Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesFinding the SourceHome RemediesMedicationsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Finding the Source
Home Remedies
Medications
Frequently Asked Questions
Pain is a serious quality of life issue, causing many people with IBS to miss work, school, and social events. Fortunately, a lot of treatment options are available to help you feel and function better.
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Why Pain Happens
For people who have IBS, these muscles may be contracting irregularly and intermittently along the length of the colon. This is a suspected cause of some of the hallmark symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain,bloating, and gas.Pain typically occurs most commonly after a meal and may last for several hours.
Finding the Source of Pain
Keeping a food diary can help you figure out if certain foods are contributing to your abdominal pain. Recording everything you eat and including such details as where, when, and with whom meals are eaten can help you find any potential “triggers” for abdominal pain.
You can then take your food diary to appointments with your healthcare provider or nutritionist, and they may be able to help you spot patterns and root out your problem foods.
Keeping a Food Diary
Not every IBS abdominal-pain treatment requires a healthcare provider and a prescription. Some common home remedies are peppermint oil and a heating pad.
Peppermint Oil
A natural antispasmodic, peppermint can also help reduce spasms in the colon.You can take peppermint oil in either capsule form or as a tea.
American College of Gastroenterology guidelines published in 2021 recommend peppermint oil for alleviating abdominal pain and overall IBS symptoms. However, the authors did state that the quality of the available evidence was low and that further study is needed.
Peppermint for Digestive Problems
Heating Pad
A simple and inexpensive way of treating abdominal pain is with a home heating pad. Heat can help soothe cramping muscles and provide a source of comfort. Some tips to remember are:
Two types of medications are commonly given for IBS: antispasmotics and antidepressants.
Antispasmodics
Antispasmodicssuch as Bentyl (dicyclomine), Levsin (hyoscyamine), and Donnatal(belladonna/phenobarbital) are a class of drugs that are often prescribed to treat IBS symptoms. These drugs can relax the muscles of the stomach and intestines, which could provide some relief from abdominal pain.
To be effective, antispasmodics should be taken 30 to 60 minutes before a meal. Common side effects include:
The ACG guidelines recommend against using antispasmotics due to a lack of evidence that they’re effective.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants seem to be more helpful when taken at night for people with diarrhea-predominant IBS (D-IBS). It may take several weeks of treatment with an antidepressant before it has an effect on abdominal pain.
A Word From Verywell
Pain is a significant problem for people with IBS. If pain is preventing you from going to work or school or doing the things you love, talk to your healthcare provider about getting it treated. There are several options available for relieving pain from IBS.
Everyone with IBS deserves relief from pain. It may take some time to figure out how to treat the pain (or prevent it in the first place), but it’s worth the effort to get back to living your life.
Frequently Asked QuestionsA heating pad may help with constipation. One study found that applying a heating pad to the lower abdomen for less than an hour caused improved gastrointestinal movements.Other tricks that may help with constipation include eating fruit like pears, prunes, and peaches, eating vegetables and greens like spinach, carrots, and green beans, and getting more fiber.Learn More7 Best Things You Can Do to Ease Your ConstipationThe results of 11 scientific studies showed that multi-strain probiotics, or supplements that contain more than one bacterial strain, can help with IBS. However, the symptoms that saw improvement differed between each study. Some saw improvements in bloating and abdominal pain while others noted generalized improvement.Before taking a probiotic to treat IBS abdominal pain, it may be a good idea to speak to your healthcare provider about how to effectively manage your IBS symptoms.
A heating pad may help with constipation. One study found that applying a heating pad to the lower abdomen for less than an hour caused improved gastrointestinal movements.Other tricks that may help with constipation include eating fruit like pears, prunes, and peaches, eating vegetables and greens like spinach, carrots, and green beans, and getting more fiber.Learn More7 Best Things You Can Do to Ease Your Constipation
A heating pad may help with constipation. One study found that applying a heating pad to the lower abdomen for less than an hour caused improved gastrointestinal movements.Other tricks that may help with constipation include eating fruit like pears, prunes, and peaches, eating vegetables and greens like spinach, carrots, and green beans, and getting more fiber.
Learn More7 Best Things You Can Do to Ease Your Constipation
The results of 11 scientific studies showed that multi-strain probiotics, or supplements that contain more than one bacterial strain, can help with IBS. However, the symptoms that saw improvement differed between each study. Some saw improvements in bloating and abdominal pain while others noted generalized improvement.Before taking a probiotic to treat IBS abdominal pain, it may be a good idea to speak to your healthcare provider about how to effectively manage your IBS symptoms.
