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Pharmacy Care provides information about self-care, that is how to treat minor medical conditions with products available at the pharmacy. Find out how your pharmacist can help you to manage minor conditions yourself.
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Diarrhoea is when your bowel movements become watery, foul-smelling and the need to go to the toilet is urgent and frequent. Diarrhoea has many causes and can be a sign of more serious conditions, such as
inflammatory bowel disorders.
Very young and elderly patients with diarrhoea can rapidly become
dehydrated with diarrhoea and require immediate medical attention.
Common causes of diarrhoea include viruses, such as rotavirus in
children, or bacteria, such as from traveller’s diarrhoea or food
poisoning. Other causes include stress, alcohol, spicy food or
changes to your diet. Sometimes intolerances to food or medicines can
be the cause.
If diarrhoea is caused by food poisoning, it can start a few hours or
more after eating contaminated food, and may last up to three days.
Symptoms of diarrhoea include:
watery, foul-smelling bowel movements
stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting
See Your Pharmacist or Medical Professional
If the person with diarrhoea is dehydrated, seek immediate help.
The signs of dehydration are:
a very dry mouth or tongue
drowsiness or ‘floppiness’ in children
passing little or no urine
sunken eyes
loss of skin elasticity; it does not flatten when pinched
weight loss (5–10%)
increased thirst
Also see a health professional if:
diarrhoea lasts more than 48 hours in adults or 24 hours in children
the person with diarrhoea is a child aged under five, or is elderly
your stools are dark and tarry
your stools are fatty, or pale and greasy, and difficult to flush
you have a fever or stomach cramps, or feel generally unwell
you have vomiting, weakness and dizziness
you have recently travelled overseas, especially to developing
countries
your diarrhoea alternates with constipation, particularly people over
the age of 50
you have started new medicines, such as antibiotics
you have diarrhoea regularly or at particular times of the day
you take other medicines;, as diarrhoea may decrease their
effectiveness, such as with the contraceptive pill
you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as some medicines may not be
suitable
you have other medical conditions
you have allergies to any medicines
Treatment Tips
do not drink full-sugar soft drinks, fruit juices or sports drinks because the high sugar content in these drinks can make diarrhoea worse
prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water or oral rehydration fluids (see Treatment Options below)
continue to breastfeed and formula feed babies normally; do not dilute formula
eat bland, dry foods containing carbohydrate, such as mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, as soon as you feel you can
avoid grains, uncooked fruit and vegetables, tea and coffee, fatty or spicy foods for two days
children and some adults may be unable to tolerate dairy foods, in which case they should be avoided. Milk products may need to be reintroduced into the diet gradually after the diarrhoea has settled (this does not apply to babies)
diarrhoea can be contagious, so wash your hands before eating or preparing food, and after using the toilet
lactobacillus-containing yoghurts or supplements may be beneficial in reducing the duration of diarrhoea caused by viruses such as rotavirus
Treatment Options
Oral rehydration fluids: to prevent and treat dehydration
[GENERAL SALE]
e.g. Gastrolyte, HYDRAlyte, Pedialyte
oral rehydration fluids prevent and treat dehydration by replacing water and electrolytes (salts) lost through diarrhoea
oral rehydration fluids should be the first choice to prevent and treat dehydration, especially in children and the elderly
they are available in sachets, effervescent tablets, ice blocks and pre-mixed solutions, which contain a special mixture of electrolytes that water alone cannot replace
oral rehydration products replace fluids, but do not treat diarrhoea or its cause
follow instructions on products exactly
sipping small amounts frequently is better than drinking large amounts
once made up, the solution should be thrown away after one hour, or 24 hours if refrigerated
children may not like the taste of oral rehydration products, refrigerating the solution or using the iceblocks may help with this
Anti-diarrhoeal medicines: to reduce bowel movements
[PHARMACY ONLY]
e.g. diphenoxylate + atropine, 8 tablets only (Lomotil); loperamide (Gastro-Stop, Diareze, Imodium
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