Most cases of diarrhea stop on their own within one to two days without any treatment. The fastest way to feel better is to stay hydrated, avoid foods that make it worse, and let your gut recover. For episodes that linger or feel more severe, a few targeted strategies can shorten the course and prevent complications.
Hydration Comes First
Diarrhea pulls water and electrolytes out of your body fast. Replacing those losses is more important than stopping the diarrhea itself. Water alone helps, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. Oral rehydration solutions, which you can buy at any pharmacy, contain the right balance of salts and sugars to help your intestines absorb fluid efficiently. Sports drinks are a decent backup, though they tend to have more sugar than ideal.
Sip steadily rather than gulping large amounts at once, especially if you’re also nauseous. If you’re vomiting, take very small sips (about a teaspoon at a time, every minute or so) and gradually increase as your stomach settles. Signs you’re falling behind on fluids include dark urine, dry mouth, dizziness, and unusual thirst.
Foods That Help and Foods That Don’t
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). It used to be standard advice, but it’s no longer recommended as a strict regimen. It lacks the protein, fat, and micronutrients your body needs to recover, and sticking to it for more than 24 hours can actually slow healing. The current guidance is simpler: eat as soon as you feel able to, and choose soft, bland foods at first.
Good early options include plain rice, boiled potatoes, chicken soup, oatmeal, crackers, and lean proteins like baked chicken. As your appetite returns, expand your diet back to normal. Your gut heals faster when it has real nutrition to work with.
What you avoid matters just as much. These categories tend to make diarrhea worse:
- Caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks) stimulates your intestines and speeds transit
- Alcohol irritates the gut lining and worsens dehydration
- High-fat foods like fried foods, pizza, and fast food are harder to digest
- Foods and drinks high in simple sugars, including fruit juice, candy, and sweetened beverages, which can pull more water into the intestines
- Sugar alcohols found in sugar-free gum and candy (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol) have a well-known laxative effect
- Dairy products containing lactose, since your ability to digest lactose can be temporarily impaired for up to a month after a bout of diarrhea
Over-the-Counter Medications
Loperamide (the active ingredient in Imodium) slows gut motility and can reduce the number of bathroom trips. It works well for mild to moderate diarrhea in adults and is fine for short-term use. Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is another option that can reduce stool frequency and help with nausea.
Neither of these treats the underlying cause. They manage symptoms while your body fights off the infection or irritant. Avoid loperamide if you have a high fever or bloody stools, as those signs suggest a bacterial infection where slowing the gut could do more harm than good.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Probiotics aren’t a miracle fix, but the evidence for them is real. A large Cochrane review found that probiotics reduced the average duration of diarrhea by about 30 hours and cut the likelihood of diarrhea lasting three or more days by roughly a third. Two strains have the strongest track record: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Lactobacillus GG appears especially effective against rotavirus, the most common cause of viral diarrhea in children, reducing duration by about 38 hours in that group.
You can find both strains in capsule or powder form at most pharmacies. Start taking them early in the illness for the best effect. They’re generally safe for adults and children, though people with severely weakened immune systems should check with a doctor first.
Traveler’s Diarrhea
If your diarrhea started during or shortly after international travel, the approach is similar: fluids first, bland food, and symptom relief with loperamide if needed. Oral rehydration solutions are widely available in pharmacies across developing countries.
Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for traveler’s diarrhea but are generally reserved for severe cases, meaning you can’t keep up with fluid losses, you have a high fever, or you see blood in your stool. If severe diarrhea develops after you return home, stool testing can identify the specific pathogen and guide treatment.
Diarrhea in Babies and Young Children
Children get dehydrated faster than adults, so fluid replacement is even more critical. Breastfed infants should continue nursing on demand. For formula-fed babies, use full-strength lactose-free or lactose-reduced formula right away. If those aren’t available, regular formula is fine, but watch for signs that lactose is making things worse (increased watery stool, more gas). If that happens, temporarily switching to a lactose-free option helps.
For toddlers and older children who are vomiting, give fluids in tiny amounts: about a teaspoon per minute by spoon or syringe, increasing gradually as they tolerate it. Oral rehydration solutions designed for children (like Pedialyte) are better than juice or soda, which contain too much sugar and can worsen diarrhea.
In parts of the world where zinc deficiency is common, the World Health Organization recommends zinc supplementation (20 mg daily for 10 to 14 days, or 10 mg daily for infants under six months) to reduce the severity and duration of episodes.
Warning Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most diarrhea resolves without a doctor visit, but certain symptoms change the equation. For adults, get medical attention if diarrhea persists beyond two days without improvement, your stools are bloody or black, you develop a fever above 102°F (39°C), or you notice signs of dehydration that aren’t improving with oral fluids.
For children, the timeline is tighter. Seek care if diarrhea hasn’t improved within 24 hours, your child has no wet diaper for three or more hours, has a fever above 102°F, shows bloody or black stools, or displays signs of dehydration like a dry mouth, no tears when crying, sunken eyes, or unusual sleepiness. Skin that stays “tented” when you gently pinch and release it is another reliable sign of significant dehydration in children.