Diarrhoea
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Dr Morton's
the medical helpline©

Diarrhoea

woman holding stomach in pain because of diarrhoea

Diarrhoea (sometimes spelled diarrhea) often resolves itself, but sometimes people experience more severe symptoms. Our prescription packs can help you to:

With Dr Morton's - the medical helpline© you can email or phone a real doctor at any time for more information, reassurance or advice.


£60

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£25

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£10
£10.00 dispense

Dr Morton's Prescription© for diarrhoea

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£35
free delivery

Dr Morton's Prescription© for travellers' diarrhoea

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£40
free delivery

Dr Morton's Prescription© for SE Asia travellers' diarrhoea

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£35
free delivery

Dr Morton's Prescription© for persistent travel diarrhoea (giardia)

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£120
free delivery
£25
discount to
subscribers

Dr Morton's Test Kit© for diarrhoea

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See Dr Morton's Test Kit© for inflammatory bowel disease

See Dr Morton's Test Kit© for coeliac disease


What causes diarrhoea?

Viral infections account for over 70% of stomach upsets in the UK where diarrhoea is the main symptom. Seasonal Norovirus is a major culprit. These illnesses, the medical term for which is gastroenteritis, have to run their course. Treatment needs to be directed at keeping the body’s chemical balance and hydration as normal as possible.

If you're experiencing severe vomiting (acute gastritis) with diarrhoea, it is likely that you are suffering from food poisoning. This type of upset stomach is common, and usually only lasts 24 hours.

Bacterial infections can be much more serious, and may require more sophisticated treatment. There are several types of bacteria that can cause diarrhoea, like campylobacter, shigella or salmonella, but these tend to be rare in the UK. Unless you have been abroad, or have been in close contact with someone else who has it, it is very unlikely that you have one of these infections.



Symptoms

Chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis are not caused by bacteria or parasites, but can also cause diarrhoea.

There are some very serious infections that cause diarrhoea, like dysentery, typhoid or cholera, or even ebola virus, but these are thankfully very rare in the UK.


Treatment for diarrhoea

The most important thing to do if you have diarrhoea is to avoid dehydration. Losing fluids can be dangerous, particularly for the young, elderly or frail, as it deprives your body of both water and vitals salts. To maintain your fluid and salt balance, rehydration sachets are highly recommended.

Loperamide is a medication that helps to slow down diarrhoea. It stops the symptoms rather than the cause. If you need to move around or travel and wish to avoid embarrassment, loperamide may help.

You can ask one of our doctors for both loperamide and rehydration sachets by ordering Dr Morton’s Prescription© for diarrhoea.

If you have been abroad, particularly in the developing world, there is a greater chance that you may have caught a specific bacterial or parasitic infection.

If you caught diarrhoea whilst in South East Asia, azithromycin is the most effective antibiotic and Dr Morton’s Prescription© for SE Asia travellers' diarrhoea is available. Please note that azithromycin does not have a licence for this indication even though it is commonly prescribed by doctors as the antibiotic of choice in this clinical situation, recommended in the Hospital of Tropical medicine’s review in the BMJ and supported by authoritative research from Hill and Beeching.

For travellers returning with diarrhoea due to a bacterial infection contracted elsewhere in the world, ciprofloxacin is the recommended antibiotic treatment, therefore we include this in a different pack: Dr Morton’s Prescription© for travellers' diarrhoea.

If you have had persistent diarrhoea for ten days or more, and antibiotics like ciprofloxacin or azithromycin have failed, then it is possible that you have a parasitic infection such as giardia (giardiasis). Dr Morton’s Prescription© for persistent travel diarrhoea contains metronidazole, which is a medication that can kill the giardia parasite.

All of our diarrhoea packs contain hydration sachets and loperamide, and can be delivered straight to your door. To order one, register for free today and fill out a short medical questionnaire. If the doctor does not think the pack will be appropriate for you, you won't be charged a penny.

If you are travelling on an expedition to a location where diarrhoea is a common problem, you may wish to take advance precautions and have the appropriate medicine with you. You should consider Dr Morton’s Travel Pack©.


When you should contact a doctor

Consult a doctor if you have the following symptoms:


Avoiding travellers' diarrhoea

Prevention of travellers' diarrhoea is better than cure. If you are travelling to an area of poor sanitation, make sure you:


Diarrhoea in pregnancy

If you get diarrhoea when pregnant, you may need special advice or even medical assistance to protect you and your baby. Speak to one of our doctors if you're worried, as they will be able to point you in the right direction.


An interesting fact about diarrhoea...

Many Spanish conquistadores that went to Mexico under the rule of Montezuma II (1466 - 1520) died due to severe attacks of diarrhoea. To this day, travellers' diarrhoea is still sometimes called Montezuma's revenge!

 
This page was last updated on 08/08/2017

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