Diarrhea and Vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting are more common among all age categories, including babies, children, and adults. Stomach bugs often cause diarrhea and vomiting, usually, it stops within a few days. The remedies are probably the same, even if you have diarrhea and vomiting separately or together.
Diarrhea and vomiting causes
The most common causes are:
- Stomach bug
- A vomiting bug called norovirus
- Food poisoning
Diarrhea and vomiting self-treatments
Normally you can treat yourself at home, and drinking a lot of fluids is crucial to avoid dehydration.
- Stay home and get enough rest
- Drink a lot of fluids like water; try taking small sips if you feel sick
- carry on the bottle or breastfeed your baby if they are sick; try giving small feeds more frequently than usual
- Give babies formula or solid foods in small sips of water in between feeds
- Eat when you feel like you can, and there is no need to eat or avoid any particular foods
- Consider paracetamol if you are feeling discomfort (consult a doctor before giving it to your child)
- Don’t drink fizzy drinks or fruit juice, they both can make turn diarrhea severe
- Don’t make formula weaker for the baby; use it as standard strength
- Don’t give any medicine to children to stop diarrhea without a doctor’s consultation
- Don’t give aspirin to children under 16
Consult a doctor immediately if
- You vomit blood, or the vomit looks like ground coffee
- Your vomit turns green or yellow color
- You have swallowed something poisonous
- You have pain when you look at bright lights and a stiff neck
- You have abrupt severe stomach ache or headache
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022