Tummy Trouble

[WanderingChristian]

I was wondering what you veteran peregrinos did for bouts of stomach problems (GI distress, 24-hour flu, etc). I ask because stomach problems affect people when they travel, especially when diet is altered . A book I read a number of years ago suggested eating yogurt with active cultures as a treatment for loose bowels. My thought was to carry OTC remedies in pill form (Pepto Bismol) as opposed to liquid as it would weigh less and be less mess if there was any breakage.
Thanks for your help.

Buen Camino!
WanderingChristian

 

[Anniesantiago]

Any medications you might need you can easily get in Spain, where the pharmacist is allowed to prescribe meds for you. Just walk into any Farmacia and tell them your symptoms and they will give you something. Otherwise, my favorite mild diahhrea medicine is equal parts of plain yogurt (good bacteria), unsweetened applesauce (pectin to firm up the stool), and a teaspoon of cinnamon (warms the bowel and also firms the stool).

If it's a more serious case... see the pharmacist.

 

[SabsP]

Enterol, a probiotic is easily available at spanish farmacias. And dark chocolate at the tiendas... :wink:

 

[Deleted member 3000]

pill form Pepto Bismol

I carry it; never used it. Lomotil is better, but takes a prescription. See your doctor.

 

[mspath]

In France and Spain you can buy Imodium in any pharmacy without a prescription. Be sure to drink lots of clean water to replace what has been lost.

Stay well and Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[WanderingChristian]

I was thinking of the Pepto because of its formula for most stomach/intestinal issues. Annie; good idea on the yogurt mixed with cinnamon and applesauce in cases of diarrhea. I hope to not use it, but you never know. I realize that there are pharmacies all over the Camino, but my with my luck the stuff will hit the fan when I'm in a location where there isn't a pharmacy or it'll be closed. Boy Scouts taught me many things, among them was to Be Prepared. It's a life lesson that has stuck with me to this day.

Buen Camino,
WanderingChristian

 

[Whalleyranger]

Mint tea has always worked well for me - a few teabags won't weigh too much.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staff

Because traveler's diarrhea tends to resolve itself, you may get better without any intervention. It's important to try to stay hydrated with safe liquids, such as bottled water or canned juice. If you don't seem to be improving quickly, you can turn to several medications to help relieve symptoms.

Anti-motility agents. These agents — which include loperamide (Imodium A-D), medications containing diphenoxylate (Lomotil), and opiates, such as paregoric and codeine — provide prompt but temporary relief by reducing muscle spasms in your gastrointestinal tract, slowing the transit time through your digestive system and allowing more time for absorption. They aren't recommended for infants or people with fever or bloody diarrhea, as they can delay clearance of the infectious organisms and make the illness worse. Also, stop using anti-motility agents after 48 hours if you have abdominal pain or your signs or symptoms worsen and your diarrhea continues. In such cases, see a doctor.

Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). This over-the-counter medication can decrease the frequency of your stools and shorten the duration of your illness. However, it isn't recommended for children, pregnant women or people who are allergic to aspirin.

Antibiotics. If you have severe symptoms or three or more loose stools within eight hours, a doctor may prescribe a three- to five-day course of antibiotics.

Before you leave for your trip, talk to your doctor about appropriate medications to take with you so that you don't have to buy diarrhea medications while traveling. Some of the drugs available in other countries may be unsafe. Some may even have been banned in the United States.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Thanks for the recipe Annie. Last year I realised that I cannot take immodium and am going to talk to our pharmasist here before our next camino. If he has no other ideas the recipe will be a useful piece of info.

We always carry small sachets of rehydration salts and needed them last year. We replaced them with the Spanish equivelent - NB, not the sports type.

 

[annakappa]

Yoghurt. We eat yogurt daily including on our Camino. Also, as Tia Valeria mentioned, take a few sachets of rehydration salts with you. These should be used dissolved in water if you have a bout of tummy trouble, but also can be added to your bottle of water to drink when walking in very hot sun. Anne

 

[efdoucette]

If you are nervous about travel diarrhea see you doctor for Dukoral. It's an oral vaccine taken in 2 doses 1 week apart and 1 week before departure. Easy to take, although not too tasty, and lasts 3 months.

 

[westernstar]

hello, When I did the Camino last year a friend gave me a going away gift before I left--a bottle of activated charcoal capsules. She travels in Peru a lot and said this is her go-to for stomach upsets. They are cheap and readily available in US and don't weigh much. She told me take about 5 if the tummy rumbles then two or three every few hours.

I ate a fabulous supper at a small Basque restaurant in Pamplona but while I was eating I felt my upper lip tingle and thought that I might have an allergy to something I was eating. Next the tummy was rumbling. I grabbed my charcoal pills and started a regimen. Within 24 hours all was okay. This happened about two more times to me; a friend of mine who also used the charcoal was pleased with the results. Hope this helps.

 

[Kitsambler]

All the foregoing is good information for the routine hazards (unfamiliar foods, slightly tainted food or water, endemic biota from a continent not one's home).

This year there is a new, non-routine hazard. There is a particularly strong strain of norovirus running about now, and one can acquire it from any surface touched by others (handrails, countertops, etc). The last time I had the regular norovirus I was absolutely flat on my back, couldn't be more than three steps away from the toilet. I shudder to think what this new strain feels like.

So, by all means, do take rehydration salts along with you, as well as Immodium and Pepto-Bismol or their equivalents. And be very careful and frequent with your hand-washing.

 

[Freetime]

I have Crohn's Disease and don't go far without Imodium . If you can't do Imodium there is a pill form of Kaopectate available. For me it works better than Pepto but is not as strong as Imodium.

 

[fortview]

Apart from some nausea and lack of appetite in the first week, I didn't have a problem. However one of our camino family got quite sick after going in a swimming pool in an albergue in Belorado. The water was not clean, but she was desperate for a swim, and oh boy, did she regret it for a few days after.