Flatulence is a condition characterized by increased gas formation in the intestines. It causes a lot of unpleasant sensations, and sometimes even causes pain.
The formation of gases is a normal phenomenon that occurs during the digestion of food. However, with poor nutrition, lack of enzymes, and disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, this process is activated and becomes pathological.
What is flatulence
Flatulence is an increased accumulation of gases in the gastrointestinal tract, the release of which occurs in the form of belching or flatulence (gas release through the anus).
Flatulence itself is not a disease and is characterized as normal functioning of the digestive system. In addition to the usual release of gases, flatulence may be accompanied by heaviness in the stomach and distension in the abdomen, hiccups, nausea and an unpleasant taste in the mouth. There are problems with stool.
In a healthy person, acts of flatus (involuntary or voluntary release of gases) can occur from 5 to 15 times a day.
There are a number of diseases that can cause increased gas production.
Medicines for bloating
Impaired passage of gases (flatulence, bloating) is an extremely unpleasant consequence of various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The cause may be poor nutrition, lack of enzymes, and various intestinal diseases. What medications are taken for bloating?
Why does flatulence occur and how to treat it?
The tactics for treating flatulence and the choice of necessary medications depend on the cause that caused increased gas formation in the gastrointestinal tract:
- excess starch and fiber in the diet,
- disruption of the processes of digestion of foods and absorption of nutrients,
- violation of the contractility of the intestinal muscles,
- circulatory disorders in the gastrointestinal tract,
- various tumor processes.
Several types of medications are used to reduce gas formation in the intestines:
- enterosorbents - medicines for bloating, absorbing and removing poisons, toxins, pathogenic microflora from the body,
- prokinetics - drugs that improve the functioning of the intestinal muscles, enhance the pushing abilities of the intestines, relieve heaviness in the abdomen, nausea, belching,
- probiotics and prebiotics normalize the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract,
- enzymes stimulate the digestion of food.
Adsorbents
Due to the content of special substances, adsorbent medications for bloating absorb toxins and poisons and are eliminated from the body along with them naturally. Medicines in this group:
- Activated carbon is an outdated product with low effectiveness, since it also removes useful microelements from the body along with harmful substances. Can be taken for emergency care in the absence of other drugs.
- Smecta binds and removes excess gases, poisons, toxins, and bacteria from the intestines.
- Enterosgel contains methyl silicic acid, effectively adsorbs all harmful substances and naturally removes them from the body.
Prokinetics
Prokinetics are medications for bloating that stimulate intestinal motility and speed up the process of food movement and bowel movements. These are the following drugs:
- Bromopride,
- Dimetpramide,
- Domperidone,
- Metoclopramide,
- Perinorm,
- Raglan,
- Tseruglan,
- Cerucal.
Relieving spasms
Often, to improve digestion and in case of excessive gas formation, it is necessary to take medications that relieve spasms by relaxing the intestinal muscles. These may be the following drugs:
- No-shpa,
- Papaverine,
- Espumisan.
The above medications for bloating and gas formation are contraindicated in patients with heart failure and low blood pressure.
Preparations containing enzymes
When there is a deficiency of enzymes involved in the digestion of food, useful substances together with bacteria are “fermented” in the intestines, resulting in the formation of gases. This often happens with overeating, as well as with diseases of the pancreas and disorders of the production of gastric juice.
In such cases, medications containing the enzymes the body lacks help:
- Mezim Forte is a medicine containing 3 enzymes: amylase, protease and lipase, which break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
- Pancreatin contains a complex of enzymes.
- Festal.
Medicines to normalize digestion
Increased gas formation can result from a disruption in the normal balance of microflora in the intestines. This often happens after a course of antibacterial drugs, with an unbalanced diet, or after diarrhea. To restore the disturbed balance of the gastrointestinal tract, two types of drugs are used:
- Probiotics are preparations containing live cultures of beneficial bacteria or yeast. Example - Linex containing lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and enterococci.
