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Rehydration with Dioralyte When Travelling

Every time we go away I take a bag of medical supplies with me. I keep it in the cupboard, pack it every time and hope we never need to use it. However when we went as a family to Rwanda earlier this year my medical bag (actually bags) were probably the largest they have ever been.  There wasn’t much I didn’t pack to be honest, as I wasn’t sure where the nearest chemist might be.

However, one of the things that I ALWAYS pack when we go away is Dioralyte – an oral rehydration treatment.

 

 

So why am I so obsessive about making sure we have Dioralyte with us when we travel. It’s because unfortunately the combination of different foods, different water and different ways of cooking things, together with the heat, can sometimes lead to diarrhoea and dehydration.  Whilst we all know it is important to keep up hygiene habits when you’re abroad and wash your hands with soap and water, different hygiene practices in some hotels and restaurants can increase the likelihood of you picking up bugs.  I was particularly aware of this in Rwanda and packed lots of little hand gel bottles for us all to have in our pockets, but we should all be aware of it wherever you travel.

Despite all the extra care, both Lily and I did pick up a 24 hour sickness and diarrhoea bug (albeit mild) and I immediately reached for the Dioralyte sachets.  For me it is second nature to do this, as it works. Water alone will hydrate you fully, but it will just take longer to do so and the ingredients in Dioralyte are scientifically balanced to help you rehydrate and recover faster[1]^,[2].

What I feel a little bit guilty about writing this, is that I did not give the Dioralyte to Lily.  Granted her bout of sickness wasn’t as bad as mine and lasted less time, but I realise I should have tried to give her Dioralyte too.  I know I would have met with some resistance as anything ‘different’ always meets resistance with my eldest, and in fairness to her it does taste a bit salty, doesn’t it,  however, I know I should have tried.  It’s important to replace the essential body salts lost through diarrhoea and Dioralyte helps to do this.

What I should also have done is taken DioraleZe® for myself, which helps stop the symptoms of diarrhoea in just one dose[3].  I do have some loperamide tablets in my medical bag but to be honest I didn’t know Dioralyte made DioraleZe.   As I’m such a fan of Dioralyte I’m likely to switch to their brand in the future. I could have also given Lily Dioralyte Relief, which rehydrates rapidly and contains rice starch to help watery stools return to normal⁵.

Dioralyte is suitable for adults and children of all ages, however infants under the age of 2 years with diarrhoea should be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible[4]. Dioraleze is suitable for children and adults over 12 years³. Dioralyte Relief is not suitable for children under 3 months and should be administered under medical advice for those aged 3 months to 1 year[5]. Always read the label.

What is always in your medical bag when you travel? Is Dioralyte in there?

NB: This post has written in association with Dioralyte

[1] Mecrow IK and Miller V.J Paed Gastro Nutr 1993

[2] Thillainayagam AV et al. Gut 1993; 34:920-6

[3] Dioraleze SPC – May 2015

[4] Dioralyte SPC GSL – September 2013

[5] Dioralyte Relief SPC

 

Date of prep: September 2017                                                                    Job bag: SAGB.DIO.17.08.0972

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