What treatments are available for traveler's diarrhea?

Reviewed by Yoshinori Abe, MD

Internal Medicine

Traveler's diarrhea is a common digestive illness that typically causes loose stools and stomach cramps after consuming contaminated food or water while traveling. In many cases, it resolves on its own within a few days without medical intervention. However, antibiotics such as azithromycin (Zithromax) may be prescribed to shorten the duration of symptoms or treat more severe cases.

Because symptoms of traveler's diarrhea can overlap with more serious conditions—like parasitic infections, food poisoning, or inflammatory bowel issues—it's important to understand what's actually driving your discomfort before deciding on next steps. A free, instant, online symptom check can help you quickly assess your symptoms, identify possible causes, and determine whether self-care is enough or if you should see a doctor. Taking a few minutes now could save you days of guessing—and help you get back to feeling like yourself faster.

Reviewed for medical accuracy: 07/14/2026

Important Next Steps

Discover what’s causing your diarrhea Learn if your diarrhea needs urgent care Find out if travelers’ diarrhea is serious See OTC options for diarrhea relief Find a doctor for diarrhea treatment Discover home remedies for travelers’ diarrhea Understand likely causes of diarrhea quickly

Not seeing your question? No worries.

Submit your own Question

Explanation

Traveler's diarrhea is a common problem for people visiting new places. To help treat it, doctors often use antibiotics. One option is zithromax, which can help reduce the symptoms.

Treatment Options

Antibiotics: These are medicines that fight bacteria. Zithromax is one example that has been used to treat traveler's diarrhea.
Loperamide: This is a medicine that can help stop diarrhea. It works by slowing down how fast things move through your intestines. However this is not recommended if you have fever, increased abdominal pain or blood in your stool

Combining Treatments

Sometimes, doctors might use both antibiotics and loperamide together. This combination may make the symptoms go away faster.

If you are planning to travel, it might be a good idea to talk to a doctor about how to prepare for or treat traveler's diarrhea. If you're experiencing digestive symptoms and want to understand what might be causing them, you can check your symptoms with our free AI-powered tool. Safe travels!

(References)

Ericsson CD, DuPont HL, Mathewson JJ, West MS, Johnson PC, & Bitsura JA. (1990). Treatment of traveler's diarrhea with sulfamethoxazole and .... JAMA, 2403603.
Riddle MS, Connor P, Fraser J, Porter CK, Swierczewski B, Hutley EJ, et al. (2017). Trial Evaluating Ambulatory Therapy of Travelers' Diarrhea .... Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 29029033.
Pinos Y, Ruiz MI, Corsi Ó, & Rada G. (2017). Is it worth adding loperamide to antibiotic treatment .... Medwave, 28549055.

Thinking about asking ChatGPT?Ask me instead

Tell your friends about us.

We would love to help them too.

For First Time Users

What is Ubie’s Doctor’s Note?

We provide a database of explanations from real doctors on a range of medical topics. Get started by exploring our library of questions and topics you want to learn more about.

Was this page helpful?

Purpose and positioning of servicesUbie Doctor's Note is a service for informational purposes. The provision of information by physicians, medical professionals, etc. is not a medical treatment. If medical treatment is required, please consult your doctor or medical institution. We strive to provide reliable and accurate information, but we do not guarantee the completeness of the content. If you find any errors in the information, please contact us.