The stomach bug is on the rise across the country.
If you are vomiting and have severe diarrhea, getting told you will need to just ride out your sickness is probably the last thing you want to hear. But according to the CDC, there is actually"no specific medicine to treat people with norovirus illness," so most people do recover at home by themselves.
A doctor won't be able to prescribe you antibiotics to treat your stomach bug because as a virus, it doesn't respond to, Verywell Health explains. But you should still call your doctor if you're experiencing norovirus symptoms to get advice on how to avoid dehydration. Repeated vomiting and diarrhea will cause you to lose fluids, which can result in dehydration."Dehydration can lead to serious problems," the CDC warns.
For dehydration, your doctor will likely advise you to drink plenty of liquids replace fluids and they can also recommend over-the-counter oral rehydration fluids. But your doctor can also help you more accurately determine if the likely cause of your symptoms is norovirus, according to the Mayo Clinic.Shutterstock/ESB Professional
While there is no real treatment for the norovirus, certain issues should prompt you to seek medical care. According to Verywell Health, you should check in with a healthcare provider if your symptoms have not gone away within a few days, you have bloody diarrhea, you develop signs of moderate to severe dehydration such as dizziness, light-headedness, weakness, fatigue, or lack or urine.
"People over age 85 and under age 5 are more likely to need medical care that can't be provided at home. If your baby or child has norovirus, contact your provider if they are vomiting, having frequent diarrhea, or show signs of dehydration," the experts at Verywell Health recommend. While most stomach flu cases resolve on their own, the CDC reports that the norovirus does typically cause around 109,000 hospitalizations and about 900 deaths each year in the U.S.