Treatment

Most healthy people with cryptosporidiosis recover within two weeks without treatment.

If you have a compromised immune system, the treatment goal is to relieve symptoms and improve your immune response. Cryptosporidiosis treatment options include:

• Anti-parasitic drugs. Medications such as nitazoxanide (Alinia) can help relieve diarrhea by attacking the parasites. Azithromycin (Zithromax) may be given with one of these medications in people with compromised immune systems.
• Anti-motility agents. These medications slow the movements of your intestines and increase fluid absorption to relieve diarrhea and restore normal stools. Anti-motility drugs include loperamide and its derivatives (Imodium A-D, others). Talk with your doctor before using these medications.
• Fluid replacement. Persistent diarrhea can cause you to become dehydrated. You'll need either oral or intravenous replacement of fluids and electrolytes — minerals, such as sodium, potassium and calcium, that maintain the balance of fluids in your body.
• Antiretroviral therapies. If you have HIV/AIDS, highly active antiretroviral therapy can reduce the viral load in your body and boost your immune response. Restoring your immune system to a certain level might rid you of the symptoms of cryptosporidiosis.