Most cases of diarrhea resolve on their own within two to three days, and the single most important thing you can do is replace the fluids you’re losing. Beyond hydration, a few practical steps can shorten your discomfort and help you recover faster.
Fluid Replacement Comes First
Every loose stool pulls water and electrolytes out of your body. Plain water helps, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. An oral rehydration solution does both, and you can make one at home: stir half a teaspoon of table salt and two tablespoons of sugar into four cups of water. The sugar isn’t for taste. It activates a transport system in your intestinal lining that pulls sodium and water back into your body, so the two ingredients work together.
Drink as much as you want throughout the day. There’s no strict upper limit for adults. For young children under two, aim for roughly a quarter cup of fluid after each loose stool. Older children should get half a cup to a full cup after each episode. If your child is vomiting too, the goal is at least one ounce (about 30 ml) per hour in small, frequent sips rather than large gulps.
Broth, diluted juice, and coconut water are reasonable alternatives, but avoid drinks that are very high in sugar, like full-strength apple juice or soda, since concentrated sugar can actually pull more water into the intestine and make diarrhea worse.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
You may have heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It won’t hurt, but most experts no longer recommend restricting yourself to those four foods. Once you feel ready to eat, you can return to your normal diet. Children should continue eating their usual age-appropriate foods, and infants should keep breastfeeding or drinking formula.
What matters more is knowing which foods and ingredients tend to make things worse:
- Fructose in large amounts. Found naturally in apples, pears, peaches, and cherries, and added to sodas and juice drinks. People who consume more than 40 to 80 grams of fructose per day commonly develop diarrhea even when they’re healthy. During an active episode, even smaller amounts can be a problem.
- Sugar alcohols. Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol show up in sugar-free gum, candy, and some medications. Your gut can’t absorb them well, so they draw water into the intestine.
- Dairy. Temporary lactose intolerance is common during and right after a bout of diarrhea because the infection can damage the enzymes that break down milk sugar.
- Caffeine and alcohol. Both stimulate the gut and increase fluid loss.
- Greasy or very high-fat foods. These are harder to digest when your intestinal lining is irritated.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Loperamide (the active ingredient in Imodium) slows the contractions of your intestine, giving it more time to absorb water. The standard adult dose is two caplets after the first loose stool, then one caplet after each subsequent loose stool, up to a maximum of four caplets (8 mg) in 24 hours for the over-the-counter version. It works quickly, often within an hour.
Loperamide is useful for convenience, like when you need to get through a workday or a flight. But you should not take it if your stools contain blood or pus, if you have a high fever, or if you suspect a bacterial infection. In those situations, slowing the gut down can trap the pathogen inside and make things worse. People with a history of heart rhythm problems should also avoid it.
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is a milder option that can reduce the number of loose stools and ease cramping. It contains a salicylate, so avoid it if you’re allergic to aspirin or taking blood thinners. It will turn your tongue and stool black, which is harmless.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Probiotics won’t stop diarrhea immediately, but they can cut the duration by roughly 30 hours on average in cases caused by an infection. A large Cochrane review also found that people taking probiotics were about a third less likely to still have diarrhea by day three compared to those who didn’t.
The strain with the strongest track record is Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (often labeled LGG on supplement packaging). It appears especially effective for rotavirus-related diarrhea in children, where it shortened illness by about 38 hours. Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast sold under brand names like Florastor, is another well-studied option. Not all probiotic strains are equally useful. Standard yogurt cultures, for example, haven’t shown a clear benefit.
Caring for Children With Diarrhea
Children dehydrate faster than adults because of their smaller body size, so fluid replacement is even more critical. Keep offering breast milk, formula, or an oral rehydration solution in frequent small amounts. Don’t dilute formula or switch to a special diet unless your pediatrician advises it.
Watch for these signs of dehydration: fewer than six wet diapers a day in infants, a dry mouth and tongue, fewer tears when crying, unusual sleepiness or fussiness, wrinkled skin, or a sunken soft spot on a baby’s head. Older children may complain of dizziness when standing. Any of these warrant a call to your child’s doctor right away.
The WHO recommends zinc supplementation for children with diarrhea: 20 mg per day for 10 to 14 days, or 10 mg per day for infants under six months. Zinc helps the intestinal lining repair itself and can reduce both the severity and duration of the episode. This is particularly relevant in low-resource settings where zinc deficiency is common, but it’s worth discussing with your pediatrician regardless.
Warning Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most diarrhea passes without medical treatment, but certain symptoms signal something more serious. Contact a doctor right away if you notice any of the following:
- Duration. Diarrhea lasting more than two days in adults, or more than one day in children.
- Stool changes. Black, tarry stools or stools containing visible blood or pus.
- High fever.
- Severe abdominal or rectal pain.
- Frequent vomiting that makes it impossible to keep fluids down.
- Six or more loose stools per day.
- Mental state changes. Unusual irritability, confusion, or lack of energy, especially in children or elderly adults.
Common Triggers Beyond Infections
Viral gastroenteritis (the “stomach flu”) is the most common cause, but if your diarrhea keeps coming back or lasts weeks, something else may be going on. Medications are a frequent culprit. Antibiotics, magnesium-containing antacids, and anti-inflammatory drugs can all disrupt normal bowel function.
Chronic diarrhea generally falls into two patterns. In the first, something in the gut is pulling extra water in. This happens with lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and excessive intake of sugar alcohols or fructose. The hallmark is that symptoms improve when you stop eating the offending food. In the second pattern, the intestine itself is secreting too much fluid. This type persists even when you’re not eating, continues at night, and produces high-volume watery stools. Conditions like bile acid malabsorption, microscopic colitis, and Crohn’s disease fall into this category and typically need a doctor’s evaluation to identify.