Diarrhoea and vomiting: staying hydrated and knowing when to call

What usually causes it

The NHS lists a stomach bug and food poisoning as the most common causes. Diarrhoea can also come from medicines, a food intolerance or allergy, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease or coeliac disease. Vomiting can also be caused by pregnancy, migraine, motion sickness, inner ear infections, medicines or other infections such as a UTI.

What you can do at home

• Stay at home and rest.
• Drink lots of fluids, such as water. Take small sips if you feel sick.
• Keep breastfeeding or bottle feeding a baby. If they are being sick, try smaller feeds more often, and make formula at its usual strength.
• Eat when you feel able. Fatty or spicy food may be harder to manage.
• Avoid fruit juice and fizzy drinks, which can make diarrhoea worse.
• Do not give medicine to stop diarrhoea to children under 12, or aspirin to anyone under 16.

A pharmacist can suggest oral rehydration powder to mix with water, which puts back the sugar, salts and minerals you lose. Heat, sweating and a high temperature make dehydration more likely, so keep an eye on how much you are drinking.

To avoid spreading it, wash your hands often with soap and water, clean toilet seats, flush handles and taps daily, do not prepare food for others, and stay off work or school until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.

When a video consultation suits it

A doctor can help by video if you are worried about dehydration, you have an older relative or someone with a long-term condition who is unwell, or symptoms are going on longer than expected. The doctor will ask how often you have been sick or had diarrhoea, whether you can keep fluids down, how often you are peeing and what colour it is, whether there is blood, what you have eaten, and whether anyone else is ill.

Signs of dehydration include feeling thirsty, dark strong-smelling pee, peeing less often, feeling dizzy or tired, a dry mouth and sunken eyes. In a baby, look for a sunken soft spot on the head, few or no tears, fewer wet nappies and drowsiness.

When you need urgent help

Get urgent medical advice the same day if you are worried about a baby under 12 months, a child stops feeding, a child under 5 has signs of dehydration, you still have signs of dehydration after using rehydration sachets, you keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down, there is bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from the bottom, or diarrhoea lasts more than 7 days or vomiting more than 2 days. A doctor may need to examine you or arrange tests in person.

Signs that need 998

Call 998 or go to an emergency department if you or your child vomit blood or vomit that looks like ground coffee, have green vomit (or yellow-green in a child), may have swallowed something poisonous, have a stiff neck and pain looking at bright lights, a sudden severe headache or a sudden severe tummy ache, have blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, are struggling to breathe, or are confused or not responding as usual.

Which doctor to see

A general practitioner or family medicine doctor can help adults, and a paediatrician is the right call for babies and young children. Doctors you find on medicAI are employed by independent clinics and hospitals licensed by DHA in Dubai or DoH in Abu Dhabi, and those facilities are responsible for their care. medicAI does not treat patients.