Bemaj Pharmacy

Caring for your abdominal pain – If the practitioner has given you pain relief, take this as advised. You should take simple pain relief regularly, eg paracetamol. You can take up to 8 paracetamol tablets in a single 24 hour period. It is often best to avoid using anti-inflammatory medication e.g. ibuprofen, unless instructed to do so by the practitioner looking after you.

Which painkiller is best for abdominal pain?

Call 911 if:

The pain is in your lower right abdomen and tender to the touch, and you also have fever or are vomiting. These may be signs of appendicitis.You’re vomiting blood.You have a hard time breathing.You’re pregnant and have belly pain or vaginal bleeding.

1. Over-the-Counter Medications

For gas pain, medicine that has the ingredient simethicone ( Mylanta, Gas-X ) can help get rid of it.For heartburn from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), try an antacid or acid reducer ( Pepcid AC, Zantac 75 ).For constipation, a mild stool softener or laxative may help get things moving again.For cramping from diarrhea, medicines that have loperamide ( Imodium ) or bismuth subsalicylate ( Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol ) might make you feel better.For other types of pain, acetaminophen ( Aspirin Free Anacin, Liquiprin, Panadol, Tylenol ) might be helpful. But stay away from non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen ( Advil, Midol, Motrin ), or naproxen ( Naprosyn, Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan ). They can irritate your stomach.

2. Home Remedies You might try a heating pad to ease belly pain. Chamomile or peppermint tea may help with gas. Be sure to drink plenty of clear fluids so your body has enough water. You also can do things to make stomach pain less likely. It can help to:

Eat several smaller meals instead of three big onesChew your food slowly and wellStay away from foods that bother you (spicy or fried foods, for example)Ease stress with exercise, meditation, or yoga

3. When to See a Doctor It’s time to get medical help if:

You have severe belly pain or the pain lasts several daysYou have nausea and fever and can’t keep food down for several daysYou have bloody stoolsIt hurts to peeYou have blood in your urineYou cannot pass stools, especially if you’re also vomitingYou had an injury to your belly in the days before the pain startedYou have heartburn that doesn’t get better with over-the-counter drugs or lasts longer than 2 weeks

Can I take ibuprofen for abdominal pain?

Schedule a doctor’s visit – Make an appointment with your doctor if your abdominal pain worries you or lasts more than a few days. In the meantime, find ways to ease your pain. For instance, eat smaller meals if your pain is accompanied by indigestion.

Does paracetamol help IBS pain?

Antispasmodics and peppermint oil – Conventional analgesic drugs, such as paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates are unlikely to relieve pain in IBS, and some have the potential to exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms. Instead, antispasmodic drugs, including peppermint oil, should be used to ameliorate pain and bloating, based on the theory that dysmotility and gut spasm might be the underlying cause of these symptoms, and that antispasmodics relax gut smooth muscle.

A meta-analysis from 2008 identified 22 studies comparing 12 different antispasmodics with placebo in 1778 patients.55 Fewer patients assigned to antispasmodics had persistent symptoms after treatment compared with those taking placebo (RR=0.68; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.81), although heterogeneity between studies was significant.

The analysis included a wide range of drugs, including some, such as otilonium, cimetropium and pinaverium that are unavailable in many countries. However, hyoscine is commonly prescribed, and pooled results from three RCTs showed that it was an efficacious treatment (RR=0.63; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.78).

Conversely, neither mebeverine nor alverine were more efficacious than placebo, although, in both cases, data came from a single small trial. Overall, total adverse events were significantly more common with antispasmodics, particularly dry mouth, blurred vision and dizziness. Another meta-analysis conducted as part of the American College of Gastroenterology guidelines in 2018, 56 and pooling data from seven RCTs, demonstrated a statistically significant result in favour of peppermint oil compared with placebo (RR=0.54; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.76).

However, there was significant heterogeneity between study results, and the overall quality of evidence was low. Total adverse events were no more common with peppermint oil compared with placebo. More recently, network meta-analysis has facilitated comparison of antispasmodics and peppermint oil with other ‘traditional’ IBS treatments.35 Peppermint oil ranked first, and antispasmodics third, for effect on global IBS symptoms, and peppermint oil third, and antispasmodics second, for effect on abdominal pain.

However, it should be noted that the overall quality of trial data for antispasmodics was very low, and many trials were conducted prior to the Rome criteria being established, making comparison between individual trials and treatments problematic. It should also be emphasised that trials of peppermint oil used specific formulations, yet many preparations are widely available for sale to the public.

Formulations designed for sustained small intestinal relief may be efficacious for example, 57 but those designed for ileocolonic release might not.58 It is therefore inappropriate to extrapolate results of the network meta-analysis to all preparations of peppermint oil.

Why is my abdomen hurting so bad?

