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Indigestion - Treatment

Alternative Names

Dyspepsia; Uncomfortable fullness after meals

Home Care:

  • Allow enough time for meals.
  • Chew food carefully and completely.
  • Avoid arguments during meals.
  • Avoid excitement or exercise immediately after a meal.
  • A calm environment and rest may help relieve stress-related indigestion.
  • Avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs. If you must take them, do so on a full stomach.
  • Antacids may relieve indigestion. Stronger medications are available over-the-counter, such as ranitidine (Zantac) and omeprazole (Prilosec OTC). Your doctor may prescribe similar medications in higher doses or for longer periods of time than over-the-counter drugs recommend.

Call your health care provider if:

Seek immediate medical help if your symptoms include jaw pain, chest pain, back pain, profuse sweating, anxiety, or a feeling of impending doom. These are possible heart attack symptoms.

Call your health care provider if:

  • Indigestion symptoms change noticeably
  • Symptoms last longer than a few days
  • You have unexplained weight loss
  • You have sudden, severe abdominal pain
  • You have trouble swallowing
  • You have yellow coloring of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • You vomit blood or pass blood in the stool

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

Your doctor will perform a physical examination, paying special attention to the stomach area and digestive tract. You will be asked questions about your symptoms, including:

  • Does the discomfort begin or get worse after eating particular foods?
  • Does it begin or get worse after drinking alcoholic or carbonated drinks?
  • Do you eat fast?
  • Have you been overeating?
  • Have you changed your diet?
  • Have you had any spicy, high-fiber, or fatty foods?
  • Do you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages (tea, soda, coffee)?
  • What medications are you taking?
  • Have you changed medications recently?
  • What other symptoms do you have? For example, stomach pain or vomiting.

The following tests may be performed:

  • Reviewed last on: 1/28/2009
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Talley N. Functional gastrointestinal disorders: irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and noncardiac chest pain. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 139.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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