Treatments for Gastroenteritis

The symptoms of gastroenteritis will usually settle within a couple of days if your immunity is strong. If symptoms are severe and they persist for more than a week, it is advisable to seek medical advice from a doctor. If you are diagnosed with gastroenteritis, your doctor will recommend the following treatment option:

1. Take a lot of fluids

Taking a lot of fluids can help in dealing with dehydration in your body. However, if the symptoms persist, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

To avoid dehydration, always drink at least 200 milliliters of water after an episode of diarrhea or watery stool. If you are based in a country with hot climate, drink an additional 100 milliliters of water after an episode of diarrhea. Moreover, after vomiting, make sure you wait for about 5-10 minutes before drinking water. Again, it is important to drink fluids more slowly. You should even drink more water if you vomit and get dehydrated.

If you are an adult, it is recommended to rely on water to counter dehydration. However, if you should take other rehydration fluids, avoid sugary drinks like soda and pop. They can worsen the condition. It is also important to note that rehydration drinks are ideal for frail, old people, and those with underlying health problems.

Rehydration oral solutions are usually packed in sachets and can be obtained from registered pharmacies. Your doctor can also prescribe sachets for you. The content of the sachets is added to clean water and thoroughly mixed before drinking. The benefits of rehydration drinks include the ability to restore a good balance of water, salts as well as sugar in your body. Regulating the amount of sugar and salts is vital as far as the absorption of water from the gut into your body is concerned. In addition, your doctor can prescribe anti-secretory drugs to counter dehydration. They help in minimizing the amount of water that is released into the gut during diarrhea.

2. Eat normally

Eat small and light meals. It is also advisable to eat slowly if you have been diagnosed with gastroenteritis. Eat according to your appetite. Don’t wait till supper time to take your food. Eat as soon as you can and continue drinking more water. You should also avoid eating fatty, spicy, and heavy meals. Go for foods such as wholemeal bread, rice, and yams instead.

3. Medication

Usually, doctors do not recommend anti-diarrheal medicines. However, if you want to reduce the number of trips to your bathroom, anti-diarrheal medicines can be purchased from a registered pharmacy. Doctors recommend loperamide as the safest and most effective anti-diarrheal drug. With this drug, you are recommended to take 2 capsules first and then 1 capsule after each episode of

With this drug, you are recommended to take 2 capsules first and then 1 capsule after each episode of diarrhea. Make sure to take a maximum of 8 capsules within twenty-four hours. This drug will slow down the intestine’s activity. However, don’t take loperamide for more than 5 days for it can have serious side effects.

Precautions for taking loperamide:

• Never give it to children who are under the age of 12 years.
• Don’t use it if your stool contains blood or mucus.
• Never use this drug if you have high fever.
• Ensure to thoroughly read instructions to make yourself conversant with the instructions, side effects, and instances you shouldn’t use this drug in.