Best thing to take for stomach bug

Struggling to keep anything down — or in? If you’ve been hit by the stomach flu — otherwise known as viral gastroenteritis (and an entirely different beast from the common flu, or influenza)  — you probably won’t feel like eating or drinking much.

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But if you’re looking to find out what you can try to stomach with a stomach flu, you certainly know it’s not the best idea to toss back a plate of chili-cheese nachos. 

For some clearer direction family physician Laura Lipold, MD, sorts out a few less obvious do’s and don’ts to get you through until you’re back on your feet again. 

Avoid these when you have the flu

• Skip your daily coffee: Avoid your cup of joe and favorite caffeinated soda (this includes cola beverages) for a one week. Caffeine contracts your intestines, which can make diarrhea worse, Dr. Lipold notes.
• Avoid alcohol altogether: Alcoholic beverages act as a diuretic and can aggravate your stomach even more.
• Don’t eat hard-to-digest foods: When you have the stomach flu steer clear of fatty, greasy, spicy and acidic foods. Dairy and tomato-based dishes are also tough on a sick gut.
• Never force yourself to eat: If you don’t feel like eating, don’t push your body. “Try to focus on recovering, rest and staying hydrated,” Dr. Lipold says.
• Avoid juices: Apple, orange, or any other juices won’t do you much good.

Eat, drink and do these with the flu

Drink plenty of clear liquids

Wait until 2 hours have passed since your last episode of vomiting. Start with small frequent sips. Water, clear soda (stir it well to release more carbonation), herbal decaffeinated tea, broth or over-the-counter electrolyte replacements are great ways to avoid dehydration when you have a stomach flu with frequent diarrhea or vomiting.

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“Severe dehydration could mean a trip to the hospital to receive IV fluids, so it’s important to try to stay hydrated if you can,” Dr. Lipold says. “You may turn to the common ginger ale fix but again, stir or let it sit on the counter in an open container until the carbonation evaporates.”

Eat complex carbohydrates

Potatoes and whole grains (think rice and toast) are your best choices to help replace nutrients you may have lost while vomiting or too many trips to the bathroom. Try lean meats without too much spice or condiments, which can upset your stomach more (think chicken and fish).

Suck on ice chips

If you can’t keep anything else down, ice chips will help give you the hydration you likely need little by little over a longer time, but it may be better tolerated by your stomach, Dr. Lipold says.

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See your physician

“If you haven’t been able to keep liquids down for 24 hours, show signs of dehydration, are vomiting blood, have abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea or a fever above 102 F — it’s time to visit your doctor,” Dr. Lipold says.

“You may have another illness which may need to be treated right away,” she adds. “And since some symptoms like diarrhea could potentially be a sign of COVID-19, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider.”

In most cases, people with viral gastroenteritis get better on their own without medical treatment. You can treat viral gastroenteritis by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. In some cases, over-the-counter medicines may help relieve your symptoms.

Research shows that following a restricted diet does not help treat viral gastroenteritis. When you have viral gastroenteritis, you may vomit after you eat or lose your appetite for a short time. When your appetite returns, you can most often go back to eating your normal diet, even if you still have diarrhea. Find tips on what to eat when you have viral gastroenteritis.

If your child has symptoms of viral gastroenteritis, such as vomiting or diarrhea, don’t hesitate to call a doctor for advice.

Replace lost fluids and electrolytes

When you have viral gastroenteritis, you need to replace lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration or treat mild dehydration. You should drink plenty of liquids. If vomiting is a problem, try sipping small amounts of clear liquids.

Most adults with viral gastroenteritis can replace fluids and electrolytes with liquids such as

• water
• fruit juices
• sports drinks
• broths

Eating saltine crackers can also help replace electrolytes.

If your child has viral gastroenteritis, you should give your child an oral rehydration solution—such as Pedialyte, Naturalyte, Infalyte, and CeraLyte—as directed to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. Oral rehydration solutions are liquids that contain glucose and electrolytes. Talk with a doctor about giving these solutions to your infant. Infants should drink breast milk or formula as usual.

Older adults, adults with a weakened immune system, and adults with severe diarrhea or symptoms of dehydration should also drink oral rehydration solutions.

Over-the-counter medicines

In some cases, adults can take over-the-counter medicines such as loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate) to treat diarrhea caused by viral gastroenteritis.

These medicines can be unsafe for infants and children. Talk with a doctor before giving your child an over-the-counter medicine.

If you have bloody diarrhea or fever—signs of infections with bacteria or parasites—don’t use over-the-counter medicines to treat diarrhea. See a doctor for treatment.

How do doctors treat viral gastroenteritis?

Your doctor may prescribe medicine to control severe vomiting. Doctors don’t prescribe antibiotics to treat viral gastroenteritis. Antibiotics don’t work for viral infections.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend probiotics. Probiotics are live microbes, most often bacteria, that are like the ones you normally have in your digestive tract. Studies suggest that some probiotics may help shorten a case of diarrhea. Researchers are still studying the use of probiotics to treat viral gastroenteritis. For safety reasons, talk with your doctor before using probiotics or any other complementary or alternative medicines or practices.

Anyone with signs or symptoms of dehydration should see a doctor right away. Doctors may need to treat people with severe dehydration in a hospital.

How can I prevent viral gastroenteritis?

You can take several steps to keep from getting or spreading infections that cause viral gastroenteritis. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water

• after using the bathroom
• after changing diapers
• before and after handling, preparing, or eating food

You can clean surfaces that may have come into contact with infected stool or vomit, such as countertops and changing tables, with a mixture of 5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach and 1 gallon of water.7 If clothes or linens may have come into contact with an infected person’s stool or vomit, you should wash them with detergent for the longest cycle available and machine dry them. To protect yourself from infection, wear rubber gloves while handling the soiled laundry and wash your hands afterward.7

If you have viral gastroenteritis, avoid handling and preparing food for others while you are sick and for 2 days after your symptoms stop.7 People who have viral gastroenteritis may spread the virus to any food they handle, especially if they do not thoroughly wash their hands. Contaminated water may also spread a virus to foods before they are harvested. For example, contaminated fruits, vegetables, and oysters have been linked to norovirus outbreaks. Wash fruits and vegetables before using them, and thoroughly cook oysters and other shellfish.7 Find tips to help keep food safe.

The flu vaccine does not protect against viral gastroenteritis. Although some people call viral gastroenteritis “stomach flu,” influenza (flu) viruses do not cause viral gastroenteritis. However, rotavirus vaccines can prevent viral gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus.

Rotavirus Vaccines

Two vaccines, which infants receive by mouth, are approved to protect against rotavirus infections8

• RotaTeq: Infants receive three doses, at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
• Rotarix: Infants receive this vaccine in two doses, at ages 2 months and 4 months

For the rotavirus vaccine to be most effective, infants should receive the first dose by 15 weeks of age. Infants should receive all doses by 8 months of age.

If you have a baby, talk with your baby’s doctor about rotavirus vaccination.

References

[7] Preventing norovirus infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/prevention.html. Updated July 15, 2016. Accessed August 31, 2017.

[8] Rotavirus: vaccination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/rotavirus/vaccination.html. Updated August 12, 2016. Accessed August 31, 2017.

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