I've had water diarrhea for a week now. Diarrhea in an adult with water: treatment

Find out what are the causes of diarrhea in adults, how to help yourself or a loved one get rid of such an unpleasant condition.

Diarrhea is unpleasant. With such a symptom, it becomes impossible to live a normal life. But discomfort and constant trips to the toilet are just the tip of the iceberg. Diarrhea signals an illness, sometimes quite serious. And sometimes it’s not enough to take one of those “magic pills” that are advertised on TV. In order for diarrhea to go away and not leave health consequences, you need to find out the reason for the change in stool character and fight it.

Diarrhea: disease or symptom?

IMPORTANT: Diarrhea is the popular name for a pathological condition, medically called diarrhea. With it, there is a frequent urge to defecate, the stool becomes watery and may change color. Diarrhea is often accompanied by abdominal pain and flatulence.

Normally, an adult goes to the toilet “mostly” from 2 times a day to 1 time in 2 days. At the same time, he secretes from 150 to 400 g of feces. Defecation occurs without much effort, after which there is a feeling of empty bowel.
The feces of an adult have a soft consistency and are shaped. Its color is brown.

They talk about diarrhea when in an adult:

• Frequent stools – 3 or more times per female
• loose stools – mushy or watery
• It is difficult to hold stool or difficult to hold stool
• stool color is yellow, green or whitish
• there is undigested food, mucus or blood in the stool
• stool foams
• stool has a foul odor

Diarrhea may be accompanied by other symptoms:

• nausea and vomiting
• a slight increase in temperature, up to 37.5 degrees, and a significant increase, up to 41 degrees
• increased gas formation
• cramps, pulling or cutting pain in the abdomen
• general malaise

Diarrhea, as a symptom, can have a serious consequence in the form of dehydration. We can talk about it if an adult, against a background of general weakness, has an irresistible desire to drink, his mucous membranes and skin become dry, blood pressure drops, tachycardia is observed, spots appear before his eyes, his head hurts and he feels dizzy. An extreme degree of dehydration with diarrhea is fraught with disruption of vital processes in the body and death.
Therefore, if you have diarrhea, it is better not to take symptomatic medications (which, by the way, have a lot of contraindications), but to consult a doctor who can determine the cause of the disease and prescribe the correct treatment.

IMPORTANT: You also need to know the rules of first aid for diarrhea in order to alleviate your condition and prevent dehydration.

The causes of diarrhea can be very different. Diarrhea can begin with:

Changing the nature of the stool (its color and consistency) is often the key to the correct diagnosis. So:

IMPORTANT: Mucus is always present in a certain amount in the stool. It is formed by epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract, mucus swallowed from the respiratory tract and respiratory organs, and blood cells and leukocytes. If a person is healthy, it is almost invisible.

If there are visible mucus inclusions, streaks or lumps in the stool of a liquid consistency, you can suspect:

• intestinal infection
• Crohn's disease
• irritable bowel syndrome
• dysbacteriosis
• cancer

An accurate diagnosis is made based on medical history, other symptoms and laboratory results.

Diarrhea in an adult with fever, vomiting: causes

Diarrhea, vomiting and fever are a classic clinical picture of what is popularly called poisoning, and in official medicine - an intestinal infection. The patient feels very bad, his condition can very quickly become severe or extremely severe. If you suspect a viral or bacterial intestinal infection, you should immediately call an ambulance and be hospitalized.

IMPORTANT: Vomiting, fever and diarrhea can occur with rotavirus infection in adults. Read about the features of the disease in the article “”.

Diarrhea in an adult with influenza, ARVI, 3 days, a week: causes

Diarrhea with influenza or ARVI in adults is a consequence of intoxication of the body with waste products of viruses. This intoxication can also cause vomiting. To get rid of diarrhea caused by respiratory viruses, it is necessary to take measures to treat the underlying disease and use symptomatic medications for diarrhea. Everything must be done to prevent dehydration of the body.

IMPORTANT: Diarrhea associated with ARVI symptoms is often attributed to “stomach flu”. There is no such diagnosis in medicine. There is not a single influenza virus that directly affects the intestinal mucosa.

Diarrhea in an adult after antibiotics: causes

Antibiotic treatment is very common today. Medicines in this group are designed to kill pathogenic bacteria that attack the human body. Unfortunately, antibiotics act not only on pathogenic microflora, but also on those “good” bacteria that live in the human stomach and intestines and take part in the digestive processes.
Therefore, a couple of days after starting a course of antibiotic treatment, so-called drug-induced diarrhea may begin. They treat it:

• diet
• drugs - prebiotics
• antidiarrheal drugs

IMPORTANT: As a rule, to prevent drug-induced diarrhea, in parallel with antibacterial agents, the patient is immediately prescribed prebiotics.

