Activated Charcoal

Charcoal

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon commonly used to filter contaminants from water and air, among many other uses. It is processed (activated) to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area[1][2] available for adsorption (which is not the same as absorption) or chemical reactions.[3] Activation is analogous to making popcorn from dried corn kernels: popcorn is light, fluffy, and has a surface ar...

What is it used for and how safe is it? And what other medicine should you not use with it? ## It is supposedly a very safe medicine to take. Activated charcoal is a traditional remedy for treating excess stomach and intestinal gas. It works by attracting excess gas in the stomach and bowels, which binds to the surface of the charcoal powder. This relieves the discomfort caused by excess gas (flatulence), wind, indigestion and heartburn. The charcoal is not absorbed from the gut. Activated charcoal is also used in hospital emergency departments to treat poisoning. However, when used in this way, activated charcoal is given in much larger doses than those contained in this preparation. You should never attempt to treat poisoning yourself with this preparation. Cases of poisoning should a...

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My mother currently takes 1 mg of warfarin 4 days a week, & 2 mg 3 days a week. Is she able to take activated charcoal? I have heard this can help people with renal problems & she currently does dialisys 3 days a week. She takes BP medicine & also a fluid pill. Any advice would be appreciated!! ## Hello, Holly! How is your mother doing? I didn't find any problems or interactions listed, but when taking a blood thinner, it is always best to double check with the patient's doctor to be sure. The FDA lists the typical side effects of Warfarin as possibly including nausea, dizziness, headache, increased risk of bleeding and easy bruising. What other medications does she take? Can you please post back with more details?

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Hi I took an antibiotic 3 months ago and have been suffering from it since. I have symptoms of Neuropathy and dizziness etc from this horrible poison. (metronizadole) I don't know if the toxins are still in my body since the doctors say they are long gone. However the damage is not. Do you think taking activated charcoal would benifit me and if so where would I purchase this and what would be the dose? Thank you for your comments. ## No, they would not still be in your body, so activated charcoal wouldn't help, since it only removes toxins that are currently in your body and being digested. What may have happened, however, is that you had a bad reaction the medication and it caused permanent damage to your body. Learn more Metronidazole details here. What type of doctor have you...

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I'm on nakatonnese but my blood thickened regardless. I suspect it's bentonite clay so I've stopped taking it. I am using activated charcoal to detox - recently extracted amalgam filings. I need to know if activated charcoal will be fine to use ## Hello, Malix! How are you? Actually, what you need to be aware of is that there is no scientific or medical proof that doing these types of detoxes do anything, according to the AMA and NIH. Your body naturally detoxes itself from such things, that is what your liver is intended to do and, if you've absorbed mercury, or other harmful substances from having amalgam fillings, it is just going to take time for it to leave your body. There is really nothing you can do to speed up or alter the natural process. And given that you are...

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Are activated charcoal tablets safe to take daily, and if so, in what doses? A gall bladder op was botched and now constant diarrhea is a problem as is painful bloating. ## I suffer from excessive gas in my stomach. I've ordered some charcoal tablets but after reading up about them I'm a bit scared of taking them as I'm on other medication, but I only take my meds at night. Will I be ok to take the charcoal tabs. I'm in a lot of discomfort and there's nothing else my doctor can do. ## Your body takes roughly 1 - 4 hours to metabolize and absorb medication. I would recommend taking your medication in the early morning and by night taking the charcoal tablets. I am not a medical professional but I've read up on the subject and this is what I found was most recommen...

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Hi I took an antibiotic 3 months ago and have been suffering from it since. I have symptoms of Neuropathy and dizziness etc from this horrible poison. (metronizadole) I don't know if the toxins are still in my body since the doctors say they are long gone. However the damage is not. Do you think taking activated charcoal would benifit me and if so where would I purchase this and what would be the dose? Thank you for your comments. ## Most likely what happened is that you had a bad reaction to it and it might have caused permanent damage, in which case, activated charcoal won't do anything, because it will only absorb stuff that's actively in your body and being digested. Learn more Metronidazole details here. Have you considered seeing a specialist?

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Does charcoal tablets interact with Zocor, Nexium, Zoloft or Flomax ? I have diverticulitis and wat to use it to help with the gas problem from high fiber diet. ## There are no problems listed between using it and your medications, but you should check with your doctor or pharmacist to be certain. ## Can I take charcoal tablets while I am taking Lipitor Antorvastatin ? ## You should be fine, there should not be any interactions between Lipitor and charcoal. Of course it is always a good idea to verify with your doc since they know your medical history too. ## Will taking activated charcoal get rid of the metabolites in valium that I need gone?

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How To Help Someone Who Took 20mgs Of Morphine ## If you feel this person may have taken more than they needed or overdosed, I would strongly recommend getting some activated charcoal at your local health food store. According to Dr. Al Sears, MD. he wrote an article that spoke of: "Most poisons in your body are attracted to charcoal; even prescription drugs. Since your body reacts to most prescription drugs as toxins (that's why there are so many side effects to meds), activated charcoal taken orally will often adsorb prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs, too. . The activated charcoal will fight the poisoning from a medication overdose. That's why every emergency room carries it. It is also used in many different detox programs to help absorb the chronic accu...

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Whether unienzyme helps to digest food & reduce blood sugar levels? I am having type-II diabetes & my sugar levels are 169/199 (fasting/PP). ## Unienzyme contains activated charcoal, fungal diastase and pepsin, which may help with digestion issues, but they will not do anything to lower your blood sugar levels. Learn more dietary supplement details here. What has your doctor recommended for treating your diabetes? ## Can unienzyme tab be taken continuously for 3-4 months?

