Electral: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects
Also known as: Electral powder, Electral ORS, Electral sachet, Oral rehydration salts, WHO ORS, ORS powder
Electral is an oral rehydration salts powder that is mixed with clean water to replace fluid and salts lost in diarrhoea. It is used to prevent and treat dehydration. It does not stop diarrhoea. Babies, older people and anyone who is very unwell need a doctor.
- Active ingredient
- Oral rehydration salts (ORS) WHO low-osmolarity formula (VERIFY on pack)
- Type of medicine
- Oral rehydration solutions
- Used for
- Diarrhoea
- Starts working in
- Starts replacing fluid and salts as you drink it; diarrhoea itself settles with time
- Effect lasts
- Drink small amounts often while the diarrhoea lasts; the mixed drink should be used within the time stated on the pack
- With or without food
- Can be taken between meals; keep feeding babies and children as normal
- Alcohol
- Avoid alcohol while you have diarrhoea or are dehydrated
- Pregnancy
- Generally considered suitable, but ask a doctor if you are pregnant and have severe diarrhoea
- Habit-forming
- No
- Made by
- VERIFY on pack
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
On this page
What is Electral used for?
Electral is used to replace the water and salts lost in diarrhoea. Check the pack for the uses printed on it.
- Preventing and treating dehydration caused by diarrhoea (loose motions)
- Replacing fluid and salts lost with vomiting, as a doctor or pharmacist advises
How does Electral work?
Glucose helps the gut absorb sodium and water together, so the drink replaces the water and salts that diarrhoea washes out. Potassium replaces what is lost in the stool, and citrate helps correct the extra acid in the blood.
What happens in your body after you take it
You mix the powder with clean water
The sachet is dissolved in the stated amount of clean drinking water, exactly as the pack says, to make a drink.
Glucose and sodium go in together
In the small intestine, glucose and sodium are taken up together, and water follows them into the blood.
Salts are topped up
Sodium, potassium and citrate replace what diarrhoea has washed out, which helps the body's fluid balance.
The body recovers
As fluid and salts are replaced, signs of dehydration such as thirst and dark urine ease. The diarrhoea itself stops as the illness passes.
How to take Electral
Mix and drink Electral exactly as the pack says, using the stated amount of clean water. Follow the label or your doctor's advice about how much to drink, which depends on age and how dehydrated the person is.
- Use clean, safe drinking water, and the exact volume of water printed on the pack.
- Do not add extra sugar, salt or other powders to the mixture.
- Sip small amounts often, especially if feeling sick; if vomiting, wait a few minutes and carry on slowly.
- Keep feeding babies and children as normal, and keep breastfeeding.
- Throw away any made-up drink left after the time stated on the pack.
Side effects of Electral
ORS is usually well tolerated. Most problems come from vomiting or from making the drink wrongly.
Uncommon or mild
- Feeling sick or vomiting, especially if it is drunk too fast
- Bloating
- A salty taste that some people dislike
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing (a severe allergic reaction). Get medical help immediately
- Signs of dehydration getting worse despite drinking: very little urine, sunken eyes, drowsiness or being unable to drink
- Repeated vomiting so that fluids cannot be kept down
- Swelling of the face or legs, or breathlessness (possible too much salt, especially with kidney or heart disease)
Who should be careful
Electral is simple and widely used, but some people need medical care rather than home treatment.
- Babies under 12 months, older people, and people with a weak immune system or long-term illness: see a doctor early
- Diarrhoea with blood, or lasting more than 7 days, or vomiting for more than 2 days: see a doctor
- Signs of dehydration that do not improve after ORS: dark urine, very little urine, drowsiness, sunken eyes
- Kidney disease or heart failure: ask a doctor before using, because the drink contains sodium and potassium
- Do not give anti-diarrhoea medicines to children under 12 without a doctor's advice
- Do not use the powder in less water than the pack says
Medicines and things that interact with Electral
ORS has few known interactions, but tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take.
- Water tablets (diuretics) and potassium-raising medicines: potassium levels may need checking
- Other salt supplements or potassium products: do not combine without advice
- Medicines for diabetes: the glucose in ORS is small, but ask a doctor if you have diabetes
If someone takes too much
Drinking more ORS than needed is unlikely to cause harm in most healthy people, but too much with too little water can upset salt balance and cause thirst, vomiting or drowsiness. If someone has taken much more than advised, or feels unwell, call 112 or go to the nearest hospital.
Storage
Store unopened sachets in a cool, dry place, away from moisture and out of the reach of children. Do not use if the sachet is damaged or after the expiry date. Check the pack for the exact storage instructions.
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India. Oral rehydration salts sold under patent and proprietary names must meet the composition parameters in the CDSCO banned-list entry for ORS (entry 52), and the single-ingredient ORS formula is not itself on the banned list. The pack must be checked for flavouring and the exact composition.
Other brands with the same medicine
Other brands sell ORS powder to the same WHO formula, but sachet size, flavouring and the amount of water differ. Check the pack for the water volume before using.
Other strengths and forms
ORS powder is sold in different sachet sizes and in plain and flavoured forms, and ready-to-drink liquids exist. The contents and the amount of water to use are printed on the pack, so check the label of the one you have.
Common questions
What is Electral used for?
Electral is an oral rehydration salts powder used to replace the water and salts lost in diarrhoea and prevent or treat dehydration. It does not stop the diarrhoea itself. Seek medical help for babies, blood in the stool or diarrhoea lasting more than a few days.
How do I make Electral?
Mix one sachet in the exact amount of clean drinking water printed on the pack, stir until dissolved, and sip it. Do not add sugar or salt, and do not use less water than the pack says. Discard the leftover drink after the time stated on the pack.
Can I give Electral to a baby or child?
ORS is widely used for children, but a baby or young child with diarrhoea should see a doctor early. Follow the pack or the doctor's advice on the amount. Keep breastfeeding or feeding as normal.
Is Electral the same as a sports drink or glucose water?
No. ORS has a set balance of salts and glucose that helps the gut absorb water. Fruit juice and fizzy drinks can make diarrhoea worse. Use a proper ORS sachet and follow the pack.
When should I see a doctor while taking Electral?
See a doctor if there is blood in the diarrhoea, it lasts more than 7 days, vomiting prevents drinking, or there are signs of dehydration such as very little urine, sunken eyes or drowsiness. Seek urgent help for babies and older people.
Sources
- Oral Rehydration Solution (Manual for Procurement & Supply of Quality-Assured MNCH Commodities). UNICEF/WHO-based procurement manual, ghsupplychain.org (file dated Nov 2022)
- Diarrhoeal disease. World Health Organization
- Diarrhoea and vomiting. NHS (UK)
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
- ATC/DDD Index: A07CA oral rehydration salt formulations. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology