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What Should I Do after Food Poisoning?
Things to do after food poisoning include drinking fluids, avoiding solid foods until diarrhea has subsided, and avoiding dairy products. In addition, children should drink electrolyte-replacement fluids after food poisoning to restore fluids and minerals lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Although most cases of food poisoning will resolve after a few days, hospitalization may be required for more serious cases.
Causes of food poisoning include viruses, bacterial contamination, toxins, and parasites. In addition, bacterial food poisoning can be transmitted via contaminated water, contaminated meat, or unsanitary food preparation or handling. Food poisoning can also occur after eating food that has been prepared by a person whose hands were not thoroughly washed.
Symptoms of food poisoning include fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and weakness. In addition, dehydration can quickly occur after food poisoning and can become severe enough to require treatment with intravenous fluids. This is typically more common in those who are very young or old, those who have predisposing medical conditions, or those who are pregnant. In addition, people with compromised immune systems are susceptible to complications from food poisoning.
Occasionally, taking antibiotics may be recommended after food poisoning if the illness was caused by bacteria. If, however, the food poisoning is related to a virus, antibiotics will typically not be recommended. Although over-the-counter medications to help relieve diarrhea may offer symptomatic relief, they should be avoided in those with bloody diarrhea or those who have a fever. Discussing these medications with the physician is important to make sure they are safe to take.
After food poisoning, the physician may recommend further medical testing, such as the analysis of stools, blood, vomit, or even the food that has been implicated in the food poisoning episode. Since other medical conditions can mimic the symptoms of food poisoning, a complete medication examination may be in order if symptoms do not resolve despite treatment. Recovery, however, can be lengthy in some patients and weakness can linger for weeks.
Food poisoning can sometimes be prevented by making sure foods are cooked thoroughly and making sure that raw foods are kept away from foods that are ready to eat. In addition, when food quality is in question, it should be thrown away. If questions about food poisoning aftercare persist, a discussion with the doctor may be in order.
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![A Salmonella bacterium, a common cause of food poisoning.]()
By: Lyuba BunakovaA Salmonella bacterium, a common cause of food poisoning. -
![Staying hydrated by drinking water is a must during a bout with food poisoning.]()
By: Andrey KuzminStaying hydrated by drinking water is a must during a bout with food poisoning. -
![Allowing yourself to vomit may help speed up food poisoning recovery.]()
By: Tom WangAllowing yourself to vomit may help speed up food poisoning recovery.
Discussion Comments
@KoiwiGal - People should stay hydrated as much as possible, but they also have to beware that they don't end up making themselves more ill by eating or drinking. I've been told that the best thing you can do is vomit up the bad stuff in your stomach, but that's not always true. In some cases your gut is just reacting to irritants and vomiting isn't actually helping. And it can really hurt your stomach and throat to throw up too much.
I've traveled in a lot of countries where the food wasn't always safe and I have had food poisoning more than once. In my experience, if you don't manage to vomit up the problem within a couple of hours, you aren't really going to help anything by continuing to try.
You're better off just letting it run its course and taking tiny sips of water to keep yourself hydrated.
@bythewell - I think a lot of people make themselves worse by avoiding all food and fluids while they are feeling sick. Food might be a good idea, but being dehydrated is only going to make you feel worse.
It always takes me a couple of days to recover completely from food poisoning, which is one of the worst parts. Even once the original sickness has passed, you still end up spending the next couple of days without any energy at all.
I usually try to sleep it out and make sure I drink lots of water and take vitamins to replace anything I've lost.
If you have particularly bad food poisoning, don't just try to ride it out. If you get a bad fever or if you notice any blood in your vomit, you should go to an emergency room. It might be something you will get over in a few days, but food poisoning can kill you. And there's always the possibility that it isn't food poisoning at all. The symptoms of other conditions, like appendicitis can look a lot like food poisoning.
Don't go to the doctor unless it's a bad case though. You really don't want to be stuck in a waiting room when you aren't feeling well.
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