Diocalm and I have been good friends for years, I even take a packet out with me just in case I have the dreaded diarrhoea whilst on my travels. They are round chewable tablets which come in two blister packs of 10, each chewable tablet a bit bigger than a 5p. They are a paleish brown/cream in colour, you just pop one in your mouth and chew when you have tummy problems - and hopefully all will be better and you can go on with your life.......

Diocalm Dual Action tablets have nearly always done exactly what is required for me. The dual action claim is a mixture of a small amount of Morphine Hydrochloride to soothe your poorly tummy, which acts on the muscle lining of the walls of your stomach and stops the horrible cramping pains that tend to follow diarrhoea, it also helps to slow the speed of your stools.

One problem is they don't taste very nice. You put one in your mouth and then chew, it's difficult to explain the taste and consistency, apart from saying they taste and feel like crumbly chalk in your mouth, then when you have chewed enough for the tablet to be swallowed, you take a good drink of water and spend the next few minutes trying to get the chalky taste out of your mouth, and also to get the Diocalm tablet remnants that are now stuck in your teeth!

The chalky taste is actually a clay mineral which is called "Attapulgite" and is something that has been used in medicine for 40 years, it goes through your stomach and is known as an "adsorbent", it is insoluble and does not enter your bloodstream to work, it helps your stools to get firmer by removing the germs or bacteria which may be causing your diarrhoea from your system.

Diocalm Dual Action costs approximately £3 for a box of 20 tablets, which are in 2 blister packs of 10 , and I think they are very economical, you can buy them at any chemist or supermarket without a prescription. The dosage for adults and children over 12 years is 2 tablets every 2-4 hours, up to a maximum dose of 12 tablets per 24 hours. However, I have found taking only ONE tablet when needed is best for me, so I would think if you were taking up 12 tablets in one day and you haven't had any relief from diarrhoea you should see your doctor as a matter of urgency.