Diarrhea
Adults and Teens
Infants and Children
Diarrhea is usually caused by a virus or bacteria, but it can also be caused by parasites, bowel diseases, foods, and medications. Usually, diarrhea will go away on its own, but prolonged diarrhea may be a sign of a more serious condition.
Can I treat this at home or do I need a doctor?
Your child should see a doctor right away for diarrhea if he or she:
- is less than 6 months of age
- has had more than 8 bowel movements in 8 hours
- has diarrhea that lasts for more than 2 days
- has symptoms of dehydration:
- dry mouth, tongue, and skin
- no tears when crying
- sunken eyes
- decreased urination (less than 4 wet diapers in 24 hours)
- sunken fontanelle (soft spot at the top of the head)
- no urination in the last 8 hours
- less frequent urination
- irritability, listlessness, low energy, or will not calm or stop crying when you soothe him or her
- decreased skin turgor (when you pinch and release the skin, the skin flattens slowly)
- has blood, pus, or mucus in the stool, or the stool is black
- has abdominal pain that is getting worse
- has a temperature higher than 38.5°C
- has been vomiting for more than 4 to 6 hours
- has recently started a new medication or had a change in dose of an existing medication
Home treatment
Non-medication treatments
The most important treatment is to make sure that your child has enough fluid to replace what is lost through the bowel movements.
- Continue to breast-feed (if you are breast-feeding).
- Offer breast-feeding more often. There is no need to stop breast-feeding while your child has diarrhea.
- Offer oral rehydration solution (ORS; see below) if your child is not urinating as much as usual or has less wet diapers than usual.
- Stop formula-feeding for 4 hours (if you are bottle-feeding).
- During those 4 hours, give at least 125 mL (4 oz) of oral rehydration solution (ORS; see below) every hour.
- After the 4 hours, you can restart bottle-feeding as you normally do.
- You can try temporarily using soy-based formula rather than milk-based formula during your child's diarrhea episode, because milk has lactose that can bother your child's stomach even if he or she was able to drink milk without any problems before.
- If your child can eat solid food, try mashed banana, rice cereal, bread, applesauce, mashed carrots, or mashed potatoes.
- Try oral rehydration solution (ORS) (e.g., Pedialyte®, Enfalyte®, and others).
- ORSes are available in any pharmacy without a prescription and they come as liquid or powder. If you use the powder, you will need to follow the instructions on the package precisely to mix with the right amount of water before use. The liquid form is premixed and ready to use. Talk to your pharmacist about which ORS is right for your child.
- If your child is vomiting as well, give smaller amounts but more frequently
- Offer fluids to your child more often than you normally would and give more than you usually do.
- Once the diarrhea slows down, you can give less ORS and go back to the usual amount of fluids that you normally give your child.
- Check what you eat if you are breast-feeding.
- Some of what you eat is passed into the breast milk and can upset your child's stomach.
- You can try cutting out foods like caffeine, cola, spicy foods, and herbal teas.
Over-the-counter medications
There is no need to use anti-diarrhea medication unless directed by your doctor.
- Over-the- counter medications for children (under 12 years old) include bismuth subsalicylate* (Pepto-Bismol®) and attapulgite (Kaopectate®).
- Talk to a health care professional before giving these products to your child.
- If diarrhea is caused by an infectious agent (e.g., bacteria), stopping the diarrhea with antidiarrheal medications may make things worse.
What not to do
Here are some of the things you shouldn't do and why:
- Don't stop feeding your child. This doesn't stop the diarrhea, and can deprive your child of the nutrition and liquid that he or she needs.
- Don't use plain water or soft drinks for rehydration. They don't have the right amount of salt and sugar to replace what is lost from the watery stool.
- Don't use your own recipe for making ORS. The recipe may not have the right amount of salt and sugar to replace what is lost from the watery stool.
- Don't give sweetened liquid or fruit juice. The sugar in these drinks can draw water into your child's bowels and make the diarrhea worse.
- Don't dilute baby formula more than you normally do. This doesn't help stop the diarrhea, and may deprive your child of needed nutrition.
* All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For information on a given medication, check our Drug Information database. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
What to expect
The diarrhea should slow down and your child should feel better in 1 to 2 days.
You should bring your child to see a doctor if:
- the diarrhea lasts for more than 3 days
- he or she is feeling worse or the diarrhea is becoming more frequent
- there is blood, mucus, or pus in the stool, or the stool is green
- he or she has any of the signs and symptoms listed previously
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