Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Abdominal pain, constant running to the bathroom, loose and thin stools - diarrhea can upset anyone's day-to-day life. Fortunately, you can try treating diarrhea at home by simply changing your diet and taking prescription or over-the-counter medications to quickly stop the diarrhea. You should also learn to treat the cause of the diarrhea and avoid dehydration to ease the unpleasant symptoms and recover quickly.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Treat symptoms quickly

1. 

   Avoid dehydration. Dehydration is the most common complication of diarrhea and can be very dangerous. Remember to drink water, broths and juices regularly throughout the day. Even if only a small amount of water is clicked at a time, it is important to replace the amount of fluids you have lost from diarrhea.
   • Drinking water is fine, but you should also drink broth, juice or sports drink. The body needs to be compensated for electrolytes such as potassium and sodium.
   • Some people find that apple juice worsens symptoms.
   • Suck on an ice cube if you are so nauseous that you cannot drink anything.
   • See a doctor right away if any fluid you drink does not stay in your body and persists for more than 12 hours, or diarrhea and vomiting last longer than 24 hours. If the dehydration is severe, you may need to go to hospital for an intravenous fluids.
   • Avoid giving juices or carbonated drinks to children or infants with diarrhea. If your baby is breastfeeding, you need to continue to breastfeed.

2. 

   
   
   Take an over-the-counter diarrhea medicine. Try loperamide (Imodium A-D) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). Remember to take the medicine according to the directions for use. You can easily buy these drugs at pharmacies.
   • Do not give any of the above medications to children unless you have consulted a doctor.
   • Some cases of diarrhea get worse with these medications, for example when stomach problems are caused by an infection. You can try an over-the-counter diarrhea medicine, but if it gets worse, see your doctor quickly for another treatment.

3. 

   
   
   Take pain relievers with caution. You can try taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen) to reduce fever and relieve stomach pain. However, in large doses or in certain cases, these drugs can irritate and damage the stomach. Take these drugs only as prescribed by your doctor or the directions on the label and avoid taking them in the following cases:
   • Your doctor prescribes a different medicine, or you are taking an NSAID for another medical condition.
   • You have liver or kidney disease.
   • You have ever had stomach ulcers or bleeding.
   • You are less than 18 years old. Check with your doctor before giving aspirin to children and teenagers. The use of aspirin to treat viral infections (including the flu) in children and teenagers has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a life-threatening condition.

4. 

   
   
   Rest much. Just like when you have any illness, rest is one of the best things you can do with diarrhea. Try to get plenty of sleep, stay warm, and let your body rest. This will help you fight the infection that may be the cause of the diarrhea, and will also help reduce the fatigue caused by the illness.

5. 

   See your doctor if symptoms persist or worsen. If the diarrhea and vomiting persist for more than 24 hours or are unable to drink fluids for more than 12 hours, you should see your doctor to prevent dehydration. See a healthcare professional if you have severe stomach or rectal pain, have black or bloody stools, have a fever above 39 ° C, have a stiff neck or headache, have a yellow color on the skin or in your lap white eyes.
   • You may be dehydrated if you feel extremely thirsty, dry mouth or dry skin, don't urinate or have dark urine, weakness, dizziness, tiredness or lightheadedness.

6. 

   Take children to the doctor if they become dehydrated. Young children and infants become dehydrated faster than adults, and the consequences are more serious. Signs of dehydration in children include: sunken eyes, sunken eyes, diapers with less urine than usual (or a diaper that dries for more than 3 hours), crying without watery eyes, dry mouth or tongue, fever 39 ° C or more up, irritable, sleepy.
   • You should also take your child to the doctor if the diarrhea lasts longer than 24 hours or has black stools or blood in the stools.
   • Take your child to the emergency room if he is lethargic, has severe stomach pain, has a dry mouth, or if you can't see a doctor.

7. 

   Call emergency services if there is a serious change in health. Call emergency services right away if symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, extreme drowsiness or difficulty waking up, fainting or loss of consciousness, fast or unusual heartbeat, seizures, neck stiffness or exhaustion, dizziness or lightheadedness. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Make changes to your diet to quickly reduce diarrhea

1. 

   Follow a diet of clear liquids. You need to minimize the pressure on your digestive system when you have diarrhea. Follow a diet of clear liquids to hydrate your body and maintain electrolyte balance without putting pressure on your stomach. Eat 5-6 “meals” throughout the day or just sip some liquid every few minutes if possible. Diets with clear liquids include:
   • Water (can drink carbonated water or flavored water)
   • Juice filtered to remove pulp, lemon juice
   • Sparkling water, including soda (choose one that is free of sugar and caffeine)
   • Gelatin
   • Coffee and tea (decaffeinated, no milk added)
   • Ketchup or vegetable juice to remove residue
   • Sports drinks (drink with other drinks, not just sports drinks due to too much sugar)
   • Clear broth (not soup cooked with cream)
   • Honey, sugar and hard candies like lemon and peppermint candy
   • Juice ice cream (no milk or fruit meat)

2. 

