants (BAS): These medicines are very effective for treating Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM). BAS works by attaching to extra bile acids in the intestines, which stops them from causing irritation and diarrhea. This focused treatment can greatly reduce symptoms and help people with BAM feel better. BAS are usually easy to tolerate and can be part of a treatment plan made for each person.

• Antibiotics: These medicines are given to treat certain bacterial or parasite infections found during diagnosis. The doctor chooses the antibiotic based on the type and seriousness of the infection and what the patient needs. Using antibiotics correctly helps get rid of the infection, ease symptoms, and stop problems from happening. Sometimes, more than one antibiotic is used to make sure the treatment works well.

• Anti-inflammatories: These medicines are given to lower swelling and help manage symptoms of long-term illnesses like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). By reducing the swelling, anti-inflammatories can make patients feel better, lower the number of flare-ups, and help control the disease over time.

2. Hydration and IV Therapy

Acute or chronic diarrhea can cause dangerous dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes. We focus on quickly bringing your body’s fluids and electrolytes back to normal to avoid problems and help you recover. We often use IV Therapy to quickly replace lost fluids, vitamins, and electrolytes. Along with IV Therapy, we watch your progress closely, adjust your treatment to fit your needs, and give advice on nutrition and lifestyle changes to help you stay hydrated and healthy for the long term.

3. Nutrition Counseling

We help you create a healthy eating plan that avoids problem foods, manages fiber, and keeps your gut healthy to stop issues from coming back. Our nutrition counseling gives you a meal plan made just for you, teaches you how to find and avoid foods that bother you, and supports you as you make better choices. We work with you to make sure your diet is balanced, enjoyable, and fits your needs, so you can keep your digestion healthy and lower the chance of future problems.

4. Stress Management

We use a whole-person approach that combines different therapies to help with the strong link between the gut and the brain. By taking care of both physical and emotional health, our treatment helps lower stress-related flare-ups and supports lasting relief. This method includes stress management tips, lifestyle changes, and support to help patients improve their overall health and handle stress better.

When to See a Doctor Immediately

While occasional diarrhea often goes away on its own, burning diarrhea should never be ignored. You should seek medical help right away if you notice:

• Fever, chills, or signs of severe infection.

• Persistent symptoms lasting more than 48 hours.

• Blood or mucus in your stool.

• Signs of dehydration, such as dark urine, a very thirsty feeling, or dizziness.

Chronic diarrhea can lead to serious problems like losing important nutrients or damage to your rectum. As your trusted Family Doctor in Sarasota, we provide accurate diagnosis and expert care to help you heal. Don't wait for the burning to stop by itself. Contact us and schedule a consultation at Center One Medical today to take the first step in managing your digestive health.

FAQs

1. Is burning diarrhea always a sign of a serious medical condition?

• Burning diarrhea is usually caused by things like eating spicy foods or a mild infection that goes away on its own. But if it lasts more than 48 hours or comes with serious symptoms like a fever or bloody stool, it could be a sign of a more serious problem, such as Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM), IBD, or a bacterial infection that needs medical attention right away.

2. Do you test for Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM)?

• Yes. At Center One Medical, our digestive health experts know that BAM is a common and often overlooked reason for ongoing, burning diarrhea. We use special tests to check for BAM. If you have it, we can usually treat it successfully with medicines called bile acid sequestrants, which stop the burning diarrhea.

3. Can stress really cause my burning diarrhea to flare up?

• Yes, it can. The brain and gut are closely linked. When you have a lot of stress or anxiety, it can make your bowels move faster and your gut more sensitive. This can lead to more inflammation and cause urgent, burning diarrhea. Our treatment plans may include ways to help manage this gut-brain connection.

4. What is the biggest risk of chronic burning diarrhea?

• The main immediate risk is dehydration and severe electrolyte imbalance, which can be very dangerous. Additionally, chronic inflammation and acidity can lead to skin irritation, small tears around the anus, or signal a serious, untreated problem like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or a persistent infection that requires urgent management by an Internal Medicine doctor.

5. Will antibiotics always fix burning diarrhea caused by infection?

• No, not always. Antibiotics are needed for some bacterial infections, such as C. diff, but they do not work for viral infections. Also, antibiotics can upset the normal bacteria in your gut and sometimes cause burning diarrhea. Our doctors perform targeted stool analysis first to ensure we only use antibiotics when necessary and prescribe the right one for the specific pathogen.