9 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.International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).IBS patients: Their illness experience and unmet needs.IFFGD.org.Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Camilleri M, Boeckxstaens G.Dietary and pharmacological treatment of abdominal pain in IBS.Gut. 2017;66(5):966-974. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313425Alammar N, Wang L, Saberi B, et al.The impact of peppermint oil on the irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis of the pooled clinical data.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):21. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2409-0Lacy BE, Pimentel M, Brenner DM, et al.ACG clinical guideline: Management of irritable bowel syndrome.Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(1):17-44. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001036Annaházi A, Róka R, Rosztóczy A, Wittmann T.Role of antispasmodics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(20):6031-43. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6031Xie C, Tang Y, Wang Y, et al.Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127815Nagashima Y, Igaki M, Suzuki A, Tsuchiya S, Yamazaki Y, Hishinuma M, Oh-ishi S, & Majima M.Application of a heat- and steam-generating sheet increases peripheral blood flow and induces parasympathetic predominance. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011;1–13. doi:10.1155/2011/965095Dale HF, Rasmussen SH, Asiller ÖÖ, Lied GA.Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2048. doi:10.3390/nu11092048
9 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.International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).IBS patients: Their illness experience and unmet needs.IFFGD.org.Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Camilleri M, Boeckxstaens G.Dietary and pharmacological treatment of abdominal pain in IBS.Gut. 2017;66(5):966-974. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313425Alammar N, Wang L, Saberi B, et al.The impact of peppermint oil on the irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis of the pooled clinical data.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):21. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2409-0Lacy BE, Pimentel M, Brenner DM, et al.ACG clinical guideline: Management of irritable bowel syndrome.Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(1):17-44. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001036Annaházi A, Róka R, Rosztóczy A, Wittmann T.Role of antispasmodics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(20):6031-43. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6031Xie C, Tang Y, Wang Y, et al.Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127815Nagashima Y, Igaki M, Suzuki A, Tsuchiya S, Yamazaki Y, Hishinuma M, Oh-ishi S, & Majima M.Application of a heat- and steam-generating sheet increases peripheral blood flow and induces parasympathetic predominance. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011;1–13. doi:10.1155/2011/965095Dale HF, Rasmussen SH, Asiller ÖÖ, Lied GA.Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2048. doi:10.3390/nu11092048
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.
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).IBS patients: Their illness experience and unmet needs.IFFGD.org.Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Camilleri M, Boeckxstaens G.Dietary and pharmacological treatment of abdominal pain in IBS.Gut. 2017;66(5):966-974. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313425Alammar N, Wang L, Saberi B, et al.The impact of peppermint oil on the irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis of the pooled clinical data.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):21. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2409-0Lacy BE, Pimentel M, Brenner DM, et al.ACG clinical guideline: Management of irritable bowel syndrome.Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(1):17-44. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001036Annaházi A, Róka R, Rosztóczy A, Wittmann T.Role of antispasmodics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(20):6031-43. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6031Xie C, Tang Y, Wang Y, et al.Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127815Nagashima Y, Igaki M, Suzuki A, Tsuchiya S, Yamazaki Y, Hishinuma M, Oh-ishi S, & Majima M.Application of a heat- and steam-generating sheet increases peripheral blood flow and induces parasympathetic predominance. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011;1–13. doi:10.1155/2011/965095Dale HF, Rasmussen SH, Asiller ÖÖ, Lied GA.Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2048. doi:10.3390/nu11092048
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).IBS patients: Their illness experience and unmet needs.IFFGD.org.
Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14
Camilleri M, Boeckxstaens G.Dietary and pharmacological treatment of abdominal pain in IBS.Gut. 2017;66(5):966-974. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313425
Alammar N, Wang L, Saberi B, et al.The impact of peppermint oil on the irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis of the pooled clinical data.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):21. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2409-0
Lacy BE, Pimentel M, Brenner DM, et al.ACG clinical guideline: Management of irritable bowel syndrome.Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(1):17-44. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001036
Annaházi A, Róka R, Rosztóczy A, Wittmann T.Role of antispasmodics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(20):6031-43. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6031
Xie C, Tang Y, Wang Y, et al.Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127815
Nagashima Y, Igaki M, Suzuki A, Tsuchiya S, Yamazaki Y, Hishinuma M, Oh-ishi S, & Majima M.Application of a heat- and steam-generating sheet increases peripheral blood flow and induces parasympathetic predominance. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011;1–13. doi:10.1155/2011/965095
Dale HF, Rasmussen SH, Asiller ÖÖ, Lied GA.Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2048. doi:10.3390/nu11092048
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