Diarrhoea Online Treatment & Help

If you have diarrhoea, try to limit your diet to:

• High energy foods including fats, cereals and yoghurt. Make sure to limit consumption to small portions. These foods will help you keep your energy levels higher.
• Foods that are rich in potassium such as bananas, lentils, pineapples and mangoes. These will help prevent cramping.

Try to avoid spicy and high fibre food, as they may aggravate the condition. Drink boiled and cooled water. Use rehydration sachets and avoid drinking alcohol to prevent dehydration.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Flushed or red face
• Extreme thirst
• Unable to drink
• Dry mouth and tongue
• Dry and warm skin
• Thick saliva
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Dark, yellow urine
• Cramps
• Irritability and drowsiness
• Feeling unwell
• Headache

If you notice any of these symptoms, make sure to rehydrate using rehydration sachets or drinks rich in electrolytes (sports waters or soup). Dehydration is the main complication that diarrhoea can lead to.

No. Diarrhoea treatment does not cause constipation if used according to the instructions.

You may experience bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting at the same time. These are usually caused by an infection such as the norovirus. If both symptoms persist for a few days, make sure you visit your GP to determine what’s causing them.

Travellers’ diarrhoea affects more than 50% of tourists in the UK. You are at a higher risk of developing travellers’ diarrhoea if you’re travelling to countries such as Africa, Asia, South America or South-East Asia. The symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting.

In nearly a third of all cases, the symptoms are strong enough to confine travellers to the bed. Therefore, it can seriously affect your trip whether it’s a holiday or a business trip.

The most common cause of travellers’ diarrhoea is bacteria and viruses that visitors encounter on their visit to a particular destination. The local drinking water is the most common source of contagion. Therefore, you should avoid drinking tap water and only drink bottled water while travelling.

In nearly 40% of all cases, travellers’ diarrhoea is caused by ETEC or enterotoxin-forming Escherichia coli bacteria.

Some other types of bacteria and parasites that may cause the travellers’ diarrhoea also include:

• Cholera
• Paratyphoid fever
• Clostridia
• Typhoid Fever
• Yersinia
• Shigella
• Amoebae
• Bacillus Cereus
• Giardia Lamblia

The risk of contracting travellers’ diarrhoea is high, as between 30 to 80% of travellers get it during their trip abroad. The risk increases depending on how exotic the destination is, what the climate is and how well-maintained hygiene is at the place of visit. Stomach infections may occur anywhere in the world, so there’s no guarantee you won’t get it in developed areas as well.

A lot of diarrhoea cases will subside on their own in five to eight days with no treatment. However, if you develop any of the following symptoms, make sure you seek immediate medical attention:

• Bloody Diarrhoea
• High Fever
• Green or Yellow Mucus in the stool
• Dehydration

Antibiotics can be used to treat infections caused by bacteria. They are very effective in treating traveller’s diarrhoea.

If you are going to travel abroad, you should take an antibiotic such as azithromycin in case you suffer from travellers diarrhoea.

However, using antibiotics to treat traveller’s diarrhoea is “off-label”, meaning it is not the treatment’s primary use. However, doctors often prescribe treatments “off-label” when their efficiency has been proven through use and studies and based on updated evidence and information.