Diarrhea in an adult after eating or drinking milk: causes

Sometimes one-time or chronically immediately after eating, about half an hour later, an adult begins to have diarrhea. The symptom indicates a functional digestive disorder, in which the food consumed moves too quickly through the gastrointestinal tract, which means it does not have time to be absorbed. This happens when:

• irritable bowel syndrome
• some endocrine diseases
• inflammatory bowel diseases

One-time diarrhea can occur after consuming dairy or too fatty foods, as well as excessive consumption of laxative foods, such as beets or prunes.

The protein contained in cow's milk, casein, and milk sugar, lactose, are not tolerated by all adults and children. According to statistics, from 2 to 7 percent of people in the world cannot drink milk. This drink, which is beneficial for others, causes them to have watery, foamy bowel movements. The main way to treat cow's milk intolerance is a diet that minimizes or completely eliminates the consumption of it and dairy products.

Diarrhea in an adult on vacation, at sea: causes

It often happens like this: a long-awaited vacation, a trip to the sea, to some exotic country, a full-time vacation, and then suddenly, diarrhea. Why do both adults and children often experience diarrhea on vacation?
The phenomenon even has a special name - traveler's diarrhea. Do not attribute loose and frequent stools to acclimatization. It’s just that at sea, in any other, especially underdeveloped country, it is more difficult to take personal hygiene measures. Food and water often leave much to be desired. Microorganisms that live where he rests are often alien to the traveler’s body; there is no immunity to them. Hence poisoning with diarrhea, vomiting and fever. If this happens, you need to see a doctor. It will help you heal faster and return to your vacation plans.

VIDEO: 3 tests for diarrhea. Diarrhea as a symptom

First aid for diarrhea in an adult

It is not diarrhea that is treated, but its cause. Even if you influence intestinal motility with any drug, the patient’s condition will only improve temporarily. A diagnosis is necessary and you should consult a doctor.
But immediately and immediately in case of diarrhea, you need to be able to provide first aid to yourself or someone nearby.

1. Take an absorbent agent - activated carbon, white carbon, Smecta, Enterol, Atoxil, others.
2. Drink water and warm, slightly adjusted tea in small portions, but often.
3. Avoid eating for 6-12 hours. Next, follow the diet prescribed by your doctor.
4. At the first signs of dehydration, take Regidron or another rehydrating agent.
5. Limit physical activity.
6. Limit contact with people living with the patient in order to avoid infection if the cause of diarrhea is infection.

Diet, nutrition, products for diarrhea, diarrhea in adults

• normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract
• restore intestinal microflora
• restore the intestines' ability to absorb fluids
• suppress fermentation processes in the intestines

IMPORTANT: For acute and chronic intestinal diseases accompanied by diarrhea, a therapeutic diet table No. 4 is prescribed.

The essence of this diet is:

• reducing the calorie content of the daily diet to 2000 kcal
• reducing consumption of fats and simple carbohydrates
• reducing sugar consumption
• eating food that is not too hot, cold, hard, salty, peppery, that is, food that would irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa
• eating 5-6 times a day in small portions

Avoid frying, baking, pickling, and fermenting foods if you have diarrhea. They eat boiled, steamed, pureed. Allowed:

1. Meat: veal, beef, lean chicken, turkey.
2. Fish: pike perch, perch.
3. Eggs: soft-boiled and in the form of a steamed omelet, no more than one per day.
4. Cereals: white rice, oatmeal, buckwheat, semolina (porridge with water and without oil).
5. Dairy: low-fat cottage cheese, in the form of a casserole, acidophilus.
6. Vegetables: boiled, stewed, except cabbage.
7. Fruits: unsweetened, in the form of purees or jelly.
8. Berries: non-acidic, in the form of jelly.
9. Beverages: black, green, herbal tea, uzvar, non-acidic berry compote, natural unsweetened, non-sour juices, diluted in half with water.
10. Bread: white, in the form of crackers.

Is it possible and how to eat rice water and kefir for diarrhea in adults?

One of the first dishes introduced into the diet of a person with diarrhea is rice water. It works comprehensively:

• coats the intestinal walls, soothes the mucous membrane
• reduces peristalsis
• nourishes the human body, which due to diarrhea is faced with a deficiency of nutrients and nutrients

1. The decoction is prepared based on the proportion of 1 teaspoon of rice to 1 liter of water.
2. Throw the rice into water that has not yet boiled, and prepare the broth for 40 minutes.
3. Take a decoction of 50 g every 2-3 hours, it is not sweetened or salted.

IMPORTANT: Contrary to popular belief, kefir is not recommended for diarrhea. Fresh, it is laxative, and three days old it stimulates fermentation processes in the intestines. Consuming kefir can make the situation even worse.

Effective tablets, medicines, drugs for diarrhea: list. Smecta, Regidron, Enterosgel for diarrhea in adults: how to take? Potassium permanganate, activated carbon, Polysorb: how to use?

Despite the fact that the treatment of diarrhea includes a set of measures, there are very effective medications that can improve the patient’s condition. Among them:

1. Energy sorbents: activated carbon, white carbon, Polysorb, Smecta, Gastrolit, Enterosgel, Filtrum STI, others. These drugs can be used either once or according to a regimen prescribed by a doctor. The dosage, frequency and duration of use should be checked with your doctor or in the instructions.
2. Probiotics: Linux, Hilak Forte, Bifiform, Bifidobacterin, others. The main purpose of taking them is to normalize the intestinal microflora.
3. Oral rehydration products: Regidron, Gastrolit, Hydrolit, others. Needed for dehydration or to prevent it.

Antibiotics for diarrhea in adults - Levomycetin, Tetracycline, Metronidazole: how to take? Furazolidone for diarrhea in adults: how to take?

If diarrhea is caused by an infection, the doctor may prescribe the patient antimicrobial medications and antibiotics, which include:

1. Furazolidone. They treat infectious diarrhea, including dysentery and salmonellosis. Adults take it in tablet form for at least 3 days. Pregnant women with infectious diarrhea are rarely treated with Furazolidone.
2. Levomycetin. A broad-spectrum antibacterial drug is indicated for various types of infectious and inflammatory diseases, including intestinal diseases, accompanied by diarrhea. It works quickly. Adults drink the drug 300-500 mg three times a day after meals, or according to another regimen prescribed by the doctor.
3. Tetracycline. Another strong antibiotic that suppresses pathogenic microflora in the intestines.
4. Metronidazole. This antibiotic acts mainly on anaerobic microflora.

IMPORTANT: Antibiotics for diarrhea are prescribed only by a doctor. The specialist is based on test results (if bacteria sensitive to a specific drug are detected in the stool). If the cause of diarrhea is a virus or not an infection at all, the antibacterial drug will be powerless or even worsen the situation by killing beneficial bacteria in the intestines.

VIDEO: Diarrhea. What to do?

Folk remedies for diarrhea: recipes

Treatment of diarrhea is possible with folk remedies:

• having fastening properties
• normalizing intestinal motility
• normalizing intestinal microflora
• reducing symptoms of flatulence

There are several options you can take note of.
RECIPE No. 1. Garlic
Needed:

• garlic – 1 clove
• boiled water at room temperature – 200 ml

1. For chronic diarrhea for an established reason, if there are no contraindications, it is recommended to eat 1 clove of garlic.
2. It is cut into pieces that can be swallowed, swallowed without chewing, and washed down with water.
3. The course of treatment lasts 1 week.

RECIPE No. 2. Cumin infusion.
Needed:

• cumin seeds – 2 tbsp. spoons
• boiling water - 200 ml

1. Cumin is poured into a thermos and poured with boiling water.
2. Insist for a quarter of an hour.
3. Strain and let cool.
4. The infusion is divided into equal parts and drunk 3 times a day.
5. A fresh infusion is made every day.

Herbs for diarrhea: how to use?

Herbal teas, infusions and decoctions of herbs help with diarrhea.

RECIPE No. 1. Melissa infusion.
Needed:

• dry lemon balm - 3 tbsp. spoons
• boiling water – 250 ml

1. The herb is poured into a clay or glass container and poured with boiling water.
2. Keep the herbal remedy in a water bath for 20 minutes.
3. Then let it cool and brew for 1 hour.
4. Drink 1 tbsp three times a day. spoon.

RECIPE No. 2: Infusion of wormwood and dill seeds.
Needed:

• dry wormwood – 1 tbsp. spoon
• dill seeds – 2 teaspoons
• boiling water -200 ml

1. Mix wormwood and dill seeds.
2. The mixture is poured with boiling water and left for 1 hour.
3. Drink 100 ml twice a day 15 minutes before meals.

Pomegranate peels, oak bark for diarrhea in adults: how to use?

Oak bark is a proven folk remedy for diarrhea, as it has astringent, antimicrobial and antiputrefactive properties. Prepare it like this:

1. 10 g of oak bark is poured into 0.3 liters of boiling water.
2. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
3. Cool and filter.
4. Drink 100 ml three times a day.

Pomegranate peels, which are usually considered waste, help with diarrhea.

1. Pomegranate peels must be prepared in advance - remove from the fruit, wash, separate the white, useless pulp and dry.
2. Store dry raw materials in linen bags.
3. If you have diarrhea, immediately prepare the following remedy: crush 10 g of dry crusts in a mortar and pour 200 ml of boiling water. After half an hour, strain the broth and drink half of it.
4. Drink the second half in two times at equal intervals.

Will vodka help with diarrhea?

Vodka is believed to help with diarrhea. But when using it as a medicine, one should not forget about the harmful effects of alcohol on the body.
Add a third of a teaspoon of salt to 80 g of vodka and drink the resulting product.

