What Causes Diarrhea, Vomiting, And Upset Stomach?

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Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. It can be caused by viruses like rotavirus and norovirus, as well as bacteria like Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella. These symptoms usually occur due to a stomach bug or food poisoning and usually resolve on their own within a few days.

Vomiting and diarrhea can also be caused by stress, anxiety, or fear, as well as cyclic vomiting syndrome. Causes for nausea and diarrhea include stomach flu, food poisoning, stress, anxiety, or fear, and cyclic vomiting syndrome. Gastroenteritis is a common condition that causes diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It can be caused by various factors such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, certain medicines, or certain medical conditions.

In summary, viral gastroenteritis is a common intestinal infection that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. It can be caused by various factors such as infections, food poisoning, overeating, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Understanding the symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment of viral gastroenteritis is crucial for managing and managing these symptoms.

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Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) – Symptoms & causesViral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that presents with a constellation of signs and symptoms, including watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. In some cases, additional symptoms may manifest, such as…www.mayoclinic.org

📹 Treating Vomiting and Diarrhea

Alone, Pediatrician Dr. Robert Wack says vomiting or diarrhea can usually be treated at home. When the two happen at the same …


What is the fastest way to recover from vomiting and diarrhea?

Try foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, dry toast, soda crackers (these foods are called BRAT diet). For 24-48 hours after the last episode of vomiting, avoid foods that can irritate or may be difficult to digest such alcohol, caffeine, fats/oils, spicy food, milk or cheese.

If you experience diarrhea and/or vomiting, you may wish to get Nurse Advice by Phone.

  • Causes:. Bacteria, parasites, viruses (including norovirus )
  • Food poisoning e. g. from food that has been improperly stored
  • Consumption of irritating food, drink or medication
  • Pregnancy
  • Overeating or overdrinking (especially alcohol)
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Taking antibiotics recently

Symptoms:. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. People may feel very sick and vomit many times a day. Most people improve within three days. However, sometimes people become dehydrated and need medical treatment. Dehydration is the most serious complication. See also When to Call for Medical Advice.

What is the best thing to drink when you have diarrhea and vomiting?
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What is the best thing to drink when you have diarrhea and vomiting?

Drink liquids Choose clear liquids, such as water or broth. Don’t have drinks with a lot of sugar in them. This includes juice and soda. These can make diarrhea worse.

Vomiting and diarrhea can make you feel awful. Your stomach and bowels are reacting to an irritant. This might be food, medicine, bacteria, or a virus. Vomiting and diarrhea are 2 ways your body tries to remove the problem from your system. Nausea is a symptom that prevents you from eating. This can give your stomach and bowels time to recover. Self-care can help ease your discomfort.

Drink or sip liquids. This is so you don’t lose too much fluid (dehydration). To do this:

Don’t have drinks with a lot of sugar in them. This includes juice and soda. These can make diarrhea worse.

What would cause sudden diarrhea and vomiting?
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What would cause sudden diarrhea and vomiting?

What causes vomiting and diarrhea?. Vomiting and diarrhea can be caused by a number of things. These include viruses, bacteria, parasites, certain medicines, or certain medical conditions. Foods that are hard to digest (such as too many sweets) and undercooked (raw or partially raw) meat or fish can also cause vomiting and diarrhea.

How are vomiting and diarrhea diagnosed?. Vomiting and diarrhea can be diagnosed at home. Neither condition requires a trip to the doctor. However, call your doctor if the vomiting and diarrhea don’t seem to be getting better, or if the person who is vomiting and/or has diarrhea:

  • Is younger than 6 months old.
  • Is older than 6 months old and has a fever higher than 101. 4°F.
  • Has signs of dehydration (see box above).
  • Has been vomiting longer than 8 hours or is vomiting with great force.
  • Has blood in his or her stools.
  • Has blood in his or her vomit.
  • Has not urinated in 8 hours.
  • Might have swallowed something that could be poisonous.
  • Has a stiff neck or bad headache.
  • Is listless or unusually sleepy.
  • Has had abdominal pain for more than 2 hours.
How to tell if it's food poisoning or stomach bug?
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How to tell if it’s food poisoning or stomach bug?

Onset of symptoms. The stomach flu typically has about a 24 to 48 hour incubation period in your system and then starts causing symptoms. In contrast, food poisoning comes on quickly — typically about two to six hours after you’ve eaten spoiled food.

“Let’s say you sit down at a picnic and everybody eats the same food,” says Dr. Ford. “It’s very possible that a lot of people will get the same symptoms. Whereas, with a stomach bug, you may have been around somebody in the last day or two who had similar symptoms. It takes a couple of days for its onset.”

Food poisoning can also be slightly easier to identify because it emerges after a more recent event. “Most people don’t have any problem thinking back to what they’ve just eaten, and realize maybe that egg salad was sitting out for too long,” says Dr. Ford. “They can then trace their symptoms back to that.”

How do I know if it's food poisoning or a stomach virus?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How do I know if it’s food poisoning or a stomach virus?

Onset of symptoms. The stomach flu typically has about a 24 to 48 hour incubation period in your system and then starts causing symptoms. In contrast, food poisoning comes on quickly — typically about two to six hours after you’ve eaten spoiled food.

“Let’s say you sit down at a picnic and everybody eats the same food,” says Dr. Ford. “It’s very possible that a lot of people will get the same symptoms. Whereas, with a stomach bug, you may have been around somebody in the last day or two who had similar symptoms. It takes a couple of days for its onset.”

