Abdominal pain and nausea: causes and treatments (2023)

FAQs

What causes abdominal pain and nausea? ›

Food allergies. Infections of the stomach or bowels, such as the "stomach flu" or food poisoning. Leaking of stomach contents (food or liquid) upward (also called gastroesophageal reflux or GERD) Medicines or medical treatments, such as cancer chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Abdominal pain has a wide variety of causes and treatments. Some conditions, such as gallstones or appendicitis, may require surgery. Others, such as ulcers or infections, may be relieved with medicine. And sometimes you may just have to get through a bout of stomach flu or a kidney stone until it passes.

If the pain is sudden, severe or does not ease within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care. Sudden abdominal pain is often an indicator of serious intra-abdominal disease, such as a perforated ulcer or a ruptured abdominal aneurysm, although it could also result from a benign disease, such as gallstones.

Concomitant symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, jaundice, melena, hematuria, hematemesis, weight loss, and mucus or blood in the stool help direct subsequent evaluation.

Bismuth subsalicylate (2 brand names: Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol). This medicine may help treat some types of nausea and vomiting, such as from gastroenteritis (stomach flu). They are also used for upset stomachs and as an antidiarrheal (medicine to treat diarrhea).

Several conditions can cause nausea, including stress, anxiety, infections, and motion sickness. Occasional temporary nausea is also common but typically not cause for concern. Nausea is a sensation that makes a person feel they need to vomit. Sometimes, individuals with nausea do vomit, but not always.

How do I know if my stomach pain is serious? ›

A stomach ache is cramps or a dull ache in the tummy (abdomen). It usually does not last long and is often not serious. Severe abdominal pain is a greater cause for concern. Complete our self-help guide to check your symptoms and find out what to do next.

Digestion issues, including indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, and food poisoning, are all extremely common causes of stomach pain. In most cases, the discomfort will go away within a few hours or a few days. Inflammation caused by an irritation or infection.

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.

COVID-19-related diarrhea and nausea

Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are less common symptoms of COVID-19. Still, when they do occur, they tend to be some of the first symptoms you will experience. Diarrhea caused by COVID-19 tends to be more watery, yellow or green in color.

Anyone with gastritis should see a doctor if symptoms are severe, extend past a week, or are unresponsive to adjusting diet or altering lifestyle. However, any sign of internal bleeding is an immediate emergency and anyone with symptoms of internal bleeding should seek medical attention right away.

Although stomach flu is relative harmless, prolonged symptoms of the infection should prompt you to visit the emergency room as soon as possible. If the symptoms are severe and they last anything more than 3 days, you should seek urgent medical care for treatment.

Healthcare providers diagnose a distended abdomen in terms of the “five 'f's”: flatus (gas), fetus (pregnancy), feces (trapped poop), fluid (from several causes) or fat. A distended abdomen may be very uncomfortable, or it may simply be a symptom that you and your healthcare provider observe visually.

Abdominal pain can be serious, but most abdominal pain gets better on its own without needing any special treatment. Don't ignore abdominal pain — see your doctor if your symptoms are severe, get worse over time, keep coming back, or are ongoing.

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.

What is the strongest anti nausea? ›

One of the most effective anti-nausea medications is Zofran (ondansetron) which was developed to solve this problem. Zofran is available as tablets, dissolvable tablets, strips, or liquid. While it is safe for the general population, it is so effective, that it is also used in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Only take Pepto-Bismol when you need it. You can take it for occasional heartburn, indigestion, diarrhoea or feeling sick (nausea).

Whenever an upset stomach happens, you can trust Pepto Bismol to help provide relief.

Transderm-Scop (scopolamine), Zofran (ondansetron), and Phenergan (promethazine) are examples of common nausea medicines.

Ginger ale is a ginger-flavored soda. While ginger root has long been linked to nausea relief, most ginger ale contains very little of it. Thus, ginger ale is unlikely to relieve nausea.

Nauseous due to digestive issues

If your stomach issues are due to digestive conditions such as GERD or acid reflux, you will want to sleep on your left side with your head slightly elevated.

Nausea is not a disease itself, but can be a symptom of many disorders related to the digestive system, including: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Peptic ulcer disease. Problems with nerves or muscles in the stomach that cause slow stomach emptying or digestion (gastroparesis)

Vomiting may or may not occur as a result of nausea. Some describe the sensation of nausea as unsettled feeling in the stomach or queasiness. Nausea is not a disease but a symptom of a variety of conditions, ranging from viral and bacterial infections to motion sickness, to food poisoning, to abscesses of the brain.

