You can’t kill a stomach bug with medication the way you’d treat a bacterial infection with antibiotics. Viral gastroenteritis has to run its course, and for most people that means 1 to 3 days with norovirus or 3 to 7 days with rotavirus. What you can do is manage symptoms, prevent dehydration, and speed your recovery by giving your body what it needs while the virus burns out.
Fluids Are the Priority
Dehydration is the real danger with a stomach bug, not the virus itself. Vomiting and diarrhea drain water and electrolytes fast, and replacing them is the single most important thing you can do. Plain water helps, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. Sports drinks are better than nothing, though they contain more sugar and less sodium than what your body actually needs.
The gold standard is an oral rehydration solution. You can buy premade versions like Pedialyte, or make your own using the World Health Organization’s formula: half a teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar dissolved in about 4 and a quarter cups of water. That specific ratio of sugar and salt helps your intestines absorb fluid more efficiently than water alone.
Take small, frequent sips rather than gulping. If you’re vomiting, wait 15 to 30 minutes after an episode, then try a few sips. Gradually increase the amount as your stomach tolerates it. Popsicles, ice chips, and clear broths all count toward fluid intake and can be easier to keep down during the worst hours.
What to Eat (and When)
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s gentle on the stomach and fine for the first day or two, but there’s no clinical evidence that restricting yourself to only those four foods helps you recover faster. Harvard Health notes that brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereals are equally easy to digest and provide more variety.
Once the vomiting has stopped and your appetite starts returning, begin adding more nutritious foods. Cooked squash, carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs are all good next steps. Your gut needs calories and nutrients to repair itself, so staying on a restrictive diet longer than necessary can actually slow recovery. Avoid dairy, caffeine, alcohol, fatty foods, and heavily spiced meals until you feel consistently better, as these can irritate an already inflamed digestive tract.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Two common options can help manage diarrhea in adults: loperamide (sold as Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol or Kaopectate). Loperamide slows gut motility, reducing the frequency of trips to the bathroom. Bismuth subsalicylate coats the stomach lining and can also help with nausea.
There are important exceptions. Neither medication should be used if you have a fever or bloody diarrhea, because those symptoms suggest a bacterial or parasitic infection rather than a simple virus, and slowing your gut down in that situation can make things worse. Both medications are also unsafe for infants and children unless a doctor specifically recommends them. For fever and body aches, acetaminophen is generally gentler on the stomach than ibuprofen.
Probiotics May Shorten Recovery
Certain probiotic strains appear to reduce how long diarrhea lasts. A randomized trial of 317 children with acute gastroenteritis found that a specific strain of Saccharomyces boulardii (a beneficial yeast, not a bacteria) shortened the average duration of diarrhea by about 12 hours compared to another probiotic. The effect was even more pronounced in cases with a bacterial cause, cutting diarrhea duration from roughly 140 hours down to about 89 hours.
Probiotics aren’t a cure, but shaving half a day off your symptoms is meaningful when you’re miserable. Look for products containing Saccharomyces boulardii or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, the two strains with the most evidence behind them for gastroenteritis. Start them as early in the illness as possible for the best effect.
Rest and Let It Pass
Your immune system is doing the heavy lifting here, and it works better when you’re resting. Sleep as much as your body wants. Avoid exercise, which accelerates fluid loss and diverts energy away from your immune response. Most people feel significantly better within 48 hours of symptom onset for norovirus. Rotavirus tends to linger longer, with symptoms stretching out to a full week in some cases, especially in young children.
Even after the vomiting and diarrhea stop, your gut lining needs time to fully heal. It’s normal to have looser stools, mild bloating, or reduced appetite for several days after the acute phase. Ease back into your regular diet gradually rather than celebrating recovery with a heavy meal.
Preventing Spread in Your Household
Norovirus is extraordinarily contagious. It can survive on countertops, doorknobs, and bathroom surfaces for days, and it takes a surprisingly tiny number of viral particles to infect someone new. Standard cleaning sprays often aren’t enough.
The CDC recommends disinfecting contaminated surfaces with a chlorine bleach solution: 5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach (5% to 8% concentration) per gallon of water. Leave the solution on the surface for at least 5 minutes before wiping it away. Alternatively, use an EPA-registered disinfectant specifically labeled as effective against norovirus. Regular alcohol-based cleaners don’t reliably kill it.
Wash your hands with soap and water rather than relying on hand sanitizer, which is less effective against norovirus. If someone in your house is sick, give them their own towels and avoid sharing utensils or cups. Wash any contaminated clothing or bedding on the hottest setting and dry on high heat. The person who’s sick remains contagious for at least two to three days after symptoms resolve, so keep up the precautions even after they feel better.
Warning Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most stomach bugs are unpleasant but not dangerous. Certain symptoms, however, signal that something more serious is happening. In adults, get medical care if you can’t keep any liquids down for 24 hours, if vomiting or diarrhea has lasted more than two days, if you notice blood in your vomit or stool, if you have severe stomach pain, or if your fever reaches 104°F or higher. Signs of significant dehydration include excessive thirst, very dark urine or barely any urine output, dizziness, and severe weakness.
Children dehydrate faster than adults. Watch for a fever of 102°F or higher, unusual tiredness or irritability, bloody diarrhea, or signs of dehydration like a dry mouth, crying without tears, or (in infants) fewer wet diapers than usual. A baby who hasn’t had a wet diaper in six hours, or who has a sunken soft spot on the head, needs prompt medical evaluation.