The stomach bug can hit at any time, without any notice—at least, until you make it to the bathroom and realize that’s not your normal #2. Diarrhea from the stomach bug can last anywhere from a day to a week. Unless you want to press pause on your busy life to run to the bathroom multiple times a day, you’ll need to find a way to get rid of diarrhea from the stomach bug, fast.

What is the stomach bug?

The “stomach bug” is the common name for the condition “acute gastroenteritis,” or the fancy medical term for irritation of the lining of your stomach and/or intestines. The stomach bug can come from a virus, bacteria, or parasite. Common symptoms include watery diarrhea, pain or cramping, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes fever, and typically last up to a week. Over 20 million cases of the stomach bug happen annually in the U.S.

5 Things to Know About the Stomach Bug and How to Get Through It

1. Hydration is essential.

One of the biggest concerns with stomach bug symptoms is hydration. It makes sense—if you have diarrhea three or more times in one day, you lose more fluids and electrolytes than you may realize as you go about your day, drinking water as normal. That’s why when you catch the stomach bug, it is key to stay hydrated, replacing the fluids and electrolytes you may lose from diarrhea. Stick to water, sports drinks, and broth. You can also consider an oral re-hydration solution to replace your electrolytes. Some drinks can make your diarrhea worse; avoid drinks with alcohol and caffeine, like coffee, teas, or soft drinks, if you have diarrhea from the stomach bug. Dehydration can cause serious health issues, so if you have a concern about it, reach out to your health provider immediately.

2. Pepto Diarrhea can treat diarrhea at the source.

Pepto Diarrhea

The stomach bug will pass—but there’s no need to suffer through it or simply control the symptoms. Aside from staying hydrated, the best thing you can do for the stomach bug is treat the diarrhea symptoms. Pepto Diarrhea has you covered. Its dual action coats your stomach and kills the common bacterial causes of diarrhea. You can count on fast, calming, and effective diarrhea relief with Pepto Diarrhea. Even better? In addition to the traditional liquid form, Pepto Diarrhea also comes in liquicaps and caplets for on-the-go-relief. As always checking with your healthcare provider is a great step to confirm what’s causing your symptoms in the first place. (If your diarrhea symptoms get worse or last longer than two days, pause the Pepto use and reach out to your doctor.)

3. You can eat if you’re hungry.

The cherry flavor from Pepto Diarrhea Liquid may be the most flavorful thing you taste when dealing with diarrhea from the stomach bug. Experts recommend eating soft, bland, easy-to-digest foods like bananas, brown rice, broths, plain applesauce, whole grain bread, and potatoes. Don’t think mouthwatering, crispy, salty French fries, though. You should also avoid fatty foods, including fried and fast food, as well as spicy and sugary food—so no milkshake for dessert, either. Stick to frequent sips of liquid (hydration cannot be stressed enough) and small amounts of food at a time.

4. The stomach bug can be contagious.

Don’t be the person that goes out and socializes while dealing with diarrhea from the stomach bug. No one likes that person, and with good reason. The stomach bug can be spread by fecal, oral, respiratory, food, and even water transmission. And because incubation periods vary, you may be a day or two out from experiencing diarrhea symptoms and think you’re fine, though you may still be contagious. Don’t be the person that spreads the stomach bug. Let someone else handle and prepare food while you’re experiencing diarrhea symptoms and a couple days after the symptoms stop just to be safe. If you need to go out, have Pepto Diarrhea LiquiCaps with you for on-the-go relief so you’re prepared in case your diarrhea symptoms act up.

5. You can (try to) avoid the stomach bug.

You can’t always avoid contact with someone who has the stomach bug—especially if you live with that person. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to catch the stomach bug. First off, practice proper hand hygiene—meaning, wash your hands with soap and water, especially after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before and after handling, preparing, or eating food. Give an extra clean to anything the sick person comes into contact with, like counter tops, changing tables, bed sheets, pillowcases, and clothes.

Sometimes you may not know exactly where you caught the stomach bug. Handling food is one way to spread the symptoms—so if you know the stomach bug is going around your community, consider skipping the all-you-can-eat buffet. When traveling, stick to bottled water and avoid raw and peeled fruit and vegetables.

The stomach bug is no fun. Remember that Pepto Diarrhea has your back. Take Pepto Diarrhea at the first sign of diarrhea from the stomach bug so you can get to the source with its dual action formula and more importantly—get relief from your diarrhea symptoms.

Sources (Accessed March 2020)

Contemporary Clinic, “Best Approaches to Acute Gastroenteritis”

National Institute of Health, “Treatment of Viral Gastroenteritis"

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