Diarrhea

Occasional diarrhea isn’t uncommon. It’s usually harmless and doesn’t mean something is wrong. But there are signs to look for that could indicate a problem. These include:

• Diarrhea that lasts more than three days
• Black, tarry stools
• Blood in your stool
• Severe abdominal pain
• Signs of dehydration (very dry mouth or skin, fatigue, decreased urination, confusion, or irritability)

Patient info and self-care advice:

If you have diarrhea WITH vomiting...

Settle your stomach before tending to the diarrhea. When these symptoms are happening at the same time, you should be especially aware of the risk of dehydration. If you can’t keep any liquids down and have not urinated for more than eight hours, you should seek medical attention.

What can I eat?

Once you’ve stopped vomiting for at least six hours and are holding down fluids, you should start out slowly by trying to eat bland foods such as the “BRATS” diet:

• Bananas, bread (to help replace potassium)
• Rice, rice-based cereal
• Apples, applesauce (unlike apple juice, these have pectin which can also thicken bowel movements)
• Toast (no butter, a small amount of jam/jelly is ok)
• Saltines or other crackers (to help replace lost sodium)

If you have diarrhea WITHOUT vomiting...  

You may not have to change your diet very much. Drink plenty of fluids (water, sports drinks, or very diluted juices) to keep hydrated. Stay away from greasy and spicy foods, full-strength juices (the sugars make diarrhea worse), and other foods or drinks that you remember have made previous episodes of diarrhea worse.

What about diarrhea medicine?

There are non-prescription products, such as Imodium AD, Pepto-Bismol, and Kaopectate that can decrease the frequency or increase the consistency of bowel movements. If you use this sort of preparation, always follow the package instructions.

Note: some of these products can make stools dark black and cause the tongue to turn black. This is a normal response to the medication and not something to be concerned about.