A standby antibiotic to carry with you and start only if you get moderate or severe diarrhoea abroad — the difference between losing a day and losing a week.

A 15-minute consultation with a GPhC-registered pharmacist. Supplied under a Patient Group Direction — the same medicine a GP would prescribe.
Destination, length and what you’ll be doing. High-risk regions and remote travel are where standby treatment earns its place.
Heart rhythm problems, liver disease and a few medicines rule azithromycin out.
Clear written instructions on when to start it, when not to, and when to seek medical help abroad.
The pharmacist checks the full criteria at your consultation. If this service isn’t right for you, we’ll tell you what is — and there’s nothing to pay.
Only branches that offer this service are shown. Prefer to walk in? Just come to the counter — a booking guarantees the pharmacist is free.
No. Mild diarrhoea settles with fluids and rest. Start the antibiotic for frequent watery stools with fever, blood or cramps that stop you functioning.
Take those too — oral rehydration is the most important thing. We’ll add them to your travel kit if you like.
Blood in the stool, high fever, unable to keep fluids down, or not improving after 48 hours on the antibiotic.
Read more: Traveller’s diarrhoea: prevention, rehydration and when antibiotics help · Food and water safety abroad: how to avoid traveller’s diarrhoea, and what to pack if it strikes
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