Red flags: Blood in stool, nocturnal symptoms, recent antibiotics, travel abroad, immunosuppression.
Consider: Exposure to possible enteric infection (undercooked food, recent farm visit), other symptoms such as abdominal pain / fever / vomiting, new medications, high risk groups (nursing home residents, food handlers).
Red flags: Nocturnal symptoms, iron deficiency anaemia, rectal bleeding / bloody diarrhoea, weight loss, raised inflammatory markers, severe abdominal pain, immunocompromised patients.
Therapy | Dosing advice |
Oral rehydration salts e.g. Dioralyte® | 1–2 sachets after every loose motion. Each sachet is reconstituted with 200ml of water. |
And/or | |
Loperamide |
4mg initially followed by 2mg after each loose stool, up to a maximum of 16mg daily. N.B. Do not give if infection or inflammatory bowel disease is suspected. |
Note: If C. difficile is suspected, see here for management.
Guideline reviewed: May 2023
Page last updated: August 2024