The main complication of traveller's diarrhoea is dehydration, where the normal water content of your body is reduced.
Symptoms of dehydration include:
- increased thirst
- irritability
- restlessness
- sunken eyes
- dry skin, including the lips
- dark, concentrated urine
- dizziness or light-headedness
Get medical attention immediately if you or someone else is dehydrated.
Other medication
If you are taking other medication, diarrhoea may make it less effective. This is because the medication passes out of your body before it is absorbed, and so will not have any effect.
This can affect any medication. Take particular care if you are taking the oral contraceptive pill or the blood-thinning medicine (anticoagulant) warfarin.
If you take the oral contraceptive pill and have diarrhoea, it may not provide effective contraception because the pill will not have time to work before being passed out in your stools. This could lead to an unplanned pregnancy.
If you take warfarin and have diarrhoea, you may be at risk of blood clots forming inside your blood vessels. This can lead to serious complications, such as deep vein thrombosis (when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins in your body) or a stroke (when a blood clot disrupts the blood supply to your brain).
Long-term diarrhoea
In some cases, traveller's diarrhoea may last for over a month while you are travelling abroad. If you are losing a lot of weight, seek medical attention. It may be worth changing your diet to see if this helps reduce your symptoms. You could try cutting out:
- milk and dairy products
- fatty, oily and spicy foods
- alcohol
Long-term diarrhoea often gets better without treatment after you return home because you will no longer be exposed to the same bacteria and viruses that caused it.
In rare cases, long-term diarrhoea in travellers is due to another cause. The diarrhoea could be the start of another health problem that has nothing to do with your travels.
For example, diarrhoea can be a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a long-term disorder that affects the digestive system. IBS will require a full medical assessment by your GP.