   Gradually add solid foods. On the second day, you can add dry and solid foods to your diet. You should eat little by little. If you cannot eat, you can return to your diet with clear liquids and try again later. Choose bland, low-fat, and low-fiber foods.
   • Try the BRAT (first letters of English words) diet bananas (banana), rice (rice), applesauce (apple sauce), and toast (toast). Other options include cookies, pasta and mashed potatoes.
   • Avoid spicy foods. A little salt is fine, but you shouldn't eat anything spicy.

3. 

   Eat foods low in fiber. High-fiber foods often produce steam and worsen diarrhea. You should avoid eating fresh fruits and vegetables (except bananas) until your symptoms subside. Whole grains and bran are high-fiber foods.
   • Keep in mind, however, that fiber can help regulate bowel movements in the long run. If you have frequent diarrhea, you should consider adding fiber to your diet to help regulate your body.

4. 

   Stay away from fatty and fatty foods. High-fat foods often make diarrhea and stomach upset worse. Before making a full recovery, you need to avoid red meat, butter, margarine, whole milk products, fried and processed foods, packaged foods, and fast foods.
   • Limit fat to <15 grams per day.

5. 

   Say no to milk. One possible cause of diarrhea, flatulence and bloating is lactose intolerance. If you find that you often get worse or worse diarrhea after drinking milk or eating dairy products, you may have lactose intolerance. Anyway, you should avoid dairy products when you have diarrhea.

6. 

   Avoid caffeine. Caffeine can cause stomach upset and gas production, in addition to causing the body to lose extra water. However, you can still drink coffee, tea and soda if it doesn't contain caffeine.
   • Caffeinated beverages include coffee, tea and some sports drinks. Some foods are also high in caffeine, such as chocolate.

7. 

   Do not drink alcohol. Alcohol often worsens symptoms and can also interact with medications you use to control symptoms. Alcohol also makes you urinate more and contributes to dehydration. You need to stay away from alcohol while you are sick.

8. 

   Don't use fructose and artificial sweeteners. A chemical compound in artificial sweeteners is thought to cause diarrhea or worsen diarrhea. In general, you should avoid food additives, but especially while your digestive system has not yet recovered. There are many brands of artificial sweeteners, such as:
   • Sunett and Sweet One
   • Equal, NutraSweet, and Neotame
   • Sweet’N Low
   • Splenda

9. 

   Try probiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria that benefit the digestive tract. You can find probiotics in products such as raw yeast yogurts and pills that can be found in pharmacies. Probiotics can be helpful in cases of diarrhea caused by antibiotics and some viruses, as they work to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
   • Yogurt containing raw yeast is an exception to the rule of not using milk for diarrhea.
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Method 3 of 3: Treat the cause

1. 

   Watch for viral causes. Most diarrhea is caused by viruses, such as cold viruses and other illnesses. The viral diarrhea usually goes away in 2 days. Watch for it, drink enough fluids, rest, and take over-the-counter diarrhea medicine to ease your symptoms.

2. 

   Get a prescription to treat bacterial infections. Diarrhea caused by water and food contamination is often caused by bacteria, sometimes by parasites. In this case, the doctor may have to prescribe antibiotics or other drugs to treat the infection. If the diarrhea doesn't get better within 2-3 days, you need to see your doctor to determine if the cause of the infection is.
   • Note that antibiotics are only prescribed when a doctor determines that the cause of the diarrhea is bacterial. Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses or other causes, and cause unpleasant side effects or worsen digestive problems if used incorrectly.

3. 

   Talk to your doctor about another medication change. Antibiotics are actually a common cause of diarrhea because they disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut. Cancer medications and antacids that contain magnesium can also cause diarrhea or worsen the condition. If you often experience unexplained diarrhea, ask your doctor about changing your medication. Your doctor may reduce the dosage or switch to another drug.
   • Never stop or change a medication prescribed by your doctor on your own without consulting your doctor. This can have serious health consequences.

4. 

   Treatment of chronic diseases. Certain gastrointestinal diseases can cause chronic or frequent diarrhea, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Celiac disease (gluten intolerance), irritable bowel syndrome, and gallbladder problems. (or after cholecystectomy). You need to work with your doctor to manage potential diseases. Your doctor can refer you to a gastrointestinal and gastric specialist.

5. 

   Limit stress and anxiety. For some people, extreme stress and anxiety can cause an upset stomach. Use regular relaxation techniques during diarrhea to reduce stress and make you feel better. Try meditation or deep breathing. Practice mindfulness regularly, go for outdoor walks, listen to music - doing anything that can help you relax. advertisement

Advice

• Do not prepare food for others when you have diarrhea. Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom, to prevent infection from spreading.
• Drink plenty of water with electrolytes. When you have diarrhea, you not only lose water, but also mineral salts in your body.

Warning

• You should only be on a liquid diet for a few days. Always consult your doctor before changing your diet if you have a medical condition that requires control, such as diabetes.