Patient information from BMJLast published: Jan 04, 2017
Diarrhea in adultsDiarrhea often clears up on its own after a few days.You can also take medicationto speed up recovery. If you feel very ill you may need to see a doctor.
This information looks at diarrhea in adults. Some of the treatments we talk aboutaren't recommended for children.
What is diarrhea?
If you have diarrhea, you have loose, watery stools or you need to go to the bathrooma lot more often than normal.
This information looks at diarrhea that's caused by an infection with a virus or bacteria.You can pick these up from contaminated food or drink.You can also catch an infectionthat can cause diarrhea from another person who has it. This happens when you touchsomething that's contaminated with traces of their stool (for example, the person's hand)and then put your hand to your mouth (for example, when you eat).
People often get diarrhea when they're traveling in other countries (travelers' diarrhea).It's a good idea to pack diarrhea medication whenever you go on vacation.
What are the symptoms?
As well as watery stools, you may also get vomiting or stomach cramps. Because youlose water in your stools, having diarrhea means your body may lose too much fluid (youget dehydrated). This makes you feel thirsty, and you might have dark-colored urine, orfeel sleepy.
If your diarrhea doesn't clear up in a few days you should see a doctor.You should alsosee a doctor if:
If you're too ill to eat or drink, see a doctor as soon as you can.
What treatments work?
Prevention
You can help prevent diarrhea by washing your hands after using the bathroom, beforepreparing food, and before eating. There are other precautions you can take whentraveling abroad, especially in countries where tap water might not be safe to drink.Whentraveling in these countries you should only drink water that is bottled and properly sealed.Avoid eating or drinking:
• ice and tap water
• salads, previously peeled fruits, and raw foods
• unpackaged condiments and sauces
• food from street vendors and buffets.
Taking care of yourself
Some people prefer to eat simple foods, like bread, if they have diarrhea. But we don'tknow if being careful about what you eat helps you get better any faster. The mostimportant thing is to have plenty to drink. Water or soft drinks are fine, but it's best toavoid beverages that contain caffeine.
You can also go to a drugstore or supermarket and buy rehydration fluids. They aredesigned to replace fluids and mineral salts your body may have lost. But, for peoplewith mild dehydration, there hasn't been enough good research to tell us whether they'rebetter for rehydration than water or soft drinks.
Medications
There are two main types of medication that can help if you have diarrhea: antibiotics tofight bacterial infection and drugs that slow down your bowel movements.
Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria. But not all diarrhea is caused by bacteria, soantibiotics aren't the right treatment for everyone.Your doctor may do tests to see whatkind of diarrhea you have.
Research has found that antibiotics can help you recover more quickly from diarrheacaused by bacteria. They can also help with a fever.
However, antibiotics have side effects. Some of the side effects may be similar to thesymptoms you want treated, such as nausea, a stomach ache, or diarrhea. But theseside effects aren't usually serious enough for people to stop taking their antibiotics.
Some medications help to deal with diarrhea by slowing down your bowel movements.They include loperamide (brand name Imodium) and diphenoxylate (Lofene, Logen,Lomotil).You can buy loperamide from a drugstore.
Research has found that loperamide helps some people recover from diarrhea morequickly. There is also some evidence that diphenoxylate can reduce how often you needto go to the bathroom, although it may not help you recover any quicker overall.
Some people might benefit from taking loperamide along with an antibiotic.
But loperamide can cause side effects, including constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, ora dry mouth.
If you take diphenoxylate regularly, it can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms whenyou stop taking it.
You shouldn't take loperamide or diphenoxylate if you have a fever, or if there's bloodor mucus in your stools. If you have these symptoms, see a doctor.
A chemical called bismuth is sometimes used to treat diarrhea. The brand name isPepto-Bismol.You can buy it from a drugstore. Bismuth is designed to coat the insideof your bowels and kill bacteria. Some research has found that people who get diarrheawhen traveling got better faster when they took bismuth. But you have to take a lot ofthis for it to help. And it doesn't work as well as loperamide.
There's a small chance that bismuth will cause your tongue to turn dark or black, or youmay get black stools. These side effects go away when you stop taking the drug. Don'ttake bismuth if you're allergic to aspirin or if you're pregnant.
There is some evidence that probiotics might help travelers' diarrhea clear up faster.Probiotics are usually sold as drinks in supermarkets and drugstores.They contain "good"bacteria or yeasts that are supposed to help restore a healthy balance in your bowels.It's not really clear how well they work, but they are unlikely to do any harm.
What will happen to me?
Diarrhea isn't usually serious. Most people get better on their own without any problems.
The main risk is losing too much water (getting dehydrated). So it's important to drinkplenty of fluids, especially if you're elderly. Drinking often, in small sips, may help.Occasionally, people who get very dehydrated need to go to the hospital.
This information is aimed at a US patient audience. This information however does not replace medical advice.If you have a medical problem please see your doctor. Please see our full Conditions of Use for this content. Theseleaflets are reviewed annually.
