The libraryGut
Handle Your Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance
Also called Dairy intolerance, Lactose intolerant, Dairy upset stomach
Who it's forA man aged 18 to 45 who gets wind, bloating or loose stools after dairy.
When to see a doctor
- Call 911 now: swelling lips, mouth, throat or tongue, fast or difficult breathing, or feeling faint after milk. Use your epinephrine pen if you have one, then call. That is an allergic reaction, not lactose.
- Call 911 now: bleeding from your butt that will not stop, or a lot of blood or clots in your poop.
- Urgent care or your doctor today: black or dark red poop, or bloody diarrhea. In the US, black, tarry poop is 911 or the emergency room.
- Your doctor: losing weight without trying, or blood in your poop, bloating or a change in your poop lasting 3 weeks.
- Your doctor: low iron or anemia on a blood test, or diarrhea that wakes you at night or never lets up.
- Your doctor: symptoms that keep coming back, or that carry on with no dairy at all. Keep eating gluten until any celiac test is done.
- Before cutting dairy long-term: your doctor or dietitian, so calcium and protein do not drop.
I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose on this page is the one a trial, a label or a monograph used, quoted from it. It is not a prescription. Talk to a physician who has your history before any supplement. Weight loss, blood in your poop or night-time diarrhea: see a doctor first.