Symptoms

The symptoms you can experience when you have diarrhea can vary depending on if it’s mild or severe and what the cause of the diarrhea happens to be. There’s a link between severe cases of diarrhea and a medical condition that needs to be treated.

When you have diarrhea, you may experience all of these symptoms or only a few. The main symptom of diarrhea is loose or watery stool.

Other symptoms of mild diarrhea can include:

• Bloating or cramps in the abdomen.
• A strong and urgent need to have a bowel movement.
• Nausea (upset stomach).

If you have severe diarrhea, you may experience symptoms like:

• Fever.
• Weight loss.
• Dehydration.
• Severe pain.
• Vomiting.
• Blood.

Severe diarrhea can lead to significant complications. If you have these symptoms, call your healthcare provider and seek medical attention.

Causes

The cause of most self-limited diarrhea is generally not identified. The most common cause of diarrhea is a virus that infects your bowel (“viral gastroenteritis”). The infection usually lasts a couple of days and is sometimes called “intestinal flu.”

Other possible causes of diarrhea can include:

• Infection by bacteria.
• Infections by other organisms and pre-formed toxins
• Eating foods that upset the digestive system.
• Allergies and intolerances to certain foods (Celiac disease or lactose intolerance).
• Medications.
• Radiation therapy.
• Malabsorption of food (poor absorption).

Treatments

In most cases, you can treat mild and uncomplicated diarrhea at home. By using an over-the-counter product like bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol® or Kaopectate®) you’ll usually feel better very quickly.

However, over-the-counter medications aren’t always the solution. If your diarrhea is caused by an infection or parasite, you’ll need to see a healthcare provider for treatment. A general rule is not to use over-the-counter medications for diarrhea if you also have a fever or blood in your stool. In those cases, call your healthcare provider.

When diarrhea lasts for a long period of time (several weeks), your healthcare provider will base your treatment on the cause. This could involve a few different treatment options, including:

Antibiotics: Your healthcare provider might prescribe an antibiotic or other medication to treat an infection or parasite that’s causing the diarrhea.

Medication for a specific condition: Diarrhea can be a sign of several other medical conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis, or bacterial overgrowth. Once the cause of the diarrhea is identified, diarrhea can usually be managed.

Probiotics: Groupings of good bacteria, probiotics are sometimes used to re-establish a healthy biome to combat diarrhea. Introducing probiotics can be helpful in some cases and some healthcare providers feel that it’s worth a try. Always talk to your provider before starting a probiotic or any kind of supplement.When you have an acute case of diarrhea, you can often take care of it without needing any medication.

Several things you can do to care for diarrhea include:

Drinking plenty of water and other electrolyte balanced fluids (like diluted and pulp-free fruit juices, broths, sports drinks (Gatorade®) and caffeine-free sodas). Make sure to hydrate throughout day. Your body loses water each time you have diarrhea. By drinking plenty of extra fluids, you are protecting your body from dehydration.

Changing your diet. Instead of picking greasy, fatty or fried foods, go for the BRAT diet:
B: Bananas.
R: Rice (white rice).
A: Applesauce.
T: Toast (white bread).

Cutting back on caffeine. Foods and drinks that have caffeine can have a mild laxative effect, which can make your diarrhea worse. Foods and drinks with caffeine include coffee, diet sodas, strong tea/green tea, and even chocolate. Avoiding foods and drinks that give you gas. If you experience cramping in your stomach with diarrhea, it could help to cut back on things that cause gas. These can include beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beer and carbonated beverages.

Sometimes, diarrhea can also make you lactose intolerant. This is usually temporary and it means that you need to avoid items with lactose (dairy products) until your diarrhea is gone.

Are there any foods that can help my diarrhea go away?

You actually can help your diarrhea by changing your diet. Certain low-fiber foods can help make your stool more solid.

If you have diarrhea, try adding these foods into your diet:

• Potatoes.
• Rice (white).
• Noodles.
• Bananas.
• Applesauce.
• White bread.
• Chicken or turkey without the skin.
• Lean ground beef.
• Fish.