In most cases, a bout with diarrhea will be gone in just a few days. While unpleasant, it is often a self-correcting condition that will pass without any special treatment. If you have diarrhea, you’ll likely want relief as soon as possible. Are you curious how to stop diarrhea fast? Here are a few of the best diarrhea treatment options you might want to consider.

Water:

Your body needs to maintain a pretty high level of fluids and salts in order to keep it functioning normally. But with diarrhea you are losing many of those fluids at a rapid pace. Your number one priority in maintaining your health should be to keep yourself hydrated. Of course, you can do this by drinking lots of water but some doctors also recommend that you include a few sports drinks in your diet. This is because sports drinks also include the necessary sugar and salt content that your body needs. If you’re not inclined to buy sports drinks you can make your own by simply adding a teaspoon of salt to every quart of juice you drink. This will help the body to absorb the fluids faster. Avoid drinking any liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or excessive amounts of sugar, which have been known to actually worsen the condition.

Diet:

Another one of the best diarrhea treatment options is to manage your diet. At the first sign of diarrhea, limit your diet to only clear liquids for the first 24 hours. After that, slowly begin to add bland foods to your diet a little at a time. This could include foods like plain rice, toast, bananas, and applesauce. If the diarrhea continues beyond a few days, you should check the foods that you’re eating to see if that’s what’s triggering it. Certain foods can exacerbate the problem like those high in fiber, grease, and sugar.

Medication:

Some over the counter medications can also be helpful in bringing relief. This is especially true in the case of traveler’s diarrhea, which is usually the result of drinking contaminated water while traveling. Drugs like Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, and Kaopectate have been very effective in treating mild cases of diarrhea.

However, if your diarrhea persists for more than a few days, you may need to seek medical help to get your system back in balance. Everyone experiences diarrhea at one time or another. In most cases, it will go away on its own. However, there are times when your diarrhea could become a problem of serious concern.

When you experience a flare-up of diarrhea, you want relief right away. If at the first sign you start with one of these best diarrhea treatment options you may be surprised at how quickly relief will come. However, prolonged cases of diarrhea may be an indication of something much more serious so if your condition lasts more than a few days, it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible. That way, if something more serious is behind it you can identify the problem and address it before it causes permanent damage to your health.