Gastroenteritis and food poisoning usually resolve without any medical intervention. Treatment is focused on reducing the symptoms and preventing complications, especially dehydration.
The main treatment and prevention strategy for food poisoning is to rest and replace lost fluids and electrolytes by:
- drinking plenty of liquids (preferably with oral rehydration salts to replace lost electrolytes — see below)
- ensuring fluid intake even if vomiting persists, by sipping small amounts of water or allowing ice cubes to melt in the mouth
- gradually starting to eat again
What should a person eat?
There are no specific restrictions on food, but blander foods might be easier to digest. These can include:
- cereal
- rice
- toast
- bananas
A person may want to avoid fatty, sugary, or spicy foods, as well as dairy products, caffeine, and alcohol, as these may worsen symptoms.
How to prevent dehydration?
To avoid the dangerous and potentially fatal effects of dehydration from diarrhea, a person should drink oral rehydration salts (ORS).
Research shows that using ORS has prevented more than 50 million deaths from diarrhea around the world since 2007. Since 1980 this use reduced the mortality from diarrhea in children under the age of 5 by about two-thirds.
Dehydration has been a more significant risk in low or middle-income countries. In higher-income countries, while the threat of death is smaller, rehydration is nonetheless important.
A person can replace salt, glucose, and minerals lost through dehydration through sachets of oral rehydration salts available from pharmacies and online. A person can dissolve the salts in drinking water and this does not require a doctor’s prescription.
It is important to get the right concentration, as too much sugar can make diarrhea worse, while too much salt can be extremely harmful, especially for children. A more diluted solution (for instance using more than 1 liter of water), is preferable to a more concentrated solution.
Store-bought products like Pedialyte and Gatorade also help restore electrolytes and increase hydration.
Drug treatments for gastroenteritis
Drugs are available to reduce the main symptoms of gastroenteritis, which are diarrhea and vomiting:
- antidiarrheal medication such as loperamide (branded versions include Imodium, and Imotil, among others) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
- antiemetic (anti-vomiting) medication such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and metoclopramide (Reglan and Metozolv)
- antiparasitic medications such as Metronidazole (Flagyl) or Ivermectin (Stromectol). (The exact medication will depend on the type of parasite.)
Antidiarrheals are available over-the-counter, while antiemetics are available via a prescription.
A person should speak with a doctor before taking anti-diarrhea medication as some infections may get worse with anti-diarrhea medicines.
If a person’s stomach flu is caused by bacteria, they may also need to take antibiotics.
Probiotics and gastroenteritis
Probiotics (live “good” bacteria and yeasts) may also be helpful in treating gastroenteritis, according to some newer research. One study found that the use of probiotics in children hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis shortened the duration of diarrhea by a mean of 1.16 days.
Specifically, there is some evidence to support the use of the following strains of beneficial bacteria in the treatment of gastroenteritis in children, alongside the use of oral rehydration solutions without dietary restriction:
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
- Saccharomyces boulardii
This is a new area of study, so there may be more research about using probiotics to treat gastroenteritis in the future.