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Table of Contents

Causes

Treatment

Prevention

Also known asdyspepsia, indigestion affects 20% of the population.The collective symptoms that people can experience are burning pain in the upper abdomen, feeling full quickly after eating, and feeling uncomfortably full after eating.

Learn about the causes, treatment, and prevention of indigestion or stomach burning.

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Woman at a Desk With Stomach Pain

20 Reasons Your Stomach May Burn

The other 25% who do have a defined cause could find their pain linked to:

Medications that can cause stomach burning include:

Medical conditions that affect the gastrointestinal tract that can cause stomach burning include:

Should I Worry About Burning Stomach Pain?Contact your healthcare provider if you have burning stomach pain that lasts longer than two weeks. Seek immediate medical help if you experience burning stomach pain along with other serious symptoms, including:Frequent vomitingBlood in vomitWeight loss or not feeling hungryBloody, black, or tarry stools (could mean you have blood in your stool)Sudden sharp pain in your belly or abdomenTrouble breathingSweatingPain that spreads to your jaw, neck, or armDifficult, painful swallowingYellow coloring of your eyes or skin (jaundice)

Should I Worry About Burning Stomach Pain?

Contact your healthcare provider if you have burning stomach pain that lasts longer than two weeks. Seek immediate medical help if you experience burning stomach pain along with other serious symptoms, including:Frequent vomitingBlood in vomitWeight loss or not feeling hungryBloody, black, or tarry stools (could mean you have blood in your stool)Sudden sharp pain in your belly or abdomenTrouble breathingSweatingPain that spreads to your jaw, neck, or armDifficult, painful swallowingYellow coloring of your eyes or skin (jaundice)

Contact your healthcare provider if you have burning stomach pain that lasts longer than two weeks. Seek immediate medical help if you experience burning stomach pain along with other serious symptoms, including:

Dyspepsia

Ways to stop burning stomach pain focus on managing any underlying conditions and preventing future pain. The main treatment options are medications, diet changes, and psychological therapy.

Over-the-counter (OTC) antacid medications can treat indigestion. These medications neutralize and reduce stomach acid levels. Common antacids include:

If indigestion doesn’t get better after two weeks of OTC treatment, contact your healthcare provider for prescription medication.The best medicines for stomach burning areproton pump inhibitors, which decrease the amount of acid in the stomach. These include:

Acid blockers, called H2 blockers, can also help stomach burning, including:

If anH. pyloriinfection is causing stomach burning, then a healthcare provider will likely prescribe two antibiotics to treat the infection. They might include:

People with indigestion should avoid foods and drinks that make their symptoms worse, such as:

If stress oranxietyis causing indigestion, then relaxation techniques should be implemented as part of a treatment plan. These techniques may include meditation, exercise, and talk therapy.

Home Remedies

Treating indigestion at home with over-the-counter medications, diet, and lifestyle changes can make a big difference.

There are few proven home remedies to treat indigestion. However, if the burning stomach pain comes on and there is no medication to be found at home, dissolvebaking sodain at least 4 ounces of water.Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, the same ingredient found in some over-the-counter medications.

Foods that may help when your stomach is burning include:

Natural Remedies for Indigestion Relief

Surgery

Thislaparoscopicsurgery involves wrapping part of the stomach (fundus) around the bottom of the esophagus.This makes it very difficult for stomach contents to move up the esophagus and cause pain.

Heartburn Relief: Natural Antacids, Medication, Prevention

One of the best things to prevent burning stomach pain is to make diet changes. Some foods and drinks can trigger indigestion. Take note of anyfoodsthat cause indigestion and avoid them. Foods and drinks that may cause indigestion include:

Making lifestyle changes may also help decrease the incidence of indigestion, such as:

Summary

A stomach-burning sensation, also called indigestion, is a term used to describe a group of gastrointestinal symptoms. There are several potential causes, including stress, food, medications, and medical conditions. Treatment may include diet and lifestyle changes, OTC or prescription medications, or surgery for moderate to severe indigestion.

If diet and lifestyle modifications aren’t working, talk to a healthcare provider for additional treatment options.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UpToDate.Approach to the adult with dyspepsia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Indigestion (dyspepsia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Indigestion.Clarrett DM, Hachem C.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Mo Med. 2018;115(3):214-218.Penn Medicine.Should you be afraid of stomach acid medicine?Medline Plus.H2 blockers.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of indigestion.MedlinePlus.Sodium bicarbonate.Johns Hopkins Medicine.GERD diet: foods that help with acid reflux (heartburn).Medical College of Wisconsin.GERD surgery - laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for indigestion.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UpToDate.Approach to the adult with dyspepsia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Indigestion (dyspepsia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Indigestion.Clarrett DM, Hachem C.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Mo Med. 2018;115(3):214-218.Penn Medicine.Should you be afraid of stomach acid medicine?Medline Plus.H2 blockers.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of indigestion.MedlinePlus.Sodium bicarbonate.Johns Hopkins Medicine.GERD diet: foods that help with acid reflux (heartburn).Medical College of Wisconsin.GERD surgery - laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for indigestion.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

UpToDate.Approach to the adult with dyspepsia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Indigestion (dyspepsia).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Indigestion.Clarrett DM, Hachem C.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Mo Med. 2018;115(3):214-218.Penn Medicine.Should you be afraid of stomach acid medicine?Medline Plus.H2 blockers.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of indigestion.MedlinePlus.Sodium bicarbonate.Johns Hopkins Medicine.GERD diet: foods that help with acid reflux (heartburn).Medical College of Wisconsin.GERD surgery - laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for indigestion.

UpToDate.Approach to the adult with dyspepsia.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Indigestion (dyspepsia).

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Indigestion.

Clarrett DM, Hachem C.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Mo Med. 2018;115(3):214-218.

Penn Medicine.Should you be afraid of stomach acid medicine?

Medline Plus.H2 blockers.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of indigestion.

MedlinePlus.Sodium bicarbonate.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.GERD diet: foods that help with acid reflux (heartburn).

Medical College of Wisconsin.GERD surgery - laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for indigestion.

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