- Prebiotics are medicines that do not contain live bacteria, but they contain special substances that promote the proliferation of beneficial microflora in the gastrointestinal tract (Hilak Forte, for example).
Defoamers
Preparations containing dimethicone and simethicone help combat increased gas formation. Simethicone is more powerful and effective due to its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Medicines containing this substance:
- Infacol,
- Colikides,
- Meteospasmil,
- Sub Simplex.
The above medications for bloating in adults reduce foaming in the intestines and weaken the surface tension of gas bubbles. The released gas is eliminated naturally due to intestinal peristalsis. Such medications are contraindicated in patients with mechanical damage to the intestines and intolerance to the components of the drugs.
Related products View all products
Bobotik, drops for oral administration 66.66 mg/ml 30 ml No. 1 dropper bottle
244,00 ₽
More details
Sub simplex, susp. for oral administration 69.19 mg/ml 30 ml No. 1
404,00 ₽
More details
← Previous article Medicines for osteochondrosis
Next article → Medicines for inhalation
Causes of increased gas formation
There are many reasons for increased gas formation. They are associated both with the physiological characteristics of a person and the presence of diseases or physical abnormalities that affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Flatulence is a symptom, and the amount of gases released returns to normal in the absence of factors destructive to the body.
Physiological conditions
Aerophagia is the swallowing of air in the process of life. A person swallows air while eating or talking while eating. A large amount of air is swallowed during smoking. Some of the swallowed air is removed from the body by belching. The rest of the air enters the intestine where it is partially absorbed.
With increasing age (after 50 - 60 years), the intestines lengthen and its walls atrophy, the efficiency of digestive juices decreases, the absorption of gases worsens, resulting in bloating and increased flatulence.
Eating certain types of food also causes flatulence.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, women produce the hormone progesterone, which performs many functions, one of them is reducing the contractility of the uterus. At the same time, progesterone relaxes the intestinal muscles, which can lead to impaired peristalsis and the accumulation of gases.
Pregnancy affects the production of pancreatic hormones, which disrupts the digestion of food, and is accompanied by belching and heartburn.
Also during pregnancy, the uterus expands, which leads to mechanical compression of the intestines.
Infectious diseases
Gastrointestinal infections represent a broad group of diseases. They can be caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites. They are united by a negative impact on the digestive process. The main symptoms of such diseases are diarrhea or constipation, accompanied by mucus or blood in the stool.
As a result of disruption of the movement of intestinal contents, accumulation or increased formation of intestinal gases occurs.
Infectious diseases that disrupt the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract:
- Amoebiasis;
- Giardiasis;
- Infection caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli.
Pathologies of the large intestine
Changes in the structure of the large intestine directly affect the quality of digestion. Abnormal intestinal morphology can be acquired or congenital.
Possible pathologies of the colon:
- Changes in the intestinal wall. Sac-like protrusions and air cavities form in the intestinal walls, which disrupt peristalsis and cause constipation. A good example is pneumatosis intestinalis, in which air chambers form between the layers of the intestinal wall.
- Megacolon is an acquired or congenital disease in which an enlarged condition of the entire colon or a separate section of it is noted. The modified area is characterized by muscle hypertrophy and atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, as a result of which the pushing of feces is disrupted and intestinal gases are retained.
- The development of tumors in the intestines can lead to constipation and blood in the stool. Progressive constipation and severe flatulence may indicate the development of an intestinal tumor.
Diseases of the esophagus and stomach
Flatulence may indicate the presence of diseases not only of the large intestine, but also of other parts of the gastrointestinal tract as a whole:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is characterized by the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus due to disruption of the lower esophageal sphincter. Manifests itself in the form of heartburn, belching, chest pain, and flatulence.
Develops as a result of the formation of a hiatal hernia, pregnancy, and excess weight. Factors that increase the risk of GERD: diabetes, alcoholism, hormonal disorders, medications that affect the functioning of the esophageal sphincter.
Biliary reflux gastritis - in which inflammation of the gastric mucosa occurs due to the flow of intestinal contents back into the stomach and an imbalance in the acid balance.
