How to Treat Stomach Pain and Reasons Why Timely Treatment Is Important

Stomach pain is considered every ache felt anywhere from the area below your ribs to your pelvis, and it’s not uncommon for many people to experience it due to specific foods and drinks. And as much as stomach pain usually goes away with painkillers, it’s important to see a doctor if the pain persists. Let’s learn why it’s important to immediately treat this type of ache and the treatments themselves.

Why Is it Important to Treat Stomach Pain Immediately?

We already mentioned that food and drinks can be one of the main causes of an upset stomach. However, the truth is that there’re many organs and structures in the abdomen area and it can be hard to tell the exact reason for stomach pain. Therefore, different conditions manifest different symptoms and call for different treatments.

For instance, many people experience stomach bloating and cramps due to excessive gas building up in the digestive tract. Others may suffer from constipation or ingestion problems that can cause belly pain accompanied by diarrheic or nausea. And as much as these conditions can feel painful, know that they’re harmless and the pain will go away within a couple of hours.

On the other hand, there’re cases when stomach ache shouldn’t be brushed off as “ordinary pain”, but treated right away. This is due to pain in the stomach area being an indicator for some very serious conditions such as appendicitis, stomach ulcers, gallstones, and other issues.

Appendicitis is the condition when the appendix becomes infected or inflamed, and causes pain in the right side of the lower abdomen area. If not treated with surgery immediately, it can cause serious complications and put your life in danger.

Stomach ulcers occur when the thick layer of mucus that protects your stomach from digestive juices is reduced and causes pain in the upper area of your abdomen. Stomach ulcers should also be treated immediately since they can cause internal bleeding, obstruction and even gastric cancer.

Gallstones are hard stones made up of cholesterol that form in the gallbladder area- just below the liver and manifest pain in the upper right area of your abdomen. Gallstones should be taken seriously and treated immediately. If not, there’s a huge risk of inflaming your gallbladder and increasing the risk of gallbladder and bile duct cancer.

Choosing Medicines for Treating Stomach Pain Caused by Indigestion

Serious conditions that manifest stomach pain will call for prescription stomach medications and even surgeries. But as we mentioned, most types of stomach pain caused by indigestion be successfully treated at home. Therefore, if you’re experiencing any type of gas, bloating or heartburn, it’s best to get a stomach pain medicine that will relieve the discomfort right away.

Gas and Stomach Bloating

If you’re suffering from gases and stomach bloating, it’s recommended to look for a stomach pain medicine based on simethicone. Simethicone is an anti-foaming agent that helps reduce the buildup of gas in your stomach and intestines that causes gas pressure, bloating and discomfort. Therefore, this stomach medicine is very effective when it comes to excessive gas from eating specific foods. On the Australian market, they can be found as De Gas Caps, Mylanta and Gasbusters.

Heartburn

Heartburn is a burning feeling caused by stomach acid travelling up towards the throat and can be also treated with over-the-counter antacid medicine. In fact, antacids help reduce your symptoms by neutralizing acids in your stomach and give relief within a couple of minutes of taking them. They’re often available as chewable or dissolving tablets and can be found as Mylanta tablets or QuickEze peppermint chews.

Heartburn can be also treated with stomach tablets based on ingredients such as pantoprazole and esomeprazole. However, have in mind that for purchasing such medicines you’re going to need a doctor prescription.

Constipation and Diarrhea

If you’re suffering from stomach cramps and pain caused by constipation and diarrhoea, doctors recommend taking stomach ache tablets that give relief from gastrointestinal upset. Such medications are typically antispasmodics that work by relieving and relaxing the painful muscle spasms in the intestine. On the Australian market, antispasmodics are most commonly found as Donnatab.

Additional Tips for Soothing Stomach Pain

Except for a suitable stomach pain relief tablet, minor stomach aches can be cured naturally and with home remedies. For instance, if you’re having digestive issues or you’re suffering from diarrhea, doctors advise drinking the recommended dose of water to avoid dehydration.

When it comes to natural homemade remedies, lime juice can help to relieve a variety of digestive problems. When mixed with baking soda, it produces carbonic acid which is very effective in reducing gas and indigestion as well as neutralizing bile acids and reducing the overall acidity in your stomach.

Mint tea is also recommended for reducing muscle spasms in the intestines, relieving overall stomach pain and preventing symptoms from vomiting and diarrhea. In fact, mint is a traditional treatment for indigestion, gas and diarrhea in Iran, Pakistan and India.

Ginger can also be very helpful in soothing upset stomachs and indigestion. Ginger contains chemicals called gingerols and shogaols that speed up your stomach contraction. This is very helpful in moving foods that are causing indigestion through the stomach more quickly. You can consume ginger added in your food, as a tea or all-natural ginger ales.

Except for home remedies, stomach ache symptoms can also be soothed with a warm bath or applying a heated bag or pad to the stomach. On the other hand, if you’re suffering from heartburn, make sure you aren’t lying down in a horizontal position, as the stomach acid is more likely to travel backwards and move upward. If you still need to lie down, it’s best to prop up your head, neck and upper chest with pillows, ideally at a 30-degree angle.