Font Size

Diarrhea (cont.)

Medical Treatment

To replace fluids, the health care practitioner will often start an IV line if the patient is dehydrated and cannot eat or drink. Salt solutions flow through the IV, which replaces the lost fluids and salts, often brings quick relief.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are not effective for cases of diarrhea caused by viruses. Even the more severe diarrhea caused by bacteria will usually go away in a few days without antibiotics. In fact, antibiotics appear to make some bacterial diarrhea worse, specifically those caused by the E coli bacterium (often a source of food poisoning).

Antibiotics may benefit some adults with diarrhea. If selected carefully, antibiotics may decrease the severity of illness and shorten the duration of symptoms. If a person has recently traveled to another country or have been camping (and may have been exposed to contaminated water in the wilderness), a health care practitioner may prescribe specific medication used to treat traveler's diarrhea for certain intestinal parasites.

Over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications

The health care practitioner may recommend using over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications. These drugs, such as loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, etc.) may help some individuals with diarrhea, but should be avoided by others. Antidiarrheal medications are not usually recommended for infants and children with diarrhea.

Hospitalization

If a person has severe diarrhea, especially if they are dehydrated, he or she may require hospitalization to receive IV fluids and to be observed.