Learn Stomach Pain Medication: OTC, Prescription, and More

Other Stomach Pain Treatments

Home management or self-care can also help with stomach discomfort, indigestion, and gastrointestinal pain. Other therapies may be beneficial depending on the type and cause of stomach discomfort.

• Sit upright after meals: If you have acid reflux or burping, sitting upright for an hour after meals can help ensure that food digests and exits the stomach. Lying down immediately after eating may aggravate acid reflux.

• Adequate hydration: Dehydration causes digestion and food transit in the GI tract to delay, resulting in feelings of fullness, bloating, intestinal cramping, or reflux. Fluid recommendations vary according to age and body weight, but people normally require 4-8 cups of fluid each day.

• Digestive enzymes: Digestion begins in the mouth, where enzymes begin to break down food as soon as saliva comes into contact with it. If you eat too quickly or do not completely chew your food, your stomach may have a more difficult time breaking it down. Inadequate stomach enzymes can also cause acid reflux, bloating, cramps, and other digestive issues. Digestive enzymes include the same enzymes that your body needs to break down carbs, proteins, and fats. Some of them also include hydrochloric acid (hCL). If you have or have ever had an ulcer, do not take hCL. • Avoid foods to which you are allergic or sensitive: If you are lactose intolerant, eating dairy foods might cause unpleasant stomach problems. Similarly, if you have Celiac disease, ingesting gluten can damage the stomach lining and cause unpleasant symptoms. Avoid consuming foods that you know you are allergic to. Consider eliminating foods that bring you pain every time you consume them.

What Is Stomach Pain?

Stomach pain is a general phrase describing discomfort felt anywhere between the ribs and the pelvis. This abdomen region may experience abdominal pain from the stomach, intestines, gallbladder, pancreas, or liver.

Stomach discomfort can be subtle or acute, regular or intermittent, spread across the abdomen or isolated in a single location. The location and manner in which you experience stomach pain can assist a medical professional in determining the source of your discomfort.

What Gives You Stomach Pain?

Among the possible reasons of stomach pain are:

• Acid reflux and GERD
• Gastritis
• Constipation
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Bacterial infection from food poisoning
• Influenza or other viral infections
• Food allergies or intolerances
• Celiac disease
• Diverticulitis
• Diverticulosis
• Endometriosis
• Fibroids
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Hepatitis
• Lactose intolerance
• Strained muscle
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Ruptured ovarian cyst
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Spleen problems