VIDEO: Diarrhea

Water diarrhea in an adult is a symptom of intestinal dysfunction caused by a certain disease. Diarrhea left untreated for a long time can lead to serious consequences.

What are the dangers of water diarrhea?

Very loose stools like water in adults are not just a pathological condition, it causes serious disruption to the functioning of many organs and systems of the body. If diarrhea torments a person for a long time, weakness appears and general health worsens.

But the most important danger diarrhea poses to the water balance of an adult’s body:

• The cells of the human body begin lose water, work less actively and age faster. It is difficult for an adult to lose more than 5 liters of fluid with diarrhea; if this happens, the outcome will be fatal.
• Along with water from the intestines micronutrients and vitamins are washed away, without them, the body quickly weakens and cannot independently resist the disease that caused diarrhea.
• Loss of fluid due to diarrhea, it leads to the washout of intestinal microflora, which protects the body and fights pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
• Stool with water helps the intestines to pass food is not digested, and the body does not have time to get energy from it and now quickly weakens.
• Severe diarrhea with water also affects intestinal muscles. Under pressure, they can tear or stretch; the sphincter of the anus also suffers; due to prolonged diarrhea, it can weaken and then not hold feces at all.

When diarrhea is tormented, you should not endure it; measures must be taken immediately, otherwise the consequences of diarrhea can become fatal for a person.

Watery diarrhea is very dangerous; adults and children should begin treatment immediately when, instead of stool of normal consistency, sudden diarrhea begins.

Don’t forget how dangerous diarrhea is, so that you don’t experience all the “delights” of diarrhea later.

One of the main causes of constipation and diarrhea is use of various medications. To improve bowel function after taking medications, you need to do it every day. drink a simple remedy ...

Causes of diarrhea

It is impossible to decide what to do about diarrhea until it is established why it occurred. The appearance of diarrhea is always caused by either external or internal factors.

Diarrhea can develop for the following reasons:

1. Entry into the intestines of pathogenic protozoa, microorganisms of an infectious or viral nature (enteroviruses) that release toxins that enter the blood and disrupt the entire functioning of the small and large intestines. If watery fluid comes out of the intestines, then the small intestine is most likely affected, and if diarrhea is frequent, but not particularly liquid, then the problem is most likely in the peristalsis of the large intestine.
2. Improper functioning of the secretory glands - severe upset of the stomach and intestines, caused by excess digestive enzymes, can lead to a change in the consistency of the stool, its smell, and the frequency of trips to the toilet also increases.
3. Acute diarrhea can be caused by the ingestion of toxins and poisons, industrial or plant origin, into the human body. The frequency of bowel movements usually increases and the stool becomes watery.
4. Food poisoning or simply changes in diet can lead to short-term diarrhea. The quantity and frequency of loose stools is usually limited and intestinal upset does not linger for a long time, but disappears within a day.
5. Stool in the form of water, rather than formed masses, can become a symptom of taking medications. Severe diarrhea is usually not observed, but still such a reaction of the body should not be ignored, since diarrhea is a protective reaction to an irritant, and the body itself understands when something does not suit it. But sometimes you can endure mild diarrhea for 5 days - one week, if the benefits of the medicine are greater. If diarrhea continues for more than a week, you may need to change your medication.
6. Diarrhea in an adult can be caused by dysbiosis - a lack of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. If diarrhea began in the evening, but did not torment you all night, and went away by the morning, then do not worry, but if loose stools continue all day and continue at night, then treatment should be started.
7. Diarrhea can occur in an adult due to nervousness. “Bear disease,” as this condition is called, is more typical for adults, since they have more reasons for worry in life than children.

Each diarrhea requires an identification of the cause.

Without this, doctors cannot treat a person, since in this case they are treating only the symptom, not the disease.

Associated symptoms of diarrhea

Diarrhea is accompanied not only by loose stools. Any disease has several symptoms, which help establish a diagnosis and begin treatment.

Diarrhea may be accompanied by:

• A rise in temperature, which indicates the course of an inflammatory process, often infectious or viral. If an adult's temperature remains normal, then less serious causes of diarrhea can be assumed. Without fever, diseases develop with low immune defense and it is important to establish this in time.
• Nausea often occurs in the fourth to fifth hour after the first loose stool. This indicates that intoxication has begun and is increasing due to loss of fluid.
• If a person feels nauseous, vomiting may soon appear. If the vomiting is severe, repeated, and even a fountain, then you should immediately seek help.
• An adult with diarrhea almost always has a stomach ache. Pain can vary in nature and strength. A long painful spasm often indicates increased work of the intestines or the appearance of a neoplasm in the intestinal lumen.

The doctor always takes these signs into account when making a diagnosis.

If diarrhea is severe, you should not wait for it to appear; it is better to seek help immediately.

Should you see a doctor?

