the runs

[exit2dos]

Hi everyone,has anyone got any advice for curing diarreah while in Thailand,it happens everytime I go there.Any suggestions other than a cork that could help me out,thank you

 

You go to the nearest ER, clinic or doctors office, right away.

[YimSiam]

hicks,

 

unfortunate that your first post is on this topic! much more interesting issues to be discussed.

 

i am not a doctor, so... get a second opinion!

 

immodium is a temporary fix - use it if you have to survive a bus ride, movie, etc. what it does is paralyze your ass so that you don't shit - it's a cork, basically. if you drink too much or eat foods your body's not used to, it's okay. you're not infected with anything, so all you need to do is survive a few hours.

 

the problem is, diarrhea in thailand and other developing countries is not caused by change in diet, it's caused by parasites - generally, either bacterial (most frequent, you'll note a sudden onset accompanied by fever, heavy mucous content in your stool) or amoebic (less identifiable onset, mucous and more likely blood in your stool). frequently your body will resolve the issue in a few days, though more serious infections persist. you need different drugs to kill different bugs, so get a sample tested and then take the right drug.

 

if you know what you've got, take cipro or norflox for bacterial, flagyl for amoebic including giardia. (these are what I take and they work fine - perhaps there are newer versions). take the whole sequence, to make sure you kill it all. available at any drug store in Thailand.

 

like i said, not a doctor, just a man who has shit his brains out in various shit-spattered locales throughout asia over the last 13 years...

 

YimSiam

[pasathai1]

pink bismith works for me.

 

but when I see the ads for worm medicine on the side of a buss I really start to worry

[dddave]

Pink Bismith is sold localy as "GASTRO BISMOL", sometimes hard to find but most "BOOTS" pharmacys carry it.

 

Nobody has yet mentioned how criticaly important it is to stay well hydrated when you have diarrhea.

Many people erroneously believe that not drinking water will stop the runs: not so!

If your piss is unusually yellow and smelly, that is a sign of severe de-hydration. Thick saliva, itchy eyes and skin and light-headedness are also symptoms.

 

Just water alone is not sufficient. You also have to replace minerals that help the body metabolize fluids. Sport and energy drinks, powdered drinks like "ROYAL D" or even a pinch of table salt disolved in water will help.

[exit2dos]

eat oreo cookies. I am not joking. the black part of the cookie does something to kill bacteria. lots of thai people use that as a cheap way to fix it. Also if you can handle spicy, have some realy spicy vegetable tom yum

 

Unless you are in Phnom Pehn, Luang Prabang or some wierd remote place, you're crazy to medicate yourself. I carry Cipro, etc, but would use them only in fore said circumstances.

 

Doctors and ER treatment is cheap, in Thailand, except Bumrungrad, and even that isn't bad compared to USA prices. You should have traveler's insurance, anyway.

 

You can ruin your kidneys, liver or even die. Why waste your precious time, laying in a hotel bed, waiting for the sickness to pass? It could take a week, without care.

 

Do you really want to toy with E coli?

 

It doesn't make sense to eat Oreos, yogurt, some OTC crap or drug store do it youself prescriptions.

 

[exit2dos]

eat oreo cookies. I am not joking. the black part of the cookie does something to kill bacteria. lots of thai people use that as a cheap way to fix it. Also if you can handle spicy, have some realy spicy vegetable tom yum

 

Unless you are in Phnom Pehn, Luang Prabang or some wierd remote place, you're crazy to medicate yourself. I carry Cipro, etc, but would use them only in fore said circumstances.

 

Doctors and ER treatment is cheap, in Thailand, except Bumrungrad, and even that isn't bad compared to USA prices. You should have traveler's insurance, anyway.

 

You can ruin your kidneys, liver or even die. Why waste your precious time, laying in a hotel bed, waiting for the sickness to pass? It could take a week, without care.

 

Do you really want to toy with E coli?

 

It doesn't make sense to eat Oreos, yogurt, some OTC crap or drug store do it youself prescriptions.

[trooper]

What is a right dose of ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin for bacterial diarrea? I thought maybe I'll by the stuff the first thing I get to Thailand. I'll get the runs almost everytime I'm in Thailand so I can then cure myself immediately I get sick (again )

[dddave]

Taking Anti-biotics in advance can really mess-up your digestive system. They kill the beneficial bacterias that are essential to the digestive process and you'ld probably end up with the runs as a result.

[YimSiam]

Cipro is usually 500 mg twice daily for at least 5 days - 7 to be safe.

 

If you want to avoid getting the runs in the first place, you can take Doxy on a daily dose for malaria prevention - as I recall, Doxy was recommended for border areas of Cambodia/Thailand. Ostensibly you'd be taking to protect against malaria, but it would have the side benefit of preventing most cases of traveler's runs. Makes you more sensitive to the sun, though.

 

Not a doc!

 

YimSiam

[exit2dos]

What is a right dose of ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin for bacterial diarrea? I thought maybe I'll by the stuff the first thing I get to Thailand. I'll get the runs almost everytime I'm in Thailand so I can then cure myself immediately I get sick (again )

 

I assume you have a doctor, at home, and get innoculations and so forth. Tell your doctor you want Cipro and other medications for potential sickness. It should be no problem for the doctor to come up with the right prescriptions.