How Long To Get Over Food Poisoning

About 48 million Americans experience food poisoning—also known as foodborne illness—every year. Usually, the nasty stomach symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting and cramps, pass relatively rapidly. But some can linger and even cause long-term problems. What are you likely to experience during your food poisoning recovery? How long can you or your child expect to be ill? And can medications like antibiotics help or hurt?

Causes of food poisoning

Food poisoning can be caused by eating spoiled, contaminated or ill-prepared food of all types, including fruits and vegetables as well as meats, fish, cheese and other animal products. The more people who touch the food between its harvest and its consumption (including shipping, storage, preparation, serving), the greater the potential for foodborne illness. About 250 viruses, bacteria, toxins and parasites have been identified as causes for foodborne illness. After consuming food contaminated with any of these pathogens, you can develop symptoms as quickly as a few hours to days later.

Food poisoning treatment and recovery

Your food poisoning recovery time depends on which foodborne illness you contracted as well as your risk factors. Most people will recover on their own, usually within one to ten days, without needing to see a doctor. However, children under 5, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are more likely to develop serious cases of foodborne illness. Some types of food poisoning also can take longer to recover from than others.

If you or your child have a milder case, you can treat food poisoning at home. While there is no food poisoning cure, you can take conservative steps to help speed recovery. These include:

Drinking fluids to avoid dehydration. Clear, non-caffeinated liquids can help; avoid milk, dark sodas and caffeinated drinks. If vomiting or diarrhea has been prolonged, replace essential minerals and salts with electrolyte solutions (such as Pedialyte).

Eating bland foods at first. When you're able to keep solids down, most experts advise eating easy-to-digest foods initially, such as toast, bananas and chicken noodle soup.

Using over-the-counter medications, if your doctor recommends them. Pepto Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) may relieve stomach cramps, while acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help bring fever down. Anti-diarrheal medication like Imodium (loperamide) may help stop diarrhea. However, these may prolong the time you're sick and are not advised for certain foodborne illnesses, such as E. coli infection. Your doctor can tell you which, if any, over-the-counter medications are best for you or your child.

Signs for when to contact your doctor

While most food poisoning cases resolve on their own, usually within a week, some can cause more severe, longer-lasting illness or complications. About 128,000 Americans are hospitalized each year due to food poisoning, and some 3,000 people die. Some people are left with lifelong impairments.

How can you tell if your foodborne illness requires additional treatment, such as a doctor's visit or perhaps hospitalization? Some signs that you need to contact your healthcare professional include:

Frequent vomiting for more than two days; inability to keep liquids down

Bloody vomit or stool (including maroon or black stool)

Diarrhea for more than three days, or profuse and bloody diarrhea

Extreme pain or severe abdominal cramping

Fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Trouble breathing

Trouble swallowing

Dehydration signs, such as excess thirst, dry mouth, little or no urination, severe weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness

Neurological symptoms, including blurry vision, muscle weakness and tingling in the arms

Also, if you have an immune-suppressing condition or take immunosuppressant medication and think you have food poisoning, contact your doctor immediately. If you believe your foodborne illness is related to eating mushrooms or shellfish, seek emergency care.

Some common causes of severe food poisoning include:

Escherichia coli (E. coli): This type of bacteria is usually found in undercooked meat, causes symptoms starting within 8 to 24 hours after eating. Some strains can damage the lining of cells in the kidneys, resulting in hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that sometimes causes long-term kidney damage. Recovery time from E. coli infection ranges from 7 to 9 days or more.

Listeria: This bacteria causes both mild and invasive infection (listeriosis). About 1,600 Americans contract listeria annually. The invasive type can cause up to 20% of pregnant women infected with it to lose their babies, either due to stillbirth or miscarriage; about 3% of newborn cases die. Of those that survive, they risk developing blindness, deafness, paralysis, seizures and/or mental retardation. Older adults may develop sepsis, meningitis or other complications. Recovery can take weeks.

Ciguatera: This toxin carried by some fish causes symptoms such as blurred vision and difficulty swallowing. It can result in chronic ciguatera syndrome, which lasts months to years. Otherwise, recovery is anywhere from one day to three weeks, depending on severity.

Campylobacter: This bacteria commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry, fresh produce and unpasteurized milk can lead to foodborne illness, which usually resolves in 2 to 10 days. However, campylobacter can also cause complications such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a neurological condition that can cause temporary paralysis) or chronic arthritis.

Salmonella: This common bacteria can infect food or water. It is the top cause of foodborne hospitalization and death in America. Recovery generally takes 4 to 5 days, but possible lingering complications include reactive arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Can antibiotics help treat food poisoning?

It depends on which type of food poisoning you have. Food poisoning caused by bacterial infections may respond to antibiotics, depending on the type of infection and your health or other risk factors. Antibiotics won't work for food poisoning caused by viruses (such as noroviruses). Doctors may or may not add antibiotics to your treatment plan for these type of food poisonings:

Listeria: Severe listeria infections are likely to be treated with antibiotics, usually given intravenously in the hospital. Pregnant women generally are given antibiotics promptly to help protect their baby from becoming ill.

Salmonella: If you have salmonella, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have a weak immune system or if the bacteria have entered your bloodstream. But giving antibiotics for salmonella also can prolong the time you are a carrier of the illness, meaning you can infect others even if you don't have symptoms.

E. coli: Antibiotics are generally not recommended for certain strains of E. coli, because they can cause bacterial growth and make the condition worse. They also may increase the likelihood of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Your healthcare provider can answer any questions you have about antibiotics or other treatments for food poisoning, and will determine which treatment and recovery plan is best for you and your child.