It manifests itself in the form of heaviness in the abdomen immediately after eating, belching with bitterness, abnormal bowel movements, and increased flatulence.
Dumping syndrome is a disease that occurs as a result of surgery on the stomach or esophagus. It is characterized by the rapid release of stomach contents, especially sugar, into the intestines.
Symptoms appear 30-40 minutes after eating: abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Maldigestion and malabsorption
Maldigestion syndrome is a violation of the secretion of gastric and intestinal juices or low levels of digestive enzymes, as a result of which the efficiency of food digestion decreases. Manifests itself in the form of nausea, rumbling or heaviness in the stomach, flatulence. Closely associated with malabsorption syndrome.
With malabsorption syndrome, a low degree of absorption of nutrients and disruption of their transport in the intestine are observed. Manifested by diarrhea, abdominal pain, sudden weight loss.
This problem occurs, for example, in people with problems digesting gluten. In them, these conditions arise due to a deficiency of specialized enzymes that can digest gluten.
Abdominal purulent processes
Purulent-inflammatory processes occur when the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted as a result of injury or surgery. The result may be intestinal obstruction, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and constipation, high fever and abdominal pain.
Purulent processes can be caused by chronic appendicitis and an interintestinal abscess (abscess) formed between the intestinal loops. Accompanied by pain in the abdominal cavity and swelling of the abdominal wall.
Flatulence of functional origin
Bloating, pain and changes in stool may be associated with increased intestinal motility, which is caused by disorders of nervous regulation and psycho-emotional instability.
These violations manifest themselves:
- Irritable bowel syndrome, which is characterized by multi-day abdominal pain and bowel dysfunction.
- Functional diarrhea is a disorder of stool without pain.
Incompetence of the abdominal wall
Abdominal bloating, impaired intestinal motility and flatulence can be caused by a violation of the morphology of the abdominal wall, limiting the internal organs. The abnormalities are swellings, protrusions and stretches that increase the space in the abdominal cavity, which causes displacement of the internal organs.
Common causes of violation of the integrity of the abdominal wall:
- Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles is a stretching of the intermuscular aponeurosis connecting the longitudinal muscles of the abdominal press.
- Postoperative hernias are tumor-like protrusions into which internal organs, in particular the intestines, can prolapse. A hernia can cause constipation, acute abdominal pain, nausea, and flatulence.
Genitourinary diseases
The close location of the intestines and genitourinary organs, as well as their functional relationship, can contribute to the manifestation of symptoms in one system while the disease develops in another.
Genitourinary diseases that may cause flatulence:
- Acute pyelonephritis. Inflammation of the kidney parenchyma, which can lead to weakness, chills, profuse sweating, tachycardia and flatulence.
- Renal colic. They are an acute painful attack resulting from difficult urine drainage. The result is frequent urination, pain in the urethra, nausea and flatulence.
Bloating is observed with prostatitis (swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland) and salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes).
Endocrine pathology
Endocrine pathologies include hypothyroidism, a disease characterized by dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism is characterized by a slowdown in all processes occurring in the body. Including, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted.
It should also be noted the effect of the hormone progesterone on the intestinal muscles during pregnancy.
pharmachologic effect
Carminatives reduce gas formation in the intestines by reducing the surface tension of gas bubbles, allowing them to coalesce and be eliminated naturally. At the same time, the accompanying symptoms of bloating - pain and cramps in the abdomen - disappear.
Herbal carminatives relax smooth muscles, eliminating intestinal spasms.
In addition, herbal carminatives have a moderate anti-inflammatory effect.
When to see a doctor
By itself, intestinal gas rarely indicates the presence of a serious illness. They can cause discomfort and embarrassment, but are usually just a sign of a normally functioning digestive system. If you experience frequent attacks of flatulence, you should work with a nutritionist to find a more suitable diet.
However, you should see a doctor if flatulence is persistent or severe, or if the flatulence is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, unintentional weight loss, blood in the stool, or heartburn.
At first glance, flatulence may not cause serious discomfort in everyday life, but increased gas production may indicate the development of a dangerous disease.
