Suggest Treatment For Food Poisoning, Diarrhea And Vomiting

Posted on Sat, 27 Jun 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 Answered on

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I thought that I had food poisoning last Monday night. I thru up and had diarrhea. It is Saturday and I still have it. I've been drinking water and eating but I can't leave the house. Is it ok at this point to take Imodium?

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Imodium will only help mildly, need to treat the infection

Detailed Answer:
Hello sir and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Yes, it is fine to take imodium at this juncture, but please do know that if you still have your symptoms then you most probably have a stomach infection called gastroenteritis caused by ingestion of contaminated food or drink.

This usually requires antibiotic coverage (e.g. ofloxacin), for quick and complete recovery from the infection. Using probiotics (Whether natural or the ones available in the pharmacy) will also help. It is vital to keep yourself hydrated and also replenish all the lost/losing electrolytes using an ORS (oral rehydration solution) either in the liquid or powder form.

Imodium will only help mildly, as the issue here is not the symptom (diarrhoea) but the infection. Treat the cause and the symptoms shall disappear. I hope you understand what I am trying to explain. Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.

Best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar