Symptom Finder - Treatment of Acute Gastroenteritis
GASTROENTERITIS, ACUTE
1. Bed rest and clear liquid p.o.
2. Intravenous fluids if there is clear evidence of dehydration (coated tongue, mushy eyeballs or tenting of the skin).
3. Diphenoxylate + Atropine (Lomotil): 1–2 tabs q4hrs for significant diarrhea and ondansetron (Zofran): 4 mg q6hrs. On tongue or promethazine (Phenergan) suppositories: 25–50 mg q6hrs PRN.
4. Alternatively, administer loperamide (Imodium): 4 mg stat and 2 mg after each stool.
5. In persistent cases, especially if there is fever, culture stool for enteric pathogens and administer ciprofloxacin (Cipro) 500 mg bid especially in cases of travelers’ diarrhea.
6. If diarrhea becomes chronic, consider possibility of Clostridia difficile, amebiasis, Giardia, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, steatorrhea, Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, and carcinoid syndrome.
7. For vomiting ondansetron (Zofran): 4 mg on tongue q4hrs
1. Bed rest and clear liquid p.o.
2. Intravenous fluids if there is clear evidence of dehydration (coated tongue, mushy eyeballs or tenting of the skin).
3. Diphenoxylate + Atropine (Lomotil): 1–2 tabs q4hrs for significant diarrhea and ondansetron (Zofran): 4 mg q6hrs. On tongue or promethazine (Phenergan) suppositories: 25–50 mg q6hrs PRN.
4. Alternatively, administer loperamide (Imodium): 4 mg stat and 2 mg after each stool.
5. In persistent cases, especially if there is fever, culture stool for enteric pathogens and administer ciprofloxacin (Cipro) 500 mg bid especially in cases of travelers’ diarrhea.
6. If diarrhea becomes chronic, consider possibility of Clostridia difficile, amebiasis, Giardia, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, steatorrhea, Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, and carcinoid syndrome.
7. For vomiting ondansetron (Zofran): 4 mg on tongue q4hrs