Diarrhea is a protective reaction of the body to certain factors of the external and internal environment, as well as an indicator that something is wrong inside. Diarrhea occurs quite often in adults, but is not always a cause for concern.

You should consult a doctor or call an ambulance if:

• Liquid stool flows the first, second, third day and does not acquire a normal consistency.
• Abdominal pain and other symptoms are getting worse every hour.
• Diarrhea is accompanied by pus or blood in the stool.
• The stomach refuses to accept any food and vomiting occurs immediately after eating.
• The stool has a terrible smell and is foul - this is a common sign of infectious diarrhea.
• Dehydration, weakness, pallor and dry skin appear.
• On the first day after the onset of diarrhea, a person loses more than two liters of fluid and does not replenish them.
• An adult diarrhea is no longer liquid, but only mucus with impurities, the urge to defecate more than 10 times a day.
• The patient's temperature has risen above 39 and is not falling.

Prolonged diarrhea is dangerous; the doctor must decide what treatment to prescribe to the patient as early as possible, so do not delay a visit to the hospital.

Diagnostic signs of diarrhea

The course and nature of the disease is determined by the type of stool of an adult.

Depending on its consistency and color, a presumptive diagnosis can be made:

• Colorless, transparent stool is a sign of an infectious disease, one could assume cholera. Colorless diarrhea can also occur with prolonged loose stools, when the body simply has nothing to digest and eliminate, and only mucus comes out.
• Green stool is a symptom of damage to the adult intestines by bacteria or viruses.
• Diarrhea with black water indicates intestinal bleeding; the darker the color of the stool, the farther along the intestines from the anus the crack is located. Action should be taken here immediately.
• If yellow liquid comes out of the intestines, then this is not the worst thing - peristalsis is simply increased and the matter can be corrected. Yellow-colored feces are often just a temporary glitch, but yellow liquid with prolonged diarrhea is already a pathology.
• White, watery stools develop due to intestinal tumor damage.

The doctor establishes the diagnosis at the stage of examining and interviewing the patient, but for accurate confirmation it may be necessary to conduct certain instrumental studies or tests. Severe diarrhea is treated without waiting for results, using general rules, and only after that specific therapy is introduced.

Principles of treatment of diarrhea

Treatment of diarrhea should be comprehensive, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, only some aspects are selected separately (type of tablets, need for antibiotics or refusal of them, etc.).

Video

The main measures aimed at eliminating constipation:

1. Maintaining water balance.
2. Diet food.
3. Drug treatment of diarrhea.
4. Ethnoscience.

Maintaining water balance

With diarrhea, patients often refuse water and food, which is not correct. Eating and drinking is very important to keep your body strong. Even in three days with liquid diarrhea, a person can lose a lot of weight and lose many important microelements. This is precisely why diarrhea is dangerous; people don’t die from dysentery, they die from dehydration.

Mineral water purchased at a pharmacy or in a supermarket in a special section will help to avoid dehydration. You can buy Regidron and its other analogues. You can also prepare a saline solution at home (for 2 liters of water, 2 g of soda, 15 g of sugar and 5 g of salt). Drinking helps the body function at a sufficient level and maintain internal balance.

The patient should drink minimally per day 2 liters any liquid. If the diarrhea is mild, then adults drink a little less due to their capabilities.

Liquid diarrhea will not stop, or even get worse, but this is only for the benefit of the body. Adults should be given water gradually throughout the day so as not to strain the kidneys.

Diet food

In case of intestinal disorder, expressed by diarrhea, food will help to consolidate the stool. The body must digest something and excrete and obtain energy from food, otherwise an adult will quickly weaken.

Dietary nutrition includes foods that promote fecal consolidation.

These include:

• Homemade crackers.
• Not fatty meat, fish, poultry, etc.
• Rice porridge and rice water.
• Low-fat fermented milk products.
• Scrambled eggs.
• Cereals (barley is not allowed).
• Strong teas, decoctions and jelly.
• Potatoes, carrots, eggplants.

All cooked food should not be spicy or peppery, there should be a little salt. The products are not consumed raw - only boiled and parboiled, you can also bake them. At first, it is better to drink tea with crackers, and introduce everything else into the menu gradually.

Prolonged diarrhea will take a long time to recover, since even after the diarrhea stops, the intestines of an adult are very weak and a sudden transition to normal food can provoke a new outbreak of the disease. When the diarrhea has been completely cured, you will have to continue on this diet for at least two more weeks, or preferably a month, so as not to expose the body to stress.

New foods are allowed to be introduced in small portions.

Drug treatment for diarrhea

The drugs help stop diarrhea temporarily or eliminate its cause, and thereby cure an adult. The selection of a medicine should be carried out by a doctor according to the diagnosis. There are different tablets, capsules, injections that can help the patient, they all belong to different groups of drugs and can be used in combination or separately.

