Most cases of diarrhea resolve on their own within a few days, and the single most important thing you can do is replace the fluids you’re losing. Beyond that, a few simple dietary adjustments, avoiding certain triggers, and knowing when the situation is more serious will get you through it faster and more comfortably.
Start Replacing Fluids Immediately
Diarrhea pulls water and essential minerals out of your body quickly. Even mild dehydration can leave you feeling dizzy, exhausted, and headachy, and in young children or older adults it can become dangerous fast. Your priority from the first loose stool is to drink more than you normally would.
Water alone isn’t ideal because it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. Oral rehydration solutions, available at any pharmacy, contain the right balance of salt, sugar, and water to help your intestines absorb fluid efficiently. Adults with vomiting or diarrhea should aim for about 3 liters of oral rehydration solution per day. Children need roughly 1 liter per day, and babies and toddlers about half a liter. If you don’t have a commercial product on hand, broth, diluted juice, and coconut water can help bridge the gap, though they aren’t a perfect substitute.
Sip steadily rather than gulping large amounts at once, especially if you’re also nauseous. Small, frequent sips are less likely to trigger vomiting.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s a reasonable starting point for the first day or two because those foods are bland and unlikely to irritate your gut. But there’s no clinical evidence that restricting yourself to only those four foods speeds recovery, and doing so for more than a day or two can leave you short on the protein and nutrients your body needs to heal.
Once your stomach starts to settle, broaden your choices. Cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, butternut or pumpkin squash, avocado, eggs, skinless chicken or turkey, and fish are all easy to digest while delivering more nutritional value than plain toast. The goal is bland, soft, and nutrient-dense.
Equally important is knowing what makes things worse. Several common foods and drinks actively draw extra water into your intestines or speed up gut contractions:
- Caffeine. More than two or three cups of coffee or tea daily can act as a laxative. Cut back until you’ve recovered.
- Alcohol. Beer and wine in particular can trigger loose stools.
- Dairy. Lactose, the sugar in cow’s milk, is a frequent cause of diarrhea, especially when your gut is already inflamed. Avoid milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses temporarily.
- Fructose in large amounts. Fruit juice, honey, soft drinks, and large servings of fruit can overwhelm your intestines’ ability to absorb this sugar.
- Sugar alcohols. Sorbitol and mannitol, found in sugar-free gum, diet candies, and some “low-calorie” sweeteners, are known laxatives even in healthy people.
- Greasy or spicy foods. These stimulate your digestive tract and can worsen cramping.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Two widely available options can reduce the frequency of loose stools. Loperamide (the active ingredient in Imodil) slows the movement of your intestines, giving them more time to absorb water. For adults using the tablet form, the maximum is 4 tablets (8 mg) in 24 hours. Children aged 6 to 8 should take no more than 2 tablets per day, and children 9 to 11 no more than 3. It should never be given to children under 2.
Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) coats the lining of your stomach and intestines and can reduce both diarrhea and nausea. It’s a reasonable choice for mild symptoms.
Neither medication should be used if you have a fever, bloody stools, or signs of a more serious bacterial infection. In those situations, slowing your gut down can actually trap the pathogen inside longer.
Probiotics May Shorten Recovery
Certain probiotic strains have decent evidence behind them for acute diarrhea. A yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii has been the most studied. A meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology found it reduced the duration of diarrhea by roughly 1 to 2 days compared to standard care alone. Another well-studied strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, is also recommended by European pediatric guidelines for shortening diarrhea episodes.
Look for these specific strain names on the label rather than a generic “probiotic blend.” They’re available as capsules or powders at most pharmacies and don’t require a prescription.
Traveler’s Diarrhea Needs a Different Approach
If your diarrhea started during or shortly after international travel, the cause is often bacterial rather than viral, and the treatment strategy shifts. The CDC classifies traveler’s diarrhea into three tiers. Mild cases that don’t interfere with your plans can be managed with loperamide or bismuth subsalicylate alone, no antibiotics needed. Moderate cases that disrupt your activities may benefit from an antibiotic. Severe or incapacitating diarrhea, and any episode involving bloody stools or high fever, calls for antibiotic treatment.
Many travel medicine providers prescribe a standby antibiotic before your trip so you can self-treat if needed. If you’re traveling to a region with known antibiotic-resistant bacteria (particularly Southeast Asia), your provider will likely choose a specific antibiotic suited to that resistance pattern. This is worth discussing before you leave, not after you’re already sick in a remote area.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most diarrhea is unpleasant but harmless. A few specific warning signs mean you should contact a healthcare provider rather than waiting it out:
- Duration. Diarrhea lasting more than 2 days in adults, or more than 24 hours in children.
- Fever. A temperature of 102°F (38.9°C) or higher.
- Blood or pus in your stool.
- Black, tarry stools, which can indicate bleeding higher in the digestive tract.
- Signs of significant dehydration, including very dark urine, dizziness when standing, or producing very little urine.
Dehydration Warning Signs in Children
Children, especially infants, dehydrate faster than adults and can’t always tell you how they feel. Mild to moderate dehydration shows up as fewer wet diapers (under six per day for infants), fewer tears when crying, and a dry-looking mouth. Severe dehydration causes wrinkled skin, only one or two wet diapers in an entire day, and unusual sleepiness or irritability. If you notice these signs progressing, your child needs medical evaluation promptly rather than more time on home remedies.