Valerian for cramping due to stomach flu??!
Question: Help! My daughter has had that awful stomach flu for 3 days straight. (she's 18) No vomiting. Just fever and diarrhea. Got the fever under control, but the diarrhea and especially the cramping won't go away. Called the doctor - - - nurse said Kaopectate is better than the anti-diarrhea pills (which didn't work when we tried them). After several dosages of Kaopectate, she is still having cramping every couple of hours.
Yes, I'm pumping fluids into her as much as possible. No solid foods. But I've read online that the herb pills, Valerian, may help relieve intestinal cramping. I have some. Should I give it a try?
P.S. She can't very well go to the doctor's office and wait to be seen in the condition she's in. I asked them to prescribe Lomotril, but they want me to wait another day to see if the Kaopectate works. UGH, but I don't see improvement yet! She has nothing left in her intestines to empty - - - - and I hate to see her keep suffering. Suggestions???
Answers: Help! My daughter has had that awful stomach flu for 3 days straight. (she's 18) No vomiting. Just fever and diarrhea. Got the fever under control, but the diarrhea and especially the cramping won't go away. Called the doctor - - - nurse said Kaopectate is better than the anti-diarrhea pills (which didn't work when we tried them). After several dosages of Kaopectate, she is still having cramping every couple of hours.
Yes, I'm pumping fluids into her as much as possible. No solid foods. But I've read online that the herb pills, Valerian, may help relieve intestinal cramping. I have some. Should I give it a try?
P.S. She can't very well go to the doctor's office and wait to be seen in the condition she's in. I asked them to prescribe Lomotril, but they want me to wait another day to see if the Kaopectate works. UGH, but I don't see improvement yet! She has nothing left in her intestines to empty - - - - and I hate to see her keep suffering. Suggestions???
The diarrhea is just her body's way of trying to 'clear the decks' to eliminate the contagion so trying to control it isn't a great idea in my opinion, unless it's very serious. I usually use pepto-bismol which soothes the stomach without immediately stopping the diarrhea. If you really need to control it, use imodium instead if possible. For fluid replacement I'd offer her V-8 juice, too, it's easy on the stomach, has low acidity and replaces the sodium and other minerals she's losing.
The cramping can be very painful but choose any pain meds based on her history and be aware that many of them can actually cause stomach upset, so it's a trade-off. Less pain but possibly worse diarrhea or vomiting. Use ibuprofen if anything, if she tolerates it.
Valerian root can help with cramping but it isn't usually a quick fix, it may take time to work and by then she'll be over the flu. It's not likely to hurt though.