Understanding Food Poisoning - Symptoms

What Are the Symptoms?

Generally, food poisoning causes some combination of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that may or may not be bloody, sometimes with other symptoms.

• Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting, starting from one hour to four days after eating tainted food and lasting up to four days, usually indicate bacterial food poisoning.
• Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, fever, and chills, beginning from 12 to 48 hours after eating contaminated food, particularly seafood, usually indicate viral food poisoning.
• Vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, tearing in the eyes, excessive salivation, mental confusion, and stomach pain, beginning about 30 minutes after eating contaminated food, are typical indications of chemical food poisoning.
• Partial loss of speech or vision, muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle paralysis from the head down through the body, and vomiting may indicate botulism, a severe but very rare type of bacterial food poisoning.

Call Your Doctor If:

• You recognize symptoms of botulism, such as partial loss of speech or vision, muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle paralysis from the head down through the body, and vomiting. You need immediate medical treatment for this potentially life-threatening illness.
• You recognize symptoms of chemical food poisoning, such as vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, tearing in the eyes, excessive salivation, mental confusion, and stomach pain, beginning about 30 minutes after eating contaminated food. You need immediate medical treatment to avoid potential damage to one or more of your vital organs.
• The vomiting or diarrhea is severe and lasts for more than two days. You are at risk of becoming dehydrated.