Indigestion

Indigestion

Definition:


Indigestion — also called dyspepsia or an upset stomach — is a general term that describes discomfort in your upper abdomen. Indigestion is not a disease, but rather a collection of symptoms you experience, including bloating, belching and nausea. Although indigestion is common, how you experience indigestion may differ from other people. Symptoms of indigestion might be felt occasionally or as often as daily.
Fortunately, you may be able to prevent or treat the symptoms of indigestion.

Symptoms:

Most people with indigestion have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Early fullness during a meal. You haven't eaten much of your meal, but you already feel full and may not be able to finish eating.
• Uncomfortable fullness after a meal. Fullness lasts longer than it should.
• Pain in the upper abdomen. You feel a mild to severe pain in the area between the bottom of your breastbone (sternum) and your navel.
• Burning in the upper abdomen. You feel an uncomfortable heat or burning sensation between the bottom of the breastbone and navel.

Less frequent symptoms that may come along with indigestion include:

• Nausea. You feel like you are about to vomit.
• Bloating. Your stomach feels swollen, tight and uncomfortable.

Sometimes people with indigestion also experience heartburn, but heartburn and indigestion are two separate conditions. Heartburn is a pain or burning feeling in the center of your chest that may radiate into your neck or back after or during eating.
When to see a doctor
Mild indigestion is usually nothing to worry about. Consult your doctor if discomfort persists for more than two weeks. Contact your doctor right away if pain is severe or accompanied by:

• Unintentional weight loss or loss of appetite
• Repeated vomiting or vomiting with blood
• Black, tarry stools
• Yellow coloring in the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Trouble swallowing that gets progressively worse

Seek immediate medical attention if you have:

• Shortness of breath, sweating or chest pain radiating to the jaw, neck or arm
• Chest pain on exertion or with stress

Causes:

There are many possible causes of indigestion. Some are related to lifestyle and what you're eating and drinking. Indigestion can also be caused by other digestive conditions.
Common causes include:

• Overeating
• Eating too quickly
• Fatty or greasy foods
• Spicy foods
• Too much caffeine
• Too much alcohol
• Too much chocolate
• Too many carbonated beverages
• Smoking
• Nervousness
• Emotional trauma
• Medications, including antibiotics, and some pain relievers
• Pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis)
• Peptic ulcers
• Gallstones
• Stomach cancer

When a cause for indigestion can't be found after a thorough evaluation, a person may have functional dyspepsia. Functional dyspepsia is a type of indigestion that occurs because of an impairment in the stomach's ability to accept and digest food and then pass that food to the small intestine.

Complications:

Although indigestion doesn't usually have serious complications, it can affect your quality of life by making you feel uncomfortable and causing you to eat less. When indigestion is caused by an underlying condition, that condition could come with complications of its own.

Treatments and drugs:

If lifestyle changes — especially avoiding offending foods — don't help your indigestion, there also are over-the-counter and prescription medications that may help. Most are designed to reduce stomach acid or help move food from the stomach to the small intestine.
Types of indigestion medications include:

• Antacids. Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Tums, and others are available over-the-counter and work by neutralizing stomach acid. Side effects include diarrhea and constipation. These are often the first medications doctors recommend.

• H-2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs). These medications don't begin working as quickly as antacids do, but they work for a longer period of time. Examples of these drugs include Axid, Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac, which are available over-the-counter or by prescription. Possible side effects that can occur include headache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and bruising or bleeding.

• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix and Zegerid are most effective for people who also have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These medications reduce stomach acid more effectively than H2RAs. They're available by prescription, although Prilosec and Prevacid also come in over-the-counter strength. Possible side effects include back pain, aching, cough, headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, gas, nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea. Long-term use has, rarely, been associated with bone fractures.

• Prokinetics. Medications, such as Reglan, can be helpful if your stomach empties slowly. People taking this prescription medication frequently experience side effects, such as fatigue, sleepiness, depression, anxiety and involuntary muscle spasms.

• Antibiotics. If the bacteria that causes peptic ulcer disease (Helicobacter pylori) is causing your indigestion, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.

• Antidepressants. If a thorough evaluation doesn't reveal a cause for your symptoms and the conventional treatments listed above don't work, your doctor may recommend an antidepressant medication. These prescription medications may improve the discomfort from indigestion by decreasing your sensation of pain.