There is no cure for the stomach flu. Viral gastroenteritis has to run its course, and no medication, supplement, or home remedy will kill the virus causing it. The good news: most people with norovirus, the most common cause, feel better within one to two days. Rotavirus tends to last longer, typically three to eight days. What you can do in the meantime is manage your symptoms, prevent dehydration, and avoid spreading the virus to others.
Why Antibiotics and Antivirals Won’t Help
The stomach flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics do nothing for it. There’s also no antiviral medication approved to treat norovirus or rotavirus. Your immune system handles the infection on its own. The focus of treatment is entirely on keeping yourself comfortable and hydrated while your body does the work.
Fluids Are the Most Important Treatment
Dehydration is the real danger with stomach flu, especially for young children and older adults. Vomiting and diarrhea drain water and electrolytes fast, and replacing them is the single most important thing you can do.
Take small, frequent sips rather than gulping large amounts at once. Water is fine, but oral rehydration solutions (like Pedialyte or store-brand equivalents) replace both fluid and electrolytes more effectively. Broth, diluted juice, and sports drinks can also help. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which pull more water out of your system. If you can’t keep anything down for more than a few sips at a time, try sucking on ice chips and working up from there.
For infants, continue breastfeeding or formula feeding. Watch for signs of dehydration: no wet diapers for three hours, a dry mouth, or crying without tears. In adults, warning signs include urinating much less than usual, dizziness, and skin that doesn’t flatten back right away after being pinched.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Adults can use loperamide (Imodium) to slow diarrhea or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) to ease nausea and loose stools. These won’t shorten the illness, but they can make the worst hours more bearable. Do not give either of these to children without talking to a doctor first, as they can be unsafe for young kids.
There’s one important exception: if you have bloody diarrhea or a fever, skip the anti-diarrheal medications entirely. Those symptoms can signal a bacterial or parasitic infection rather than a simple virus, and anti-diarrheal drugs can make bacterial infections worse by trapping the pathogen in your gut.
What to Eat During Recovery
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) as the go-to for stomach flu. Current guidelines from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases no longer recommend it. Research shows that following a restricted diet does not help treat viral gastroenteritis. Once your appetite returns, you can go back to eating your normal diet, even if you still have diarrhea.
That said, your appetite will guide you. Most people naturally gravitate toward bland, simple foods in the first day or two because greasy, spicy, or heavy meals feel terrible on an irritated stomach. Listen to that instinct. Eat what sounds tolerable, and don’t force food if nothing appeals to you yet. The priority is fluids, not calories. For children, parents should offer their usual foods as soon as they show interest in eating again.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger is one home remedy with real science behind it. Compounds in ginger called gingerols block serotonin receptors involved in triggering nausea and vomiting. They also help the stomach empty more normally when it’s sluggish from illness. Research on nausea in other medical contexts found that taking up to 1 gram of ginger per day for at least four days significantly reduced vomiting compared to a placebo.
You can get ginger through tea (steep fresh sliced ginger in hot water), capsules of ginger powder, or even ginger mixed into yogurt. Ginger ale is less reliable because many commercial brands contain very little actual ginger.
Probiotics Probably Won’t Help
Probiotics are widely marketed for gut health, but the evidence for stomach flu is disappointing. A major study from Washington University School of Medicine tested Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (sold as Culturelle) in children with stomach viruses. Kids who took the probiotic twice daily for five days had diarrhea for about two days and missed about two days of daycare, exactly the same as the placebo group. Probiotics had no effect on the children’s recovery. Saving your money on a probiotic supplement and spending it on a good oral rehydration solution is a better bet.
Preventing Spread at Home
Norovirus is extremely contagious and surprisingly tough to kill. Standard hand sanitizers with alcohol are not as effective against it as thorough handwashing with soap and water. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom or cleaning up after someone who’s sick.
For surfaces like countertops, toilets, and doorknobs, regular household cleaners may not be enough. The CDC recommends a bleach solution of 5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach (5% to 8% concentration) per gallon of water. Leave it on the surface for at least five minutes before wiping. You can also use an EPA-registered disinfectant specifically labeled as effective against norovirus.
Wash contaminated clothing and bedding on the hottest setting your machine allows, and dry on high heat. The person who’s sick should avoid preparing food for others if possible, and ideally for at least two days after symptoms stop, since the virus can still shed after you feel better.
Signs You Need Medical Attention
Most stomach flu resolves without any medical intervention, but dehydration can become dangerous. Seek care if you or a family member has had diarrhea for 24 hours or more, can’t keep down any fluids, seems unusually sleepy or confused, has bloody or black stool, or has a fever of 102°F or higher. Infants, elderly adults, and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk for complications and should be watched more closely.