Any remedy or medicine must be prescribed by a doctor. If you use antibiotics on your own, and an adult has dysbiosis, the situation will only worsen. Therefore, it is worth taking a responsible approach to the treatment of diarrhea.

ethnoscience

If prolonged diarrhea is not caused by a bacterial or viral infection, then in most cases you can get by with traditional medicine. The body of any adult is susceptible to one or another remedy, and therefore a folk medicine should be selected taking into account the person’s condition.

For severe and mild diarrhea the following will help:

• Infusion of onion peels - pour a liter of boiling water over the peels and boil for 10 minutes, strain and take throughout the day.
• Blueberry infusion is also prepared - 4 tablespoons of blueberry leaves per liter of water.
• Vodka with salt – dilute half a teaspoon of salt per 100 ml of liquid. The mixture should be drunk immediately; you can take the second portion no earlier than 4 hours later.
• Vodka with pepper and salt is prepared in the same way, plus half a teaspoon of ground red pepper is added.
• Rice water - drink every three hours for an adult.
• A decoction of pomegranate peels - the peel of one fruit should be poured with cold water (200 ml) and brought to a boil, turn on low heat and hold for another 10 minutes. Every couple of hours, take 2 tablespoons of the decoction.
• Carrot puree from 4 carrots - boiled in water and taken in small portions (3 tablespoons) 4 times a day.

A whole list of these remedies should not be used together; it can only make things worse for an adult, even though the diarrhea will subside. An adult body weakened by diarrhea may respond inadequately to any treatment, so medications should be selected with great care. It is better to discuss the choice of a folk remedy for diarrhea with your doctor, since some remedies for diarrhea are poorly compatible with each other.

If diarrhea has already tormented an adult, but the person continues to feel quite acceptable, this is not a reason not to see a doctor. Water diarrhea is a symptom of intestinal pathology. The adult body always tries to cope with the problem itself, but in some cases outside help is needed. Otherwise, diarrhea can become a greater danger than what it is trying to rid the person's intestines of.

Video: why diarrhea starts

Diarrhea is a fairly common symptom that occurs during the development of many diseases. Liquid stool may indicate an eating disorder or indicate serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers. Why does the problem most often occur in adult patients, and what treatment methods will be relevant here? Let's talk.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Human feces are approximately 75% water. Everything else is particles of processed food, enzymes, fiber and some mucus released from the body. The consistency of feces is usually hard, but diarrhea also occurs frequently.

Usually the problem appears due to the body’s reaction to not the most healthy food, which has difficulty digesting. However, if liquid stool appears all the time, it’s time to sound the alarm. Here are the most common reasons for the frequent occurrence of this disorder:

• intolerance to certain components in the diet that cause allergies;
• pancreatic diseases;
• the vital activity of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract;
• ulcerative colitis;
• intolerance to certain dairy products or consumption of large amounts of fatty foods;
• cancerous formations;
• problems with fluid absorption.

Regular problems with stool consistency should raise certain questions in a person. Such disorders do not arise just like that, and usually this problem indicates the early stages of the development of very serious diseases.

Often the symptom is combined with others that are no less alarming. For example, diarrhea often occurs against the background of increased flatulence or severe abdominal pain. You should see a doctor because the range of potential problems is too wide to diagnose on your own.

Types of liquid stool and diagnosis

• antispasmodics that help relieve pain by weakening the smooth muscles of the intestines;
• absorbents - drugs effectively and quickly compact feces, absorbing substances that cause intoxication, removing them from the body.

The doctor may also prescribe a complex of beneficial probiotics that restore beneficial intestinal microflora, contributing to the full restoration of its function.

During normal functioning of the body, a person excretes an average of 150-300 g of feces every 24 hours. The amount of feces depends on the food consumed and the amount of coarse dietary fiber in it. The frequency of bowel movements is individual for each person, but if visiting the toilet exceeds 3 times a day, we can safely say that the person has developed diarrhea. During “normal” operation of the digestive system, the amount of liquid in the stool is no more than 60%, and the person does not experience any discomfort. If the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, then up to 90% of fluid in the stool can be observed. In this case we are talking about watery diarrhea.

Watery diarrhea (like water) - a condition characterized by the body's excretion of shapeless, pale-colored stool.

During bowel movements, burning and itching of the anus, as well as a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestines, are often noted.

You can understand that in a particular case we are talking about watery diarrhea by the following characteristics:

• the number of acts of defecation per day exceeds 3 times;
• the total volume of bowel movements increases significantly;
• during the act of defecation and after it, the patient notes discomfort in the abdomen;
• stool is not formed, the color is different from normal (as a rule, the color of stool becomes light brown or yellow).

Why is it dangerous?

The most significant threat that adult stool poses to humans is dehydration ( dehydration).

