Diarrhea- Home Suggestions
If this is a prescription medicine you should call your nurse/doctor. If this is a non-prescription medicine you should stop it and see if the diarrhea stops. After these measures, try some of the Home Suggestions.
Symptoms of dehydration:
1. You have not urinated for 8 to 10 hours.
2. You do not sweat when you are hot.
3. You have a very dry mouth and an intense thirst.
4. You feel dizzy when you stand up.
5. Confusion, fever, general weakness.
Home Suggestions
1. It is a good idea to reduce the amount of fibre, caffeine, spicy food and alcohol in your diet for a few days until your condition improves. Otherwise, it is perfectly all right to eat your normal diet, so long as you feel well doing so. Dont eat things that seem to make the diarrhea worse, but there is no diet advice that will work for all people. It is important to drink some extra fluids. If solid food causes more diarrhea, take more fluids instead.
2. While you have diarrhea, dont eat candy or artificially sweetened foods. Drink fewer citrus juices and apple juice; these can make the diarrhea worse. Grape and pineapple juices often satisfy a taste for a fruit juice without causing more trouble. Milk products should be avoided until your condition improves. If there is an increase in the diarrhea when you start eating milk products again, then stop until the diarrhea has completely resolved.
3. A new prescription medication can have an effect on your bowels. Antibiotics are often the cause of diarrhea. Try to avoid products that contain magnesium (this includes many antacids). If you have been using a new non-prescription or over- the-counter product of any kind consider stopping it to see if this helps. Frequently a change in your stools caused by a medication only lasts a short time and will correct itself within a few days even if the medication is continued. If the diarrhea is not severe and appears to be as a result of a new medication, you might consider watching the symptom for a few days before seeing your nurse/doctor.
4. You can avoid becoming dehydrated by drinking lots of liquids such as water, fruit juices (grape or pineapple) or clear soup. Although they dont taste very good, oral rehydration drinks, such as Pedialyte or Gastrolyte, are very helpful in supplying the fluid and salts you need. These products can be mixed with sugarfree Kool-Aid to improve their taste. In general, we suggest you start by drinking fluids that you like. If diarrhea becomes severe or prolonged we advise a switch to rehydration drinks.
5 Loperimide (Imodium) is a non-prescription or over-the-counter medication that can slow diarrhea. If you need to leave the house this can be useful. However, it will not speed your recovery. It should not be used if you see blood in the stool or if you have high fever (39C rectal or 38.5C oral), severe pain, nausea or vomiting/throwing up. Other medicines used for diarrhea include kaolin and pectin (Kaopectate and others), Wild Strawberry and bismuth salts, such as Peptobismol. Serious diarrhea will not respond to these products. Peptobismol should not be given to anyone under 20 years of age when they have a viral illness.
Administer some of these Home Suggestions, and then proceed with the tool below.
Have the symptoms lasted for more than 7 days without improvement?
