***TOILET ALERT! ***
 

Regardless of how careful I choose my 'eating places,'and do not drink the local water or drink (alcohol) during the day, everytime I go abroad I suffer with very bad stomach upsets. Please, please please can anybody advise me of a fast effective remedy. Thanks alot.

I would suggest you visit your doctor and see if he can prescribe a medication.

No matter where I travel, I always take some Imodium AD with me. I can't count how many times it's come in handy! <BR> <BR>I seond the other post: ask your doctor about medications for this.

An acquaintance of mine suggests eating the local yoghurt. He travels the world over and suggests it as a safe way to get some of the local flora into your system.

We always take a bottle of Pepto Bismol, available in North America, with us (and always use it). I don't know what the equivalent would be in your country. <BR>

see your doctor...bismuth subsalicylate can be used prophylactically, or they may give you some antibiotics (TMP/SMX or a quinolone like ciprofloxacin) to use if you become symptomatic.

Marjie, your problem maybe stress from traveling too much, if it happens so much when you travel abroad. The best advice I can give you is to try and relax when you travel and be careful of what you eat-certain exotic foods can be allergens for some people and can really do a number on their digestive systems. It relaxing doesn't help, and you just have to eat the exotic food and drink the local tap water, then bring along the generic OTC's. Also, you should consult your physician if this is such a problem for you.

Imodium Advanced is a miracle drug! One dose seems to do the trick. Worth a try.

A doctor once told me that most cases of stomach upset while travelling are actually symptomatic of dehydration rather than any problem with eating/drinking local food/water. Dehydration is common while travelling because (1) flying on a plane is extremely dehydrating; I was told to drink at least 8 oz. of water for every hour on the plane; (2) people travelling often spend more time outdoors in the sun/wind than they are accustomed to and/or spend more time walking/swimming/otherwise exerting themselves than usual, which is also dehydrating; (3) people on vacation often drink more alcohol than usual, which is also dehydrating; (4) people travelling often don't drink as much water as they need to, because they are worried about getting sick if they drink the local water! Bottom line: drink LOTS AND LOTS of water (bottled if necessary). And yes, bring immodium just in case.