Stomach pain; Pain – abdomen; Belly ache; Abdominal cramps; Bellyache; Stomachache Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly. You know that awful feeling: you’re nauseous; your stomach feels like it’s tied in a knot, and you don’t even want to move. What does your pain mean? Well, let’s talk today about abdominal pain. So, what causes abdominal pain? Almost everyone has pain in their belly at one time or another.

• Most of the time, a serious medical problem is not the cause, and how bad your pain is doesn’t always reflect the seriousness of the problem causing your pain.
• You may feel very bad pain if you are having gas or stomach cramps due to viral gastroenteritis, better known as a stomach virus.
• And some life-threatening conditions, such as colon cancer or a very early case of appendicitis, may cause only mild pain, or no pain at all.

The important thing to know about abdominal pain is when you need immediate medical care. Less serious causes of abdominal pain include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, lactose intolerance, food poisoning, and a stomach virus. Other, more serious, causes include appendicitis, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bowel blockage, cancer, and gastroesophageal reflux.

• Sometimes, you may have abdominal pain from a problem that isn’t in your belly, like a heart attack, menstrual cramps, or pneumonia.
• So, what do you do about abdominal pain? Well, if you have mild abdominal pain, here are some helpful tips; Try sipping water or other clear fluids.
• Avoid solid food for the first few hours.

If you’ve been vomiting, wait 6 hours and then eat small amounts of mild foods like rice, applesauce, or crackers. If your pain is high in your abdomen and occurs after meals, antacids may help, especially if you are feeling heartburn or indigestion. You should seek medical attention if you have abdominal pain and are being treated for cancer, you can’t pass any stool, you’re vomiting blood, or you have chest, neck, or shoulder pain. There are three body views (front, back, and side) that can help you to identify a specific body area. The labels show areas of the body which are identified either by anatomical or by common names. For example, the back of the knee is called the “popliteal fossa,” while the “flank” is an area on the side of the body. The process of digesting food is accomplished by many organs in the body. Food is pushed by the esophagus into the stomach. The stomach mixes the food and begins the breakdown of proteins. The stomach propels the food then into the small intestine. The small intestine further digests food and begins the absorption of nutrients. Since the abdominal area contains many different organs it is divided in smaller areas. One division method, uses one median sagittal plane and one transverse plane that passes through the umbilicus at right angles. This method divides the abdomen into four quadrants. Medical personnel can easily refer to these quadrants when describing pain or injury regarding a victim. The appendix is a small finger-shaped tube that branches off the first part of the large intestine. The appendix can become inflamed or infected causing pain in the lower right part of the abdomen. Blood from the aorta reaches the kidneys so it can be filtered and cleaned. Among other functions, the kidneys remove toxins, metabolic waste, and excess ions from the blood which leaves the body in the form of urine. You know that awful feeling: you’re nauseous; your stomach feels like it’s tied in a knot, and you don’t even want to move.

What does your pain mean? Well, let’s talk today about abdominal pain. So, what causes abdominal pain? Almost everyone has pain in their belly at one time or another. Most of the time, a serious medical problem is not the cause, and how bad your pain is doesn’t always reflect the seriousness of the problem causing your pain.

You may feel very bad pain if you are having gas or stomach cramps due to viral gastroenteritis, better known as a stomach virus. And some life-threatening conditions, such as colon cancer or a very early case of appendicitis, may cause only mild pain, or no pain at all.

The important thing to know about abdominal pain is when you need immediate medical care. Less serious causes of abdominal pain include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, lactose intolerance, food poisoning, and a stomach virus. Other, more serious, causes include appendicitis, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bowel blockage, cancer, and gastroesophageal reflux.

Sometimes, you may have abdominal pain from a problem that isn’t in your belly, like a heart attack, menstrual cramps, or pneumonia. So, what do you do about abdominal pain? Well, if you have mild abdominal pain, here are some helpful tips; Try sipping water or other clear fluids.

Avoid solid food for the first few hours. If you’ve been vomiting, wait 6 hours and then eat small amounts of mild foods like rice, applesauce, or crackers. If your pain is high in your abdomen and occurs after meals, antacids may help, especially if you are feeling heartburn or indigestion. You should seek medical attention if you have abdominal pain and are being treated for cancer, you can’t pass any stool, you’re vomiting blood, or you have chest, neck, or shoulder pain.

Call your doctor if you have abdominal pain that lasts 1 week or longer, if your pain doesn’t improve in 24 to 48 hours, if bloating lasts more than 2 days, or if you have diarrhea for more than 5 days.

Will abdominal pain go away on its own?

How common is stomach pain? – Just about everybody will experience abdominal pain at some point. Most of the time, it’s not serious and resolves by itself. However, it can be a sign of serious illness or even an emergency. Abdominal pain causes 5% of emergency room visits.

Chukwudi Eze