A lack of sleep, poor diet, anxiety, or stress can often cause a person to feel sick. These factors can make a person more susceptible to infection and illness. However, always feeling sick can also signify pregnancy or chronic illness. When sick, a person may experience stomach discomfort and vomiting.

Fizzy, sugary beverages can sometimes alleviate nausea better than plain water. “Carbonation can help to reduce the total acidity of the stomach, which may help the nausea dissipate,” Dr. Szarka says.

Why does Sprite help your stomach? ›

Although it may seem counterintuitive to drink soda when you are not feeling well, a small glass of Sprite can do wonders for your upset stomach. The sugar and lemon-lime flavoring can nourish your stomach so it can relax. The light carbonation in Sprite can soothe your stomach when you are not feeling well.

The acronym “BRAT” stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These bland foods are gentle on the stomach, so they might help prevent further stomach upset.

Some of the most common causes of abdominal pain are appendicitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, diverticulitis, and small bowel obstruction.

Omental infarction is an uncommon cause of pain in the abdomen that is usually localized to the right upper or central quadrants. [5] It results from interrupted arterial supply to the omentum, often due to torsion of right epiploic vessels (in more than 90% of cases) and the resultant vascular compromise.

A gastroenterologist is a specialist with expertise in the disorders and diseases that affect the digestive system — which includes the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus) as well as the pancreas, liver, bile ducts and gallbladder.

Most stomach aches are not anything serious and will go away after a few days.

Frequent discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn could be signs that your gut is having a hard time processing food and eliminating waste. You feel tired more often than not. People with chronic fatigue may have imbalances in the gut.

Causes can include overeating, intestinal infections, stress and anxiety, and chronic gastrointestinal disorders. Stomach pain and nausea are usually short-lived and get better on their own. However, people with persistent symptoms should see a doctor for an evaluation.

There are four types of abdominal pain: upper, lower, right-sided and left-sided. Each type has specific symptoms and causes, and all are briefly discussed below (for detailed discussion).

When you have it, you may feel: Cramping, churning, tightness, or knots in the stomach. “Butterflies” in the stomach feeling. Shivering, shaking, or twitching of muscles.

How to relieve abdominal pain? ›

Peptic ulcers, such as stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers, can cause dull abdominal pain that comes and goes. The condition may develop a few hours after eating or during the night. Taking antacids or eating some food may relieve it.

The classic symptoms of peptic ulcers are stomach pain and indigestion. Ulcer pain feels like burning or gnawing inside your stomach, which is between your breastbone and your belly button. It may improve temporarily when you eat or drink or when you take an antacid, medication to reduce stomach acid.

Concomitant symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, jaundice, melena, hematuria, hematemesis, weight loss, and mucus or blood in the stool help direct subsequent evaluation.

Call your doctor right away if you have abdominal pain so severe that you can't move without causing more pain, or you can't sit still or find a comfortable position. Seek immediate medical help if pain is accompanied by other worrisome signs and symptoms, including: Severe pain. Fever.

The stages of appendicitis can be divided into early, suppurative, gangrenous, perforated, phlegmonous, spontaneous resolving, recurrent, and chronic.

Digestion issues, including indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, and food poisoning, are all extremely common causes of stomach pain. In most cases, the discomfort will go away within a few hours or a few days. Inflammation caused by an irritation or infection.

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.

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.

How long does gastroenteritis last? ›

Gastroenteritis can be very unpleasant, but it usually clears up by itself within a week.

Several conditions can cause nausea, including stress, anxiety, infections, and motion sickness. Occasional temporary nausea is also common but typically not cause for concern. Nausea is a sensation that makes a person feel they need to vomit. Sometimes, individuals with nausea do vomit, but not always.

Why is norovirus surging this year? Norovirus outbreaks are common in the U.S., says Grusich. Each year, norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 109,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths, per the CDC.

Gallstones. Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Hiatal hernia.

Doctors use an ultrasound as the first imaging test when checking for possible appendicitis in infants, children, young adults, and pregnant women. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) link scan takes pictures of your body's internal organs and soft tissues without using x-rays.