Medicines for stomach pain should be taken only after the cause has been determined. The first question that needs to be answered in order to choose the right remedy for the stomach is: does it really hurt? If there is no doubt about the origin of the pain, you should find out the reasons for its occurrence.
How can you determine where your stomach is located?
Draw a conventional horizontal line through the navel. The stomach will be located above it. Approximately 2/3 of its parts are located in the left hypochondrium, the remaining part is in the epigastric region (under the costal arch of the chest). Therefore, stomach pain is most often felt in the area of the 4th intercostal space on the left.
Figure 1 - When your stomach hurts, you need to find out whether the stomach is to blame
Main causes of stomach pain
The need to take syrups or tablets for stomach pain most often results from:
- unhealthy diet - regularly skipping meals, eating dry food, overeating, fasting, alcohol abuse, eating sour, spicy food on an empty stomach;
- poisoning with low-quality products, inedible substances;
- cholecystitis - inflammation of the gallbladder, stones in it;
- pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas;
- gastritis, diverticulitis - inflammatory diseases of the gastric mucosa;
- stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer;
- gastroesophageal reflux - the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach does not work correctly, resulting in digested food being thrown into the esophagus;
- parasites – cause intoxication of the body, which is manifested by vomiting, nausea, bloating, etc.;
- intolerance to gluten, lactose, and other substances;
- prolonged stress.
Figure 2 - About 10% of stomach pain is caused by an ulcer
How does it hurt?
The pain can be aching, sharp, dull, bursting, squeezing, cutting, stabbing, pulling.
Nature of pain | Possible diseases |
Sudden acute | Cholecystitis, pancreatitis, duodenal ulcer |
Sudden sharp | Poisoning, chemical burn of mucous membrane, perforation of ulcer |
Dull aching | Chronic gastritis, initial stage of ulcer. With gastritis, pain appears on an empty stomach and immediately after eating |
Dull aching, turning into a burning sensation | Acute gastritis, ulcer |
Spasms, contractions (most often at night or after eating) | Inflammation of the duodenum, ulcer |
Mild aching pain that does not disappear for a long time | Polyp, malignant formation |
Severe pain, contractions | Gastrointestinal infections |
Severe pain in the upper abdomen that lessens over time but does not go away completely | Diseases of the large intestine (eg, colitis) |
Severe pain in the navel area that moves to the right and up | Appendicitis |
A short-term “shooting” pain that is felt after a sudden movement or when inhaling indicates a spasm of the diaphragm. In this case, the stomach may not be to blame - such sensations are characteristic of circulatory disorders and inflammatory processes. Therefore, medications for stomach pain are likely to be ineffective.
Figure 3 - The nature of pain is important for diagnosis
To accurately make a diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment, a description of the pain is not enough. You need to undergo a series of tests, for example, for the presence of Helicobacter pylori (the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers), as well as ultrasound, FGDS. That is why you should ask not a pharmacist, but a gastroenterologist, what to drink for stomach pain.
Under no circumstances should you endure stomach pain or suppress it with medications without a doctor’s prescription. Painful sensations are a signal that something is already going wrong in the body, and urgent professional intervention in its functioning is necessary.
Medicines for stomach pain that you can take while waiting for the doctor
It happens that the pain in the stomach becomes unbearable, and you still have to take some kind of pill. This should be done as a last resort, since taking the drug can distort the picture of the disease and give grounds for an incorrect diagnosis. In general, doctors allow you to take:
- analgesic - medications that temporarily relieve pain, for example, analgin. At the same time, the situation in the stomach does not change, and there is no need to delay visiting a doctor;
- antispasmodic - drugs that stimulate the smooth muscles of internal organs: Papaverine, No-Shpa, Duspatalin, Trimedat. As a result, the passage of food and gases is facilitated, and muscle spasms disappear.
