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A gastrointestinal infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites, and can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dehydration.
Treatment usually consists of alleviating symptoms with rest, hydration and adequate nutrition. However, depending on the cause, it may be necessary to take an antibiotic if the infection is due to bacteria, or an antiparasitic if it is caused by worms.
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 and can be done with solutions obtained at the pharmacy or with a homemade serum that can be prepared at home.
To see how to prepare a homemade serum, 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, you can take syrups and teas that can be easily prepared at home, such as chamomile tea or apple syrup, for example. See how to prepare these natural remedies.
Pharmacy remedies
During an intestinal infection, abdominal pain and headache may occur. If these pains are very severe, you can take an analgesic, such as paracetamol or Buscopan, for example.
In addition, to help stop diarrhea, probiotics such as Enterogermina, Florax or Floratil, for example, can be used, which will replenish the intestinal flora and make the intestine function normally again.
Generally, antibiotics are not used in intestinal infections, because they only work for infections caused by bacteria, which are infrequent infections, and in addition, they can lead to resistant bacteria to develop if antibiotics are used without indication. However, if the infection is very severe and does not cure, or if the specific microorganism responsible for the infection is identified, an antibiotic to which the bacteria is sensitive should be used:
Most commonly used antibiotics in intestinal bacterial infection
Depending on the bacteria that is involved in the intestinal infection, the antibiotics generally most prescribed are amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and metronidazole.