What are the alternatives to oral rehydration therapy?

Oral rehydration solution is designed to replace water and salts lost through diarrhoea or vomiting. If a person can swallow and keep fluids down, a clinician may suggest another suitable drink for a particular situation, but plain water alone may not replace lost electrolytes. Very sugary drinks can also worsen diarrhoea in some people.

Intravenous fluid therapy delivers fluid and electrolytes through a vein. It is used by a medical team when dehydration is significant, vomiting prevents drinking, a person is unusually drowsy, or the body needs faster supervised replacement. The choice depends on the cause, examination findings, age, and other health conditions.

Take frequent small sips rather than a large drink at once, especially after vomiting. Continue breastfeeding if an infant is affected, and ask a pharmacist or clinician which replacement fluid is appropriate before using homemade mixtures. Treating the cause, such as gastroenteritis, may also be necessary; antibiotics or anti-diarrhoeal medicines are not suitable for every illness.

If drinking is difficult, keep track of urination, alertness, thirst, dizziness, and ongoing losses. Do not delay assessment because a person has managed a few sips. Older adults, young children, pregnant people, and people with kidney, heart, or metabolic conditions may need personalised fluid advice.

Seek urgent medical care for confusion, fainting, marked weakness, very little or no urine, inability to keep fluids down, blood in stool or vomit, severe abdominal pain, or breathing difficulty. A child who is hard to wake, has a dry mouth with few wet nappies, or cannot drink needs prompt assessment.

Contact a clinician promptly when diarrhoea or vomiting is persistent, symptoms follow travel, or there is concern about cholera or another infection. A clinician can decide whether intravenous fluid therapy, testing, or treatment for the underlying illness is needed.

Ask which fluid is appropriate for the person’s age and medical conditions, how much to take while losses continue, and which signs mean intravenous treatment is needed. Also ask whether medicines, tests, or treatment for the underlying cause should be considered.