If you have stomach pain, it is better not to take pills immediately before seeing a doctor. To help quickly make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment, prepare the following information:
Figure 4 - Suspensions and tablets for stomach pain should not be used before examination by a doctor
- the circumstances of the pain (before, during, after eating, what you ate, drank, or how long you didn’t eat or drink, whether there were abdominal injuries, blows, stress);
- other symptoms: nausea, bloating, foul-smelling gas, rash, vomiting, heartburn, dizziness, diarrhea/constipation, change in the consistency and color of stool, blood, mucus in the stool;
- did you take medications for stomach pain before applying, what are you currently taking for other diseases;
- What changes have you had in your health status recently?
Try to move less, do not eat and, if possible, do not drink. You cannot give enemas or take laxatives.
Note! Never use a hot heating pad or other heat. Sometimes this does help reduce pain, but it increases inflammation, bleeding and pus formation. Such self-medication can be life-threatening.
Figure 5 - If you have stomach pain, you should not use a heating pad
How to relieve severe stomach pain
When stomach pain occurs suddenly, then, of course, you need to know what first aid to provide at home. It is important to remember that painkillers should be used with great caution, as they can worsen a person's condition. Antispasmodics (No-shpa, Papaverine) are considered the most effective.
When an exacerbation occurs, which is accompanied by severe abdominal pain, it is recommended to take a lying position at home and tuck your knees. This will help slightly reduce the intensity of the pain. Additionally, you can put a cold compress of ice on the stomach area, and also do a light massage. When your stomach hurts, you can drink some water at room temperature.
Attention!
If you have severe stomach pain, you should urgently call an ambulance.
If acute pain in the stomach occurs due to food poisoning, then it is necessary to rinse the stomach. To do this, you need to drink at least one and a half liters of water with a small amount of soda added and induce vomiting. For greater effectiveness, it is recommended to repeat the procedure. After this, you can drink activated carbon or some other sorbents. Then you should restore the water-salt balance by drinking large amounts of water with a small addition of salt.
When the stomach hurts severely due to gastritis, it is allowed to take De-nol, which has an astringent effect and protects damaged areas on the mucous membrane from the negative effects of hydrochloric acid. It is also allowed to take antacid medications that neutralize aggressive gastric juice. Since very often the stomach hurts greatly due to overeating, enzyme preparations that speed up the digestion process can help in this case.
In what dosage forms are stomach medications available?
Medicines for the stomach are available in the form of tablets, syrups, suspensions and powders, which should be dissolved in juice or water. Some drugs are available in different dosage forms. It depends on their purpose and characteristics of the action. For example, enveloping and adsorbing drugs (Almagel, Maalox, Phosphalugel, Gaviscon) are produced in the form of a suspension, and children's drugs are in the form of syrup.
Medicines for stomach pain in tablets:
- analgesics;
- antacids;
- proton pump blockers;
- astringents;
- gastroprotectors;
- combination drugs;
- antispasmodics.
Methods of therapy at home
Effective medicines
Complex treatment is one of the conditions for successful treatment.
To get rid of pain in the gastrointestinal tract, doctors recommend using the drug “Rennie”. The product is available in the form of tablets, which are intended for resorption. The medication helps restore the microflora of the stomach, get rid of infections and pathogenic microorganisms. It is approved for use once a person reaches the age of twelve. Mostly the patient is prescribed 3 tablets per day. The duration of the course of therapy depends on the type of disease that has been diagnosed.
The medicine "Gastal" will help treat heartburn. The tablets do not need to be washed down with water, they need to be dissolved. It is permissible to consume no more than 6 tablets per day. medicine. The instructions for use indicate that they should be taken 60 minutes after eating. The duration of treatment is 14 days.
When a patient is diagnosed with serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the medication Buscopan will help treat them at home. Thanks to him, it is possible to get rid of pain and spasms. The tablets are intended for oral use. They should be taken with plenty of liquid. The described medicine is not prescribed to young patients who have not yet turned 6 years old. It is not recommended for long-term use, as it can cause a number of serious complications.
