A gastrointestinal infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites, and can cause symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dehydration.
Treatment usually consists of relieving symptoms with rest, hydration and proper nutrition. However, in some cases, if it is a non-healing bacterial infection, it may be necessary to take an antibiotic.
Home Remedies
Dehydration is one of the most dangerous symptoms that can occur during an intestinal infection, which can easily happen due to water lost in vomiting and diarrhea. For this reason, oral rehydration is very important in these cases, and can be done with solutions obtained at the pharmacy or with a homemade serum that can be prepared at home.
To see how a homemade serum is prepared, watch the following video:
In more severe cases of severe dehydration, hospitalization may be necessary for rehydration to be done with serum in the vein.
To relieve pain and reduce diarrhea one may take syrups and teas that can be easily prepared at home, such as a chamomile tea or an apple syrup, for example. Here's how to prepare these natural remedies.
Pharmacy Remedies
During an intestinal infection, abdominal pains and headaches may occur. If these pains are too strong you can take an analgesic such as acetaminophen, for example.
In addition, to help stop diarrhea, you should take probiotics, such as UL-250, Florax or Floratil, for example, that will replenish the intestinal flora and make the intestine function normally again.
Antibiotics are generally not used in intestinal infections because they only work for bacterial infections and in most cases the infection cures on its own only with symptomatic treatment and can also lead to resistant bacteria developing. However, if the infection is very severe and does not cure, or if the specific micro-organism responsible for the infection is identified, an antibiotic for which the bacteria is susceptible should be used:
Antibiotics most used in intestinal infection
Depending on the bacteria that is involved in the intestinal infection, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics are azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, metronidazole and vancomycin.