With diarrhea, water and electrolytes are very quickly removed from the body in feces. In the absence of replacement of lost elements, dehydration develops, which is divided into 3 degrees:

• early dehydration, which is asymptomatic;
• moderate dehydration, which is accompanied by a feeling of thirst, irritability and anxiety, decreased elasticity of the skin;
• severe dehydration, the symptoms of which include more severe conditions such as confusion, shock, prolonged absence of urination, cold extremities, increased heart rate, pale skin and low or undetectable blood pressure.

If emergency measures are not taken to replace fluid in the body, severe dehydration can be fatal.

If any signs of dehydration appear, seek immediate medical attention!

Associated symptoms

This type of diarrhea is most often accompanied by the following symptoms:

• increase in body temperature

High body temperature accompanies diarrhea, which is caused by poisoning, exposure to viruses and infections. Often, along with an increase in temperature, patients note the development of migraine.

• nausea and vomiting

As a rule, diarrhea is accompanied by a feeling of severe nausea, which sometimes ends in vomiting. This state of the body is a kind of protective reaction to substances harmful to it.

• abdominal pain

Abdominal pain with watery diarrhea can be different: from dull aching to acute, spasmodic.

Soreness is felt in the upper abdomen just above or at the waist, as well as in the area below the navel. Sometimes pain appears along with rumbling, a feeling of fullness.

With severe diarrhea, the pain becomes sudden, cutting character.

Causes and treatment

Causes

In older patients, water diarrhea is often caused by the following reasons:

Anyone can provide first aid for diarrhea on their own.

For this It is necessary to take any drug that improves intestinal health as soon as possible. For these purposes, you can use activated carbon, Smecta, Enterol.

Don't forget about drinking regularly. Water should be consumed often, in small portions. You can use natural juices and teas from medicinal herbs that will help restore lost vitamins.

Diet

If you have diarrhea with water, be sure to include the following foods in your diet:

• oven-dried white bread;
• rice porridge;
• blueberry jelly;
• whey;
• strong black tea.

Authorized Products

• lean meat and fish, steamed or boiled in water;
• all types of cereals, except pearl barley;
• vermicelli, pasta;
• milk diluted with water (1 part milk to 3 parts water);
• kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese (low-fat);
• chicken eggs (except hard-boiled);
• jelly, compotes, decoctions and herbal teas;
• sweet fruits and berries;
• parsley dill;
• potatoes, peas, beans, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots.

For the treatment of watery diarrhea Do not eat raw vegetables and fruits! Cooking should be done by soaking, boiling or steaming.

Prohibited Products

• meat and fish of fatty varieties, as well as offal;
• smoked meats;
• canned food;
• whole cow's milk, goat's milk, cream;
• turnips, beets, radishes, fresh cucumbers, mushrooms and all types of cabbage;
• spices and seasonings;
• fruits and vegetables of sour varieties;
• citrus and exotic dishes;
• baked goods, brown bread;
• carbonated drinks.

When should you see a doctor?

Because water diarrhea in an adult can lead to severe dehydration, you should closely monitor the patient's condition and seek immediate medical attention if the following symptoms occur:

• there is mucus, pus or blood in the stool;
• diarrhea in an adult does not stop longer than 3 days;
• feces have acquired a black color and the consistency of tar;
• the stool is similar in color and consistency to rice water;
• the patient's temperature rose sharply and fever appeared;
• abdominal pain increases;
• The patient experiences drowsiness and unusual behavior.

You should also seek medical help if the patient is suffering from uncontrollable vomiting.

Mandatory consultation with a doctor is required for patients over 65 years of age, patients with diabetes mellitus, heart pathologies, liver and/or kidney diseases, as well as HIV-infected people.

Diagnostics

Self-diagnosis and self-treatment of diarrhea with water are unacceptable!

Determining the cause of the development of watery diarrhea for the subsequent selection of treatment tactics is carried out using the following diagnostic methods:

• bacteriological examination of feces;
• stool analysis for worm eggs;
• caprocytogram;
• clinical blood test;
• irrigoscopy;
• Ultrasound examination of the pelvic and abdominal organs.

In order to exclude pathologies of the large intestine, they resort to sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy.

Treatment of diarrhea with water in an adult can be carried out with medications, as well as use traditional medicine.

Drug treatment

The choice of drug for the treatment of watery diarrhea depends on the reasons that caused it. As a rule, drugs of the following groups are used:

• antibiotics;
• enterosorbents;
• drugs that inhibit intestinal motility;
• probiotics.

Bifidumbacterin

A probiotic of biological origin that helps regulate the balance of microflora in the intestines.

Due to the high concentration of bifidobacteria, which are antagonists of a wide range of pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms, the drug promotes the rapid restoration of normal intestinal microflora. Used to treat diarrhea caused by acute intestinal infections, dysbacteriosis and food poisoning.

Bifidumbacterin is contraindicated for use in patients with hypersensitivity to the components of the drug. People with lactose intolerance should use with caution.

Average price per package (10 bottles x 5 doses): 88-100 rubles.