Folk remedies
Doctors draw people's attention to the fact that treating the stomach with the help of healer's prescriptions is allowed only after consultation with a specialist and in combination with methods of conservative therapy. It is recommended to use such folk remedies as:
Used to restore the protective forces and functions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Herbal collection. You will need to take 4 tablespoons of plantain and St. John's wort, 7 tablespoons of yarrow, 2 tbsp. l. wormwood and burdock, 1 tbsp. l. chamomile, calendula and horsetail. The herbs are thoroughly mixed, after which tbsp. l. pour 200 ml of hot water into the resulting mixture. Place in a steam bath and leave for 15 minutes. Then the resulting liquid is filtered through gauze and the resulting medicine is consumed three times a day before meals. The solution prepared in this way will need to be consumed 3 times.- Calendula. You will need 50 g of warm water, to which add 50 drops of calendula extract. This recipe is suitable in a situation where you need to quickly cure pain in the stomach.
- Black currant. The leaves of the plant are crushed and added to 500 ml of boiling water. Insist for one and a half hours. Consume 200 g 30 minutes before meals.
- Blueberry. The berries of the plant in the amount of 3 tablespoons are mixed with a liter of boiling water and left in a dark and warm place for 1 hour. When the decoction has cooled, drink 200 ml 3 times a day.
- Caraway. Add 2 tablespoons of spice to a glass of water and leave for 30 minutes. The resulting product is drunk throughout the day instead of tea.
Diet food
If there is a disturbance in the functioning of the stomach, patients are required to be prescribed a special diet, which is established by a specialist. To treat the stomach, a person should remember the following nutritional rules:
- Take food in small portions at least 5 times a day.
- Stop drinking alcohol and smoking.
- Chew food thoroughly.
- Monitor the temperature of the food. Food should be at room temperature.
- Eliminate soda from your diet.
- Add enough protein to the menu.
- Reduce the consumption of animal fats, replacing them with vegetable ones.
- Steam, boil or bake dishes in the oven. It is important to completely avoid frying foods.
These products do not belong to the category of healthy food.
To get rid of problems with the gastrointestinal tract, a person will need to exclude foods such as:
- legumes;
- spices and seasonings;
- spicy, fatty and fried foods;
- canned food;
- fresh bread;
- sweets;
- sour fruits;
- strong broths;
- mushrooms;
- chocolate;
- smoked meats;
- marinades and pickles.
The following products will be useful for stomach diseases:
- cereals;
- vegetable first courses;
- eggs without yolk;
- lean types of fish and meat;
- yesterday's bread;
- pasta from durum wheat;
- carrot;
- potato;
- allowed fruits;
- low-fat fermented milk products.
As for drinks, doctors recommend including a sufficient amount of jelly, for example, oatmeal, in the diet of a person suffering from disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Non-carbonated mineral waters and rosehip decoction will be useful. Patients are allowed to drink weak green or black tea, freshly squeezed juices from non-acidic fruits. You will need to stop drinking coffee, as it has an irritating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa.
What to drink for your stomach?
What exactly to drink for stomach pain depends on the diagnosis:
- for gastritis: Smecta, Almagel - to restore the gastric mucosa and against diarrhea, to relieve inflammation - Iberogast, to eliminate spasms - No-Shpa, Cerucal, to correct the enzyme composition of the medium - Mezim, Digestal;
- for cholecystitis, gallstones: Allochol, Gepabene;
- in case of poisoning: sorbents Enterosgel, Lactofiltrum, Activated or White carbon, Smecta. Analgesics will also help get rid of stomach pain in the initial stages of the disease: Analgin, Baralgin.
- for high acidity: antacids Gaviscon, Rennie, Maalox;
- for ulcers: wound healing - Methyluracil, Actovegin, to suppress Helicobacter pylori - Ampicillin, Pilobact-Neo, proton pump blockers Omez, Omeprazole, Nexium, other drugs for complex treatment, selected individually based on test results.
A number of medications for heartburn and stomach pain are useful in a variety of situations. For example, Smecta can be taken for stomach pain caused by eating disorders, heartburn, bloating, acute or chronic diarrhea, gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, colitis.
Many medicines have analogues. For example, to relieve spasms of the smooth muscles of internal organs, you can buy No-Shpu or Drotaverine. The main active ingredient of these drugs is the same – drotaverine. However, if you pay about $1 for 30 tablets of Drotaverine, then for the same number of yellow tablets called No-Shpa - about $2.
