I Suddenly Can’t Stop Pooping. When Is It Time to Worry?

4 min readThere’s wide variation in what’s considered a “normal” amount of pooping. Doctors say most people go anywhere from three times a week to three times a day.Short-term changes in bowel movement happens. But if a change in volume and consistency happens, then you may want to look at certain foods in your diet or any new medications.Eating fewer foods with insoluble fibers and artificial sweeteners like sorbitol may help reduce loose, frequent stool. Soluble fiber—found in oat bran, some fruits, and common fiber supplements—soften the stool and allow for easier passage, resulting in firmer and less frequent poops.It may be time to talk a GI doctor when your poop pattern doesn’t return to normal after two weeks or shifts every few weeks or months. If your change in bowel movements come with other symptoms like blood, mucus, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea, it could be a sign of a more serious digestive condition.EVERYONE HAS A rough idea of how much they poop. So you might feel a little alarmed when your pooping schedule suddenly goes into overdrive. Was it the green smoothie you had earlier? Or maybe the lettuce that caused diarrhea summer somehow made its way into your burrito bowl?It's not all that unusual to experience short-term changes in bowel frequency, says gastroenterologist Anish Sheth, MD, author of What’s Your Poo Telling You? There are also so many factors—traveling, stress, medication, and changes in physical activity level—that can have you running to the bathroom more than usual. But if you’re also starting to see changes in consistency and volume for several days, something may be amiss.Below, doctors reveal the most common culprits behind a change in bowel habits and what to do to get back to your regularly scheduled programming.Wait, How Many Times a Day Should I Be Pooping Again?EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. What’s normal for one person can be abnormal for another. That’s because the poop range is huge. Jordan Karlitz, MD, clinical professor of medicine-gastroenterology at the University of Colorado Anschutz, says most people average between three a week and three a day.Absolute numbers are less important than changes in your regular pooping pattern. “If you’ve gone once a day your entire life, but you’ve now started going three or four times a day for the past couple of weeks—even if it’s not explosive diarrhea—that warrants medical attention,” says Dr. Sheth.The Most Common Causes for Chronic PoopingFIRST THINGS FIRST, take a look at what you’ve been eating the past couple of days. Have you been drinking more coffee or alcohol lately? Maybe indulged in some sweet treats? Dr. Karlitz says all of those—especially sugary foods with artificial sweeteners like sorbitol—are common short-term causes behind loose, frequent stool. (Of course, almost everything is good in moderation).Certain foods can soften and add bulk to the stool, which can make you have to poop more often. Think foods with insoluble fiber, like vegetables or meals containing wheat bran and whole grains, explains Christine Lee, MD, gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic.Taking new medications can affect your poop, too. Dr. Karlitz says any type of antibiotic can upset the normal balance of good and bad bacteria in your GI tract.But what if you haven’t changed your diet or started taking new meds? Well before you start thinking of worst-case cancer scenarios, it’s possible you were hit with a stomach bug like gastroenteritis or a bout of food poisoning. Each will pass if you stay hydrated and are patient.So How Do I Stop Pooping So Much?AGAIN, MOST OF the time a change in bowel movements is from diet. Dr. Karlitz says to keep a food journal to log what you eat plus any symptoms you experience. Then try cutting back on or cut out potential diet culprits.• If insoluble fiber is to blame, eat more soluble fiber. This second type of fiber dissolves into liquid/gel that attracts water, thereby softening the stool allowing easier passage, explains Dr. Lee. Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, some fruits, and the common fiber supplements psyllium (found in Metamucil) or wheat dextrin (found in Benefiber). Consuming more soluble fiber will result in firmer but less frequent poops. How much fiber do you need a day? Well…that’s a loaded question.“Both types of fiber are important for health, digestion, and important in staying healthy,” says Dr. Lee. “You can take it whenever is most convenient for you; however, I would recommend taking fiber at least six hours apart from medications.”• If antibiotics are the culprit for your frequent pooping, try taking probiotics to restore your gut’s balance of good and bad bacteria. Antibiotics like erythromycin and penicillin can harm the beneficial microbes that live in your gut, which can result in diarrhea especially in the first two days. There is mixed evidence on whether probiotics are still effective in diarrhea that lasts for over 48 hours.• For run-of-the-mill stomach viruses, stick to an all-liquid diet until things are back to normal in the bathroom. Eating solid food too soon can spark more diarrhea and worsen dehydration.• If you end up with an IBS diagnosis, you may have to experiment with your diet. Pay closer attention to what you eat every day, and note the foods that seem to aggravate your condition. Common trigger foods can include dairy, cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and leafy greens, and artificial sweeteners, but this is highly individual.Now if your poop pattern doesn’t return to normal after two weeks—or shifts every few weeks or months—and you start experiencing blood, mucus, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea—that’s when it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment.What Medical Conditions Could Cause the Runs?A CHANGE IN bowel habits may also be a sign of digestive diseases such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic disorders, biliary disorders, lactose intolerance, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, irritable bowel syndrome, says Dr. Lee. So it definitely wouldn’t hurt to bring them up with a trusted doc.Your doctor will first ask for a rundown of your symptoms. If there’s blood in your stool, your doctor may order a colonoscopy, which searches your large intestine for colorectal cancer, which keeps striking younger and younger. They may also check if you meet the criteria for inflammatory bowel disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.If your exams don’t turn up anything unusual and you’ve ruled out these conditions, you might have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While mainly in women, the condition affects 5 to 10 percent of people worldwide. IBS is known to cause recurring abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation.The bottom line: Frequent poops could end up being completely normal, but if you do have accompanying symptoms that cause concern, bring them up with your doctor to help you return to your regular schedule.Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.