Travel Clinic · Oxford

Travellers’ Diarrhoea Tablets

in Oxford.

A standby course of prescription tablets to pack, in case bad diarrhoea strikes while you’re away. A pharmacist checks your trip and your health first. Available at all four of our branches.

Most useful for:

● Asia

● Africa

● Middle East

● Latin America

+ anywhere far from medical care

Quick online booking · No GP needed · Pay at your appointment

Price

£30

Consultation and a standby course for one trip

✓ One standby course

✓ Pharmacist check first

How you take them

Fluids first

Rehydration from the first loose stool

Start

3+ loose stools in 24 hours, no doctor nearby

Stop

When it settles, 3 days at most

Opens in a new tab · Pay at your appointment

Bring your itinerary. Tablets supplied on the day where stock permits.

Quick check

Do I need standby tablets?

Tap your trip to see what to expect.

Clinical brief · Travellers’ diarrhoea

What the tablets do, and what they don’t.

They can roughly halve a bad bout, from about 3 days to about a day and a half, when you’re far from a doctor. They don’t replace fluids, or care with food and water.

Who they’re for

Travellers to Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Latin America who will be far from medical care, or who have a condition such as weakened immunity, or bowel, kidney or heart disease, or who take daily stomach-acid tablets. Most mild stomach bugs don’t need antibiotics.

When you take them

Only if you have 3 or more loose stools in 24 hours that stop your plans, and you can’t see a doctor quickly. Your pharmacist picks the right course for where you’re going, as some stomach bugs no longer respond to certain tablets in parts of Asia, and explains exactly how to take it. It lasts no more than 3 days.

Fluids come first

Drink oral rehydration solution from the first loose stool and keep going. Eat freshly cooked hot food, peel fruit yourself, and avoid tap water, ice and raw salads. Brush your teeth with bottled water, go easy on buffets and street ice cream, and wash or gel your hands before you eat.

Vaccines to think about

Dirty food and water can also spread typhoid and, in some places, cholera. Check whether your trip needs the typhoid vaccine (£55) or the cholera vaccine (£42.50). Your pharmacist can check this at the same visit.

Know the signs

Symptoms of travellers’ diarrhoea.

It usually starts in the first week of a trip and clears in 3 to 5 days. Drink oral rehydration solution from the start. A fever, blood in your stool or signs of dehydration mean get medical help.

Loose stools

Three or more in 24 hours.

Loose stools

Start rehydration now. Use your tablets only if it stops your plans and no doctor is nearby.

Stomach cramps

Often with bloating.

Stomach cramps

Rest, keep sipping fluids and eat plain food when you feel ready.

Nausea & vomiting

Can make it hard to drink.

Nausea & vomiting

Take small, frequent sips of rehydration solution. Get help if fluids won’t stay down.

Tiredness

Feeling weak and drained.

Tiredness

Usually from losing fluid. Keep drinking and rest until you feel better.

Fever of 38°C or more

Hot, shivery or sweaty.

Get help now

See a doctor. After visiting a malaria area, a fever needs a doctor the same day.

Blood or mucus in your stool

Or severe tummy pain.

Get help now

Get medical help straight away, and don’t take anti-diarrhoea medicine.

Signs of dehydration

Little urine, dizzy, very thirsty.

Get help now

Get medical help straight away, especially if fluids won’t stay down.

Before you book

Is it right for you?

Suitable if…

Not suitable if…

You’re going to Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Latin America

You have diarrhoea now

You’ll be somewhere remote, far from a doctor

You’re pregnant or might be

You have a condition that makes a stomach bug more serious

You have a heart rhythm problem or heart failure

You’re 18 or over

You have severe liver or kidney disease

For adults 18 and over. Some medicines don’t mix with these tablets, so tell your pharmacist everything you take. They decide on the day whether a standby course is right for you.

Travellers’ diarrhoea FAQ

Common questions, answered.

Do I need standby tablets for my trip?

Not always. They help most if you’ll be far from medical care or have a health condition. Your pharmacist will tell you.

When do I take them?

Start oral rehydration solution from the first loose stool. Take the tablets only if you have 3 or more loose stools in 24 hours that stop your plans, and you can’t see a doctor quickly.

What does the £30 include?

The consultation and a standby course for one trip. If they’re not suitable for you, you pay only the £10 consultation fee.

Are there any side effects?

Usually mild, such as feeling sick, stomach ache, looser stools, a headache or a change in taste. Your pharmacist goes through them with you.

Can my child have them?

This service is for adults 18 and over. If a child gets diarrhoea abroad, give oral rehydration solution and see a doctor early, especially for babies under 1. Don’t give anti-diarrhoea medicine to under-12s.

What if it carries on after I’m home?

See your GP if it lasts more than 2 weeks or comes back after you’re home, and tell them where you travelled. Some people have an upset bowel for a few weeks afterwards.

When should I get medical help?

Straight away for a fever of 38°C or more, blood in your stool, severe tummy pain or signs of dehydration. Don’t take anti-diarrhoea medicine if you have a fever or blood in your stool, or for more than 2 days.