Which is better - Gaviscon or Almagel?
The effect of both of these gels for stomach pain is that they form a dense barrier (film) that envelops the gastric contents and is not absorbed during digestion. This protects the inflamed stomach walls from the effects of acid. At the same time, the composition of the gastric juice itself does not change, and food digestion occurs in full. The gel-like film also protects the esophagus if stomach contents are thrown into it, preventing heartburn and inflammation. To get rid of stomach pain, these gels or suspensions should be taken after meals without drinking water. The dose of the drug lasts approximately 4 hours. The cost of both drugs, depending on the offers of pharmacy chains, differs by literally $0.3–0.5.
Figure 6 - A number of drugs for stomach pain have a similar effect
You should make a choice based on your health status, side effects and the composition of the drugs. For example, Gaviscon is allowed for pregnant women to take, but Almagel is not recommended because the necessary studies have not been conducted on it. Therefore, the right to make the final decision on prescribing the drug is transferred to the doctor, who will weigh the benefits for the mother and the likelihood of harm to the fetus.
Stomach treatment
You can get rid of stomach pain with the help of effective folk remedies (potato juice, aloe, propolis, medicinal herbs, etc.), which in each case must be taken in a certain dosage. But before starting therapy, you should contact a gastroenterologist and undergo an examination, since many stomach diseases have similar symptoms. After all, if the cause of constant discomfort is known, choosing the appropriate method of therapy will be much easier.
Treatment of stomach ulcers
A stomach ulcer is characterized by the presence of small ulcerative formations on the mucous membrane of the organ, which appear under the influence of hydrochloric acid and bile.
Traditional medicine recommends the following remedies as therapy:
The house should always have a certain supply of herbs and berry roots that have astringent antiseptic properties.
- goat milk: in the morning before meals, drink 1-2 tbsp. l. fresh milk, and during the day you can drink several glasses of it, after diluting it with boiled water (1:1). Course of application: 3-4 weeks;
- aloe: several large fleshy leaves are cut from an adult plant (over 3 years old), washed with running water and crushed to a pulpy state. The resulting mass is consumed orally, 1 tbsp. l. twice a day. To achieve the desired results, the product must be taken for a month. And since the plant has a bitter taste, it can be mixed with a little honey.
Treatment of gastric erosion
Stomach erosion is the destruction of the epithelial layer of the organ, resulting in the formation of small ulcers on the mucous membrane (but unlike ulcers, they affect only the upper layer of the mucosa).
The following remedies are effective for stomach erosion:
- decoction of calamus root: 1 teaspoon of dry product, pour 200 ml of boiling water and simmer for a quarter of an hour over low heat. Then cool and drink 50 ml before each meal. Duration of therapy: 2 weeks;
- tincture of walnuts: chop 500 grams of peeled nuts, pour in 0.5 liters of vodka and leave in a dark place for 2 weeks. Take 1 tbsp after meals. l. the resulting product, diluted with 125 ml of water. Use the product at least 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks.
Treatment of gastritis of the stomach
Gastritis is characterized by pain in the epigastrium, periodic nausea and less often vomiting, lack of appetite, severe heartburn, bowel dysfunction (constipation or diarrhea), unpleasant, bitter taste in the mouth, etc.
A tasty and healthy infusion of fresh rose hips will help restore stomach function.
How to treat gastritis of the stomach:
- propolis with honey: mix 1 teaspoon of crushed propolis with the same amount of honey, take orally and wash down with a small amount of clean water (70-100 ml). Repeat the procedure 2 times a day. Course of treatment: 2-3 weeks;
- potato juice : fresh potatoes (2-3 pcs.) are washed, peeled and grated on a fine grater, then the juice is squeezed out and filtered through cheesecloth. It is recommended to drink the freshly prepared drink immediately (half an hour before meals). Single serving: 100 ml. The product should be taken for 2 weeks, before each meal (i.e. 2-3 times a day).
