Overview

Oral rehydration salts replace any salts and fluid that your body loses. This prevents you from becoming dehydrated (when your body loses more fluids than you take in).

If you drink too much ordinary fluid (such as water, tea, coffee, squash or fizzy drinks), this will increase the output of your:

• stoma (an opening made on your tummy during surgery that allows poo or urine to pass into a collection bag)
• fistula (a tunnel that connects an organ to another part of your body)

If you lose too much fluid through your stoma or fistula, this can cause low salt (sodium) levels and dehydration.

Oral rehydration salts have more sodium than ordinary fluids. This helps your bowel to take in (absorb) sodium and water.

You add oral rehydration salts to water. This makes a solution that you drink during the day to help you stay hydrated. Your hospital team would like you to drink a solution of potassium-free oral rehydration salts.

Your body needs a certain amount of a mineral called potassium. However, it can be harmful if the amount of potassium in your blood is too high or too low.

We monitor your potassium level closely in hospital. Your GP then needs to check your potassium level regularly when you leave hospital. This is to make sure that potassium-free oral rehydration salts are still the best option for you.

We might also recommend that you have less food or drink that is high in potassium, such as:

• bananas
• coconut water
• orange juice

How to take potassium-free oral rehydration salts

You need to try to drink 1 litre of potassium-free oral rehydration salts within 24 hours.

You need to prepare a fresh solution of oral rehydration salts each day. This should make up most of the fluid that you drink. You might be able to have more ordinary fluids of your choice, but need to speak to your hospital team about this first.

Making a solution of potassium-free oral rehydration salts

When you leave hospital, we give you a medicine spoon that has a 5ml and 2.5ml measure. You can use this spoon to measure the ingredients and make the solution yourself.

If you do not have a medicine spoon, you can use a teaspoon instead:

• 1 teaspoon is the same as a 5ml medicine spoon
• Half a teaspoon is the same as a 2.5ml medicine spoon

You can buy the ingredients for the solution in most supermarkets or online. If you cannot find glucose powder, your local pharmacy should be able to order it for you.

Potassium-free oral rehydration salts are available on prescription from your GP. You then need to mix all 3 pots in 1 litre of tap water and drink the solution over 24 hours. However, the ingredients are usually cheaper to buy than the prescription charge at the pharmacy. You can also get them in bigger pack sizes.

The following table shows the ingredients that you need to make a solution of potassium-free oral rehydration salts:
 

The following table is intended to help you measure the right amounts of ingredients each day. You can tick off each spoonful as you have measured it.

Tips for taking oral rehydration salts

Here is some guidance to help you when taking oral rehydration salts:

If you forget to take oral rehydration salts

If you forget to take your oral rehydration salts, you will need to:

• prepare the solution when you remember
• drink the solution during the day

If you have any solution left at the end of the day, you can throw it away down the sink. You need to make a new batch of solution the next day.

Side effects of oral rehydration salts

You are not likely to get any side effects from taking oral rehydration salts. They should prevent you from becoming dehydrated and having increased stoma output.

Repeat prescription

We give you enough oral rehydration salts to last for 2 weeks when you leave hospital. 

After this, there are 2 options:

• Your GP can give you a prescription for ready prepared potassium-free oral rehydration salts.
• You can prepare the solution yourself by following our instructions.

If you do need a prescription, please take your discharge letter (which we give you when you leave hospital) and this information to your GP.