Diagnostics
Since flatulence can occur as a result of normal body function, attempting to diagnose causes may not be practical. Diagnosis is required for prolonged, intense flatus with a strong unpleasant odor and constant bloating.
Due to the fact that flatulence is a symptom of many diseases, it becomes difficult to diagnose its origin. First of all, you need to consult a gastroenterologist, since flatulence, in most cases, occurs as a result of damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Only after this, if necessary, the patient can be referred to other specialists.
Basic diagnostic methods:
- Physical examination. An external examination of the patient is carried out, a medical history is examined, an anamnesis is collected from close relatives for the presence of possible hereditary diseases. The doctor will also carefully examine your diet and lifestyle.
- Laboratory research. In this case, the patient undergoes a blood test (for the content of enzymes), feces (for the presence of blood and helminth eggs), microflora of the stomach and intestines, and urine. Additionally, a biochemical study of the liver is performed.
- Instrumental research. Common methods in gastroenterology are colonoscopy, ultrasound and abdominal radiography.
Treatment for increased gas formation
Symptomatic therapy
It is based on the selection of a diet that excludes foods that cause increased gas formation. Prescribed drugs that normalize the functioning of the gastric tract.
For example:
- Carminatives. A group of medications that reduce the formation of intestinal gases and promote excretion from the body during flatulence.
- Surfactants. They have antimicrobial properties and influence the enzymatic properties of microorganisms.
- Adsorbents. Promote the absorption of gases and liquids.
- Probiotics. Substances or microorganisms that maintain normal microflora in the intestines.
Etiotropic and pathogenetic treatment
Etiotropic treatment is aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease. Depending on the disease that caused flatulence, the method of treatment is selected. He may limit himself to a special diet that normalizes the functioning of the body. Some diseases require drug or surgical treatment.
Traditional methods of treating flatulence
The consumption of certain foods has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Their use does not require a doctor's prescription, they are widely available, and can increase the effectiveness of basic treatment.
Important! It is recommended that you consult your physician before taking any supplements, especially if you have already been diagnosed with a medical condition and are being treated for it. Some supplements may conflict with medications, cause allergic reactions, or reduce their effectiveness.
The most effective folk remedies:
- Lemon soda solution (1/1). Used for bloating and increased gas formation accompanied by heartburn. Not recommended for people with stomach diseases.
- Mint - used as a decoction. The effect is observed from simply chewing or inhaling the smell. Used for flatulence or heartburn.
- Dill water. Useful for both adults and children. Consumed in the form of brewed dill seeds 10 minutes before meals.
- Collection of valerian, fennel and mint. Useful for flatulence and bloating.
The use of folk remedies does not replace normal drug treatment. Their use should be agreed with a doctor, and act as a prevention of gastrointestinal diseases.
Adsorbents in the fight against increased gas formation
When there is increased gas formation, it happens that enterosorbents (adsorbents) are recommended for use - these are medications that remove and absorb toxic substances from the gastrointestinal tract.
Such drugs include, for example, activated carbon, but there is no need to abuse it, since if it is taken frequently, after a certain period of time, the integrity of the intestinal mucosa is damaged.
But the new generation adsorbent is the Russian-made drug Enterosgel. The main ingredient of the product is polymethylsiloxane polyhydrate, which is similar in structure to a silicon sponge.
This enterosorbent has a certain sponge pore size, which allows it to absorb only harmful substances for the body.
The drug Enterosgel is presented in the form of a gel for making a suspension and for oral administration in the form of a paste.
The product is absolutely harmless and does not cause any adverse reactions.
It can be used in combination therapy with various other medications.
Diet
Eliminating certain vegetables and carbohydrate foods such as beans, broccoli, cabbage, and certain artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol (found in chewing gum, candy, and some soft drinks) may reduce the amount of gas produced.
Avoid or limit consumption:
- carbonated drinks;
- fried and fatty foods;
- sugar;
- alcohol;
- lactose and gluten (if intolerant or allergic).