How to quickly cure a stomach
The stomach often needs help after illnesses (when a person was malnourished), food poisoning and in a number of other cases.
A tasty and healthy remedy will help restore the functioning of the stomach - an infusion of fresh rose hips (100 grams of raw materials per 250 ml of boiling water, infuse for 2 hours), which should be taken 1/3 cup 3 times a day for several days. To speed up recovery during this period, you need to eat porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice), bran bread, fermented milk products, fresh vegetables and fruits.
Sources:
- https://plazaspa.net/about/statii/lechenie-zheludochno-kishechnogo-trakta
- https://lechim-kishechnik.info/stati/vospalenie-kishechnika-simptomy-i-lechenie/
- https://www.wday.ru/krasota-zdorovie/encyclopedia-zdorovia/kak-izbavitsya-ot-diskomforta-vzheludke/
- https://tsn.ua/ru/lady/zdorovye/zdorovyi-obraz-zhizni/gastrit-narodnye-metody-lecheniya-1519086.html
- https://komfort-vnutri.ru/simptomy/bol-v-zheludke/
- https://premier-s.ru/raznoe/narodnoe-sredstvo-lecheniya-zheludka-lechenie-zheludka-narodnymi-sredstvami-samye-effektivnye-recepty-ot-erozii-yazvy-gastrita-dieta-ochishhenie.html
What tablets for stomach pain can be used during pregnancy?
Pregnancy significantly narrows the list of medications for stomach pain that a doctor can prescribe to a patient. Most often, pregnant women experience heartburn, which has physiological causes. Since the stomach is a hollow organ, the growing uterus compresses it the most. This is especially noticeable in the third trimester. Such heartburn is treated symptomatically - you can take Smecta, Rennie, and other antacid drugs.
Figure 7 - Many medications for stomach pain are contraindicated during pregnancy
In more complex cases, when a pregnant woman is diagnosed with gastritis, ulcers, cholecystitis or pancreatitis, treatment regimens are drawn up by doctors. In this case, the risk to the fetus is compared with the benefit to the mother. If the disease can be “preserved,” maintenance medications are prescribed, and the main treatment is transferred to the postpartum period. In any case, there is no need to panic: new remedies for stomach pain with wide areas of application are constantly being developed.
Homemade medicinal tinctures and decoctions
There are many medicinal tinctures and decoctions that temporarily relieve stomach pain:
- Four tbsp. l. St. John's wort and the same amount of plantain, seven tbsp. l. yarrow, a spoonful of calendula flowers, chamomile and horsetail, two spoons of burdock and wormwood. Mix everything, take 1 tbsp. l. mixture and pour 200 ml of boiling water. Leave the liquid for 15 minutes. in a water bath, after which the broth is filtered and taken three times a day, for fifteen minutes. before meals. The entire resulting decoction must be drunk three times.
- Mix crushed flax seeds (one tablespoon) with yarrow (2 tablespoons) and chamomile (2 tablespoons), and pour the mixture with 300 grams of boiling water.
Let stand for 15 minutes and take 100 grams every 2 hours. Herbal medicine - Pour 1 tbsp. l. chamomile flowers with 300 grams of boiling water, wait 20 minutes. Drink one hundred grams of warm infusion half an hour before meals.
- Dissolve 50 drops of calendula extract in 50 grams of water and take when severe pain occurs.
- Pour two tablespoons of blackcurrant leaves (chopped) into 0.5 liters. boiling water, wait an hour and a half. Drink 1 glass half an hour before meals.
- Take 1 tbsp. l. dried or fresh gooseberries, pour 200 grams of boiling water and leave for 15 minutes. over low heat. The resulting decoction should be drunk at a time, it is best to drink it three times a day.
- Mix 1 l. boiling water and 3 tbsp. l. blueberries, after about an hour this infusion can be consumed. You need to drink 1 glass at a time, three times a day.
- Pour boiling water (200-300 milliliters) into two tbsp. l. caraway seeds, let it brew for about half an hour, you can drink throughout the day.
Cause of air belching - what is it and how to treat it