Abdominal complaints
Abdominal complaints are problems you may experience with your abdomen. There can be several reasons for this, including:
- Eating too much.
- Smoking.
- Alcohol.
- Abdominal flu.
- Greasy food.
- Being overweight.
- Coughing.
- Constipation.
- Bacteria which can cause stomach ulcers.
- Tension.
- Anxiety.
- Stress.
- Drinking coffee.
- Strong and spicy food.
- Eating chocolate.
- Eating peppermint.
- Carbonated drinks.
- Acidic drinks.
