You will usually recover from the most common types of food poisoning within a couple of days. The goal is to make you feel better and avoid dehydration.

• Don't eat solid foods until the diarrhea has passed, and avoid dairy products, which can worsen diarrhea (due to a temporary state of lactose intolerance).
• Drink any fluid (except milk or caffeinated beverages) to replace fluids lost by diarrhea and vomiting.
• Give children an electrolyte solution sold in drugstores.

If you have diarrhea and are unable to drink fluids (for example, due to nausea or vomiting), you may need medical attention and fluids given through a vein (by IV). This is especially true for young children.

If you take diuretics, you need to manage diarrhea carefully. Talk to your health care provider -- you may need to stop taking the diuretic while you have the diarrhea. Never stop or change medications without talking to your health care provider and getting specific instructions.

For the most common causes of food poisoning, your doctor would NOT prescribe antibiotics.

You can buy medicines at the drugstore that help slow diarrhea. Do not use these medicines without talking to your health care provider if you have bloody diarrhea or a fever. Do not give these medicines to children.

If you have eaten toxins from mushrooms or shellfish, you will need medical attention right away. The emergency room doctor will take steps to empty out your stomach and remove the toxin.

Most people fully recover from the most common types of food poisoning within 12 - 48 hours. Serious complications can arise, however, from certain types of food poisoning.

Dehydration is the most common complication. This can occur from any of the causes of food poisoning.

Less common but much more serious complications include:

• Arthritis (Yersinia and Salmonella)
• Bleeding disorders (E. coli and others)
• Death (from mushrooms, certain fish poisonings, or botulism)
• Kidney problems (Shigella, E. coli)
• Nervous system disorders (Botulism, Campylobacter)
• Pericarditis (Salmonella)
• Respiratory distress, including the need for support on a breathing machine (botulism)

Call your health care provider if:

• Diarrhea lasts for more than 2 - 3 days
• There is blood in your stools
• You have diarrhea and are unable to drink fluids due to nausea or vomiting
• You have a fever over 101°F
• You have signs of dehydration (thirst, dizziness, light-headedness)

Go to the emergency room or call 911 if:

• Bleeding is excessive or your stools are maroon or black
• You may have poisoning from mushrooms, fish, or botulism
• Your heart is racing, pounding, or skipping