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I found a few of these in a little coin purse i forgot about in my purse, but i can't remember what they are for. it's a long pink pill with CCHF on it. ## These contain 360mgs of Activated Charcoal, commonly used to help treat poisoning and other chemical reactions. Is there anything else I can help you with? ## They're not for poisoning, they're anti-gas charcoal capsules.

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I ate some popcorn in the cinema last night and was sick 5 hours later. I ache all over now and feel tired. My son had the other half i took home and he feels slightly sick but is ok to go to school. ## Activated charcoal tablets will absorb chemicals and poison out of your system. They're sold at pharmacies and Walmart.

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I have a problem bloating gas acidity and constipation will unizyme work ## From what I could gather, Unienzyme is a digestive aid containing the following active ingredients: pepsin (60mg) + fungal diastase (100mg) + activated charcoal (75mg). The indications for this medication list it as a treatment for flatulence, chronic gastritis, and indigestion. You may want to also consider using it along with plenty of fluids (primarily water) to help dissolve any additional food that might be causing blockages. I hope this helps! ## I am taking Clopitab, Revelol and Aspisol, after an angio procedure. Aspisol, I think, produces lot of gas in my stomach, resulting in very fouls smelling gas very frequently being released through rectum. Can I take Unienzyme or any such medicine without impactin...

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can i take these two together? Can i take charco Caps for Diarrhea and ciprofloxacin for a urinary track infection? ## Hello, Susan! How are you? What are Charco Caps? Is that something available over the counter? A charcoal supplement? Can you please post back with more information? Thanks! ## Yes it is an over the counter activated charcoal tablet.

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I am having a lot of digestive difficulties with bloating and gas after eating.I have just heard about the product Charcoaid and wondered if any one had used it, what the results were and if it is available in Canada,thank you Mag ## The active ingredient in Charcoaid is Activated Charcoal, it is most commonly used to absorb ingested poisons, since it binds them and then harmlessly expels from the body. It is NOT, however, proven to help with digestion or stomach problems. You can read more about it here: I do not know if this specific product is available in Canada, but since there are no other special ingredients, any product made for human ingestion that contains Activated Charcoal will do. Did you have any other questions?

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My doctor keeps prescribing psychotic drugs to me and all they do is make me feel detached from reality and gain weight. I am on Risperidone .5 mg and the withdrawals are horrible. Can anyone help me? ## Wing yourself off these psychotic meds. They're bad news. Get on a good diet and get yourself some activated charcoal tablets from walmart and some niacin b-6 tablets, drink lots of water, start making yourself some healthy smoothies with spinach and fruit to help the brain mostly. Hemp seeds are good too for your omega 3/6/9. They carry this at walmart in the baking isle. ## Can I ask what issue's are you dealing with before taking the psychotics? ## Hello Ping Pong, If you feel that the medical attention that your provider is giving you is inadequate then I would suggest getti...

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I found a pill bottle in my house full of these. They have no markings on them, and they are a bit powdery. They kind of resemble the 'black snake' fireworks, but I know for a fact that they are not. I'm thinking it might be carbon, but I got no idea. ## With no markings and going by that description, some type of carbon/charcoal would be my best guess as well. Learn more activated carbon details here. If you look at the images on Google, there are some that look exactly like that. It's hard to be certain with any product like this though, so the best thing you can actually do would be to dispose of them. What type of bottle was it? A pharmacy bottle? And if so, was it one of the older glass ones?

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I got drugged on new years and it turned out to be methamphetamine. Now I Have this itchy rash all over my chest and back. What can I do to get rid of it? The meds the doctors have me are not working. Please help! ## Hey, sorry to hear about what had happened. I hope the symptoms have started to subside since you last posted. One thought I had would be to look into Activated Charcoal, since it's available OTC and is medically recognized as a way to detox from an overdose of various types of prescription drugs. Ref: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8037387 (Methamphetamine toxicity prevented by activated charcoal in a mouse model) Another idea for treating an itchy rash might be to use a few drops of lavender essential oil in a mixture of coconut oil throughout the day. Lavender oil is also m...

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Hello.. I'm from India. By mistake, I took 5 deriphyllin retard 150 tablets at the same time. What should I do now? ## Hi manasi, Sorry to hear about what happened. I would strongly encourage you to contact your doctor and/or local poison control at your earliest convenience to better evaluate the seriousness of the issue; including what side effects you should be aware of. In the meantime, I know that "activated charcoal" is often used medically for removing toxins/excess prescription drugs from the body. There is also a supplement called Zeolite that you may want to look into as well. How are you feeling right now? ## Hi there, mistakenly I have taken a double dose of deriphyllin retard 150 tablet. Should I reach out to my doctor? It's been 1 hr and I am feeling dizzin...

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Want to do a pill but need to know what will override it ## Need to know what will over ride the vivatrol shot ## Please correct me if my assumption is wrong, but just to be clear on what you're getting at, are you actually intending to overdose on your medication and then looking for a way to counteract (over-ride) its effects? While I don't recommend going that route, I would suggest looking into "activated charcoal" for the purpose of eliminating toxins and drugs from the body. There are large bodies of research explaining how activated charcoal absorbs these excess toxins and in affect removes them from your system. Definitely something to consider adding into the mix, especially if you're planning to take a detox drug like Vivitrol. I hope this helps in any way!

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