Antibiotics or anti-parasitics Antibiotics or anti-parasitic medications might help treat diarrhea caused by bacteria or parasites.
Diarrhea treatment depends on the underlying cause. For bacterial and parasitic infections, your doctor will prescribe anti-infective medicines, such as antibiotics. Preventing dehydration is the main focus of viral diarrhea treatment. This means replacing electrolytes and drinking plenty of fluids.
Clinical experience suggests that opioids and opioid agonists are the most effective prescription medications for treatment of chronic diarrhea. Loperamide (Immodium) is a peripherally acting opioid that is recommended as first line therapy.
The antidiarrheal agents loperamide hydrochloride (Imodium) and diphenoxylate and atropine sulfate (Lomotil ) remain the mainstays of drug treatment for fecal incontinence, although other drug treatments have been proposed.
Since diarrhea is your body's way of getting rid of toxins, it is best to let it run its course. However, you may use over-the-counter antidiarrheal remedies for convenience, including: Attapulgite (Kaopectate) Loperamide (Imodium)
Common medications for diarrhea include loperamide and bismuth subsalicylate.
The most common cause of diarrhea is the stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis). This mild viral infection most often goes away on its own within a few days. Eating or drinking food or water that contains certain types of bacteria or parasites can also lead to diarrhea. This problem may be called food poisoning.
Watery diarrhea means that you have liquid stools. Common causes include viral infections, such as norovirus, and bacterial infections, such as Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). Medical conditions like celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also may cause it.
For bacterial and parasitic infections, our doctors may recommend anti-infective medicines. For viral diarrhea, treatment focuses on preventing dehydration, until the virus is cleared from the body by the immune system. Your doctor may also prescribe antidiarrheal medicines for viral diarrhea.
Schedule a doctor's visit for an adult with these symptoms:
Diarrhea lasts more than two days without improvement. Excessive thirst, dry mouth or skin, little or no urination, severe weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness, or dark-colored urine, which could indicate dehydration. Severe abdominal or rectal pain.
Diarrhea is a common problem. It may last 1 or 2 days and goes away on its own. If diarrhea lasts more than 2 days it may mean you have a more serious problem.
Unless recommended otherwise by your doctor, you should stop taking Imodium as soon as your diarrhea resolves. But if your diarrhea doesn't get better within 2 days of starting Imodium, see your doctor. And don't take Imodium for longer than 48 hours unless directed by your doctor.
Diarrhea Causes
Allergies to certain foods. Diseases of the intestines (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) Eating foods that upset the digestive system. Infection by bacteria (the cause of most types of food poisoning) or other organisms.
Bland, starchy, low-fiber foods like those included in the BRAT diet (bananas, bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) are binding, which can bulk stool and help you get rid of diarrhea fast. You can also try probiotics, glutamine supplements, or home remedies like herbal teas and rice water.
Bananas. Starch in the fruit can help absorb water in your colon, which works to firm up your stool. Plus, it's rich in potassium, a key electrolyte you're losing with diarrhea.
Drink at least 1 cup (240 milliliters) of liquid every time you have a loose bowel movement. Eat small meals throughout the day, instead of 3 big meals. Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels, soup, and sports drinks. Eat some high potassium foods, such as bananas, potatoes without the skin, and fruit juices.
Causes of diarrhea that are not due to acute illness include eating certain foods, food allergies and intolerances, some medications, caffeine intake, laxative use, alcohol use, digestive problems and diseases (celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, small intestinal ...
Severe diarrhea means having more than 10 loose, watery stools in a single day (24 hours). Moderate diarrhea means having more than a few but not more than 10 diarrhea stools in a day. Mild diarrhea means having a few diarrhea stools in a day.
How is bacterial gastroenteritis diagnosed? Your healthcare provider will do an exam and ask about your health history. Your healthcare provider will likely ask for a stool sample to find the source of your illness and whether it's bacterial or viral. You may need blood tests to find out how severe the illness is.
In most cases, you can treat your acute diarrhea with over-the-counter medicines such as loperamide link (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate link (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate).
Octreotide injection is used to treat severe diarrhea and other symptoms that occur with certain intestinal tumors (eg, vasoactive intestinal peptide tumors or VIPomas) or metastatic carcinoid tumors (tumors that has already spread in the body).