Food poisoning can also be slightly easier to identify because it emerges after a more recent event. “Most people don’t have any problem thinking back to what they’ve just eaten, and realize maybe that egg salad was sitting out for too long,” says Dr. Ford. “They can then trace their symptoms back to that.”

What is the fastest way to cure diarrhea and vomiting?
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What is the fastest way to cure diarrhea and vomiting?

Drink liquidsChoose clear liquids, such as water or broth. Don’t have drinks with a lot of sugar in them. … Don’t have drinks with caffeine and alcohol. If you have severe vomiting or diarrhea, don’t drink sports drinks or electrolyte drinks. … Suck on ice chips if nausea makes it hard for you to drink.

Vomiting and diarrhea can make you feel awful. Your stomach and bowels are reacting to an irritant. This might be food, medicine, bacteria, or a virus. Vomiting and diarrhea are 2 ways your body tries to remove the problem from your system. Nausea is a symptom that prevents you from eating. This can give your stomach and bowels time to recover. Self-care can help ease your discomfort.

Drink or sip liquids. This is so you don’t lose too much fluid (dehydration). To do this:

Don’t have drinks with a lot of sugar in them. This includes juice and soda. These can make diarrhea worse.

Can vomiting and diarrhea be the signs of another health condition?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Can vomiting and diarrhea be the signs of another health condition?

Viral or bacterial infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting, but these symptoms can also occur with other health conditions, like anxiety and parasites. Though a virus is usually the culprit, certain medical conditions and side effects of medications can also lead to vomiting and diarrhea at the same time.

A stomach virus or bacterial gastrointestinal (GI) infection is the most likely cause in children, but these infections can also affect adults.

A number of other reasons exist for these symptoms, such as drinking too much alcohol. Often, vomiting and diarrhea occur together with fever, but not always.

Here are the most common causes of simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea symptoms, with and without fever:

What is the quickest way to get rid of a stomach bug?
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What is the quickest way to get rid of a stomach bug?

Self careLet your stomach settle. Stop eating solid foods for a few hours. Try sucking on ice chips or taking small sips of water often. … Ease back into eating. … Avoid certain foods and substances until you feel better. … Get plenty of rest. … Try anti-diarrhea medications.

Your doctor will likely diagnose viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) based on symptoms, a physical exam and sometimes on the presence of similar cases in your community. A rapid stool test can detect rotavirus or norovirus, but there are no quick tests for other viruses that cause gastroenteritis. In some cases, your doctor may have you submit a stool sample to rule out a possible bacterial or parasitic infection.

There’s often no specific medical treatment for viral gastroenteritis. Antibiotics aren’t effective against viruses. Treatment first involves self-care measures, such as staying hydrated.

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What can I take for upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea?
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What can I take for upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea?

Treatment & PreventionSports drinks. Clear, non-caffeinated sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite or ginger ale. Diluted juices such as apple, grape, cherry or cranberry (avoid citrus juices)Clear soup broth or bouillon. Popsicles. Decaffeinated tea.

Treatment. Most stomach aches can be treated at home. During the first 24 to 36 hours, the best treatment is a diet of clear liquids in frequent, small amounts. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine a pale yellow or clear color. If you vomit, start with sips of water or sucking on ice chips. If these are well tolerated, try other fluids:

  • Sports drinks
  • Clear, non-caffeinated sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite or ginger ale
  • Diluted juices such as apple, grape, cherry or cranberry (avoid citrus juices)
  • Clear soup broth or bouillon
  • Popsicles
  • Decaffeinated tea

If fluids are well tolerated, slowly add bland solid foods, but continue to focus on fluid intake at the same time.

What is the fastest way to flush out food poisoning?
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What is the fastest way to flush out food poisoning?

There is no single treatment that will speed up recovery, Dibba said. It takes time for your body to flush out the toxins causing the food poisoning, usually 24 to 48 hours.

To keep yourself comfortable and avoid dehydration, Majlesi recommended staying constantly hydrated. If you are replenishing with an electrolyte solution, make sure the product is low in sugar. “Some of the electrolyte solutions have way too much sugar in them and can actually worsen diarrhea, so you want to be careful about that,” he said.

Along with water, the National Institutes of Health recommends adults replace lost fluids with broths and sports drinks. Additionally, NIH advises fruit juice with water added to make it more diluted. Children, on the other hand, should use an oral rehydration solution such as Pedialyte to ease food poisoning symptoms.

You’ll also want to steer clear of solid foods for 24 hours, especially if you are having trouble keeping food down. Majlesi said doing so gives the digestive system time to rest and recover during this period of inflammation. Adults can take over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications such as bismuth subsalicylate (brand names Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol) or loperamide (brand name Imodium) to manage diarrhea symptoms.


📹 What is norovirus? (Diarrhoea and vomiting bug) | NHS

Norovirus is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. In this video, we explain how to spot and treat the symptoms of …


What Causes Diarrhea, Vomiting, And Upset Stomach?
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Elle Pierson

Hi, I’m Elle Pierson, RN, MBA—a passionate Healthcare Consultant dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to achieve better health outcomes. As a TEDx Speaker, Author, and Mentor, I bring my expertise in medicine and healthcare management to help others navigate complex systems with confidence. My mission is to inspire change and create meaningful solutions in the world of healthcare. Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Executive MBA from Texas Woman’s University.
Email: [email protected]

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