Most cases of diarrhea clear up on their own within two to three days. Your main job in the meantime is to replace lost fluids, eat the right foods, and know when the situation calls for more than home care. Here’s what to do, step by step.
Start Replacing Fluids Immediately
Dehydration is the biggest risk with diarrhea, not the diarrhea itself. Every loose stool pulls water and electrolytes out of your body, and plain water alone won’t replace what you’re losing. You need a combination of water, salt, and a small amount of sugar, which helps your intestines absorb the fluid faster.
A simple homemade rehydration drink calls for 4 cups of water, half a teaspoon of table salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until dissolved and sip steadily throughout the day. If you’d rather use what’s already in your kitchen, chicken broth works well: mix 2 cups of regular (not low-sodium) liquid broth with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Commercial electrolyte drinks like Pedialyte are another option, especially for children.
Take small, frequent sips rather than gulping large amounts. Drinking too much too fast can trigger nausea when your gut is already irritated. Aim to drink at least a cup of fluid after each loose bowel movement on top of your normal intake.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
You may have heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s a fine starting point for the first day or two, but there’s no research showing it works better than other bland foods, and it’s too nutritionally limited to stick with for long. A broader range of easy-to-digest foods will give your body the protein and nutrients it needs to recover faster.
Good choices include brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, unsweetened dry cereal, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. Once your stomach settles, adding these foods back quickly is better than staying on a restricted diet.
Certain foods and drinks make diarrhea worse and should be avoided until you’ve recovered:
- Caffeine (coffee, tea, colas) speeds up your gut
- Alcohol irritates the intestinal lining and worsens dehydration
- High-fat foods like fried food, pizza, and fast food
- Dairy products containing lactose, which can be hard to digest even for weeks after a bout of diarrhea
- Sugar alcohols found in sugar-free gum and candies (sorbitol, xylitol)
- High-sugar drinks including fruit juice and sweetened beverages, which can pull more water into the intestines
Over-the-Counter Medications
Two common options sit on pharmacy shelves: loperamide (sold as Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). They work differently, and one is notably more effective than the other.
Loperamide slows the muscle contractions in your intestines, giving your body more time to absorb water. In clinical comparisons, it reduced the number of unformed stools significantly more than bismuth subsalicylate, controlled symptoms for longer after the first dose, and received higher ratings from patients for overall relief. If you need to get through a workday or a flight, loperamide is the stronger choice.
Bismuth subsalicylate coats the stomach lining and has mild anti-inflammatory effects. It’s gentler and can also help with nausea, so it may be a better fit if your stomach feels unsettled alongside the diarrhea.
One critical safety note: do not take loperamide if you have bloody stools, a high fever, or suspect a bacterial infection like food poisoning from Salmonella or Campylobacter. Slowing your gut down when your body is trying to flush out a dangerous pathogen can make the infection worse. The FDA specifically warns against using loperamide in cases of dysentery (bloody diarrhea with fever) or infections from invasive bacteria. If your stools contain blood, skip the anti-diarrheal medication entirely.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Taking a probiotic supplement during a bout of infectious diarrhea can cut its duration by roughly 30 hours, according to a large Cochrane review pooling data from multiple clinical trials. That’s a meaningful difference when you’re miserable. Probiotics also reduced the likelihood of still having diarrhea at the three-day mark by about a third.
The strains with the most evidence behind them include Lactobacillus GG (often labeled LGG on supplement packaging) and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. LGG appears particularly effective for viral stomach bugs. A combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidus also showed strong results, though in smaller studies. Look for these strain names on the label. Probiotics are widely available at pharmacies and grocery stores, and you can start taking them as soon as symptoms begin.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
For adults, the threshold for calling a doctor is diarrhea that hasn’t improved after two days, a fever above 101°F (38°C), bloody or black stools, or severe abdominal or rectal pain. Dehydration that you can’t manage at home also warrants a call. Signs include dark urine, very little urination, dizziness, dry mouth, and unusual fatigue.
For children, the timeline is shorter. Contact a doctor if a child’s diarrhea doesn’t improve within 24 hours, if they develop a fever above 101°F, or if stools are bloody or black.
Infants and toddlers dehydrate faster than adults, so watch closely for warning signs: no wet diaper for three or more hours, a dry mouth and tongue, crying without tears, sunken eyes or cheeks, a sunken soft spot on the skull, or unusual crankiness or drowsiness. A quick skin test can also help. Gently pinch the skin on the back of your child’s hand. If it doesn’t flatten back right away, dehydration may be progressing and needs prompt attention.