Treating Symptoms
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Take Fluids
Make sure to ask your doctor what fluids are best for diarrhea
- Make sure person intakes more fluids than the loss of fluids through diarrhea – If person is unable to drink more than the loss call a doctor
- For adults, clear fluids such as: fruit juice, soda, sports drinks and clear broth and avoid milk-based products, such as: alcohol, apple juice, and caffeine – avoid such drink for 3-5 days or the diarrhea may worsen
- For children and infants, provide re-hydrating drinks such as: Pedialyte, CeraLyte and Infalyte
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Make sure to rest
- Make sure the person gets plenty of rest – strenuous activities can delay or worsen recovery. Keep sick children and infants home and avoid places like school or daycares
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Slowly reintroduce regular eating
- Adults – slowly re-introduce solids and fiber into regular diet as diarrhea gradually fades – avoid fatty, greasy and spicy foods
- Children and infants – provide digestible foods; follow the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) as toleration of food returns
Call a Doctor
- Infant, younger than 3 months, is vomiting or has diarrhea
- Person has a fever
- Person has traveler’s diarrhea / person consumed contaminated water
- Black stool / blood in stool / mucus in stool
- Person is dehydrated
- Person is in need of over-the-counter diarrhea medicine
- Person may be consuming medication causing diarrhea
- Person has more of a loss in stool than can be replaced
- Bowel movement unable to relieve pain
Call 911
- If person has severe abdominal pain
- If person is dehydrated