Acipol

A drug represented by dry biomass that regulates the balance of intestinal microflora. It is used to treat diarrhea caused by intestinal dysbiosis, has a corrective effect on the microflora, and stimulates the immunological reactivity of the human body.

Contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

Average price per package (30 capsules): 320-340 rubles.

Smecta

Antidiarrheal agent of natural origin, which has an adsorbing effect. Stabilizes the mucous barrier, increases the quantity and improves the quality of mucus in the intestines. The drug adsorbs viruses and bacteria that enter the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract.

Smecta is contraindicated for use in case of individual intolerance to the drug, as well as in patients with intestinal obstruction, fructose intolerance, and sucrase-isomaltase deficiency.

Average price per package (10 sachets x 3 g): 150-170 rubles.

Loperamide

Antidiarrheal symptomatic agent that reduces the tone and motility of intestinal smooth muscles. Reduces the rate of peristalsis and increases the time of movement of intestinal contents. Helps increase the tone of the anal sphincter, which helps to retain feces and reduce the frequency of the urge to defecate.

Contraindicated in case of intestinal obstruction, ulcerative colitis in the acute stage, diverticulosis. Not used for the treatment of diarrhea caused by acute pseudomembranous enterocolitis, dysentery and other gastrointestinal infections. It is also prohibited for use by women during breastfeeding and in the first 3 months of pregnancy.

The use of the drug in children must be agreed with the attending physician!

Average price per package (20 capsules): 50-60 rubles.

Enterofuril

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent for the treatment of gastrointestinal infections. Having a detrimental effect on a number of gram-positive microorganisms, it does not upset the balance of intestinal microflora. Recommended for the treatment of diarrhea of ​​infectious origin without signs of helminthic infestations.

Contraindicated in patients with high sensitivity to nitrofuran derivatives, as well as premature infants and children under 1 month of age.

The average price per package (16 capsules) is 330-360 rubles.

Traditional medicine

Pour 3 tablespoons of crushed roots of common sorrel into 500 ml of hot water, leave in a water bath for half an hour, cool for 15 minutes, strain. Bring the resulting volume to the original volume with boiled water. Take 30 ml (2 tbsp) three times a day 30 minutes before meals.

Prepare a medicinal mixture from the following ingredients:

• blueberries - 30 g;
• rhizome of Potentilla erecta - 15 g;
• sandy immortelle flowers - 15 g;
• Salvia officinalis leaves - 50 g;
• caraway fruits - 15 g.

1 tbsp. l. pour 200 ml of boiling water over the resulting mixture, keep in a water bath for 30 minutes, cool, strain, squeeze out the remaining raw materials well. Bring the volume of the resulting broth to the original volume with boiled water. Take 100 ml 4 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

Combine knotweed grass (1 part) with cinquefoil grass (1 part) and plantain leaves (2 parts). 2 tbsp. l. Brew the mixture with 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 45 minutes and strain. Take 100 ml orally every 8 hours (preferably before meals).

Mix rowan berries (4 parts), St. John's wort herb (3 parts) and marshmallow root (2 parts). 1 tbsp. l. collection, brew 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 100 ml every 8 hours.

6 tbsp. l. dry chamomile flowers pour 500 ml of boiled water, keep in a water bath in an enamel container for 15 minutes, cool, strain. Thoroughly squeeze out the remaining raw materials and bring the resulting volume to the original volume with boiled water. Dissolve 2 tbsp in the infusion. l. honey and take 1/2-1/3 cup after meals.

Preventing dehydration

If dehydration of the body is not prevented in time and the condition is allowed to develop, this leads to a decrease in the volume of fluid inside the cells, which in turn leads to the development of irreversible processes.

In order to prevent dehydration during watery diarrhea, experts recommend that the patient drink as much fluid as possible. If severe water diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, the liquid must be taken in small portions.

A very effective way to prevent dehydration is a water-salt solution that can be prepared at home. To do this, you need to dilute 15 g of sugar, 5 g of salt and 2 g of soda in 1 liter of clean boiled water. The resulting solution is taken orally in small sips throughout the day.

If there are no signs of dehydration, this solution should be taken 200 ml after each bowel movement.

In pharmacies you can purchase ready-made powders intended for the treatment and prevention of dehydration, such as Regidron, Gidrovit, Gastrolit, Normohydron, etc.

Further prevention of the condition

Among the main measures to prevent watery diarrhea are:

• access to clean drinking water;
• compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards;
• proper food hygiene;
• thorough heat treatment of products, especially products of animal origin;
• vaccination against rotavirus infection.

Water diarrhea is not only an unpleasant condition, but also very dangerous.

Dehydration, which diarrhea leads to, can cause enormous harm to the body in a matter of days and lead to the most severe consequences.

Timely seeking qualified medical care and strict adherence to doctors’ instructions can save not only the health, but also the life of the patient.