Common questions about Pepto-Bismol (2024)

FAQs

Common questions about Pepto-Bismol? ›

Can I drive or ride a bike? Taking Pepto-Bismol will not usually affect your ability to drive a car or ride a bike. However, taking too much Pepto-Bismol can make you feel confused, tired or dizzy. It can also affect your hearing or cause ringing or buzzing in your ears.

At first sold directly to physicians, it was first marketed as Bismosal in 1918. Pepto-Bismol was first sold in 1900 by a doctor in New York. It was originally sold as a remedy for infant diarrhea by Norwich Pharmacal Company under the name "Bismosal: Mixture Cholera Infantum".

Pepto-Bismol side effects are typically mild. Nausea, a bitter taste, and a blackened tongue are possible. Rarely, Pepto-Bismol can cause serious side effects, such as Reye's syndrome in children and allergic reactions in those with aspirin allergies. It should be avoided if you're pregnant.

Where does the name come from? Pepto was a marketeer's version of pepsin, a natural substance that aids digestion. Bismol is named for bismuth, the active ingredient that works, Schwartz says, by “coating the stomach.” Even though Pepto is now pepsin-less, no one could bear to change the name.

The active ingredient in Pepto Bismol^® is bismuth subsalicylate. This compound plus a little red dye gives Pepto Bismol its pink color. (According to a Procter & Gamble historian, the color was originally chosen to appeal to children and reduce their fears.)

Over-the-counter medicine for traveler's diarrhea is regulated, too. Pepto-Bismol is not sold in France due to a health scare in the 1970s.

Pepto-Bismol is typically safe for most people, but avoid it if you have certain health conditions. Pepto-Bismol may make them worse. Don't take Pepto-Bismol if you: are allergic to salicylates (including aspirin or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib)

You can eat and drink normally while taking Pepto-Bismol. However, it's best to avoid foods that seem to make your indigestion worse, like rich, spicy and fatty foods. Try to cut down on caffeinated drinks, such as tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks. Reduce or try to avoid alcohol.

This medicine is used for heartburn and acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhoea and feeling sick (nausea). It works by protecting your stomach and the lower part of your food pipe from stomach acid. It is also a mild antacid, which helps reduce too much stomach acid and eases any discomfort.

Subsalicylate is a medication in the same class as aspirin. The active ingredients of Pepto-Bismol are thought to have the following actions within the body: Increasing the amount of fluid that is absorbed in the intestines, therefore firming up stool.

Is Pepto-Bismol safe on empty stomach? ›

You can take Pepto-Bismol with or without food. Chew the tablets or let them dissolve on your tongue. If you're taking the liquid, shake the bottle, then use the measuring cup that comes with the medicine to make sure you get the right amount. If you do not have a cup, ask your pharmacist for one.

Pepto-Bismol (also known as the “pink stuff”) is a medication that is commonly used to treat diarrhea and upset stomach. It is available over the counter as an oral liquid, capsules, and chewable tablets. Pepto-Bismol usually works within 30 to 60 minutes.

Medications like loperamide (Imodium®) or bismuth subsalicyclate (Pepto-Bismol®) can make the illness last longer.

Bismuth subsalicylate exhibits cytoprotective and demulcent activity, which makes it an effective drug in peptic ulcer disease. It blocks the adhesion of H. pylori to the gastric epithelial cells and blocks the bacteria's enzyme activities, including phospholipase, protease, and urease.

Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is the only colloidal bismuth salt drug approved for OTC use in multiple GI conditions, including “diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion without constipation, nausea, and upset stomach.” The mechanism of action of bismuth subsalicylate in these gastrointestinal disorders is not ...

This medicine is used for heartburn and acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhoea and feeling sick (nausea). It works by protecting your stomach and the lower part of your food pipe from stomach acid. It is also a mild antacid, which helps reduce too much stomach acid and eases any discomfort.

That compound is beige. It turns out that Pepto is pink simply because Procter and Gamble dye it pink! According to Pepto-Bismol, the doctor who developed their pink medicine in the early 20^th century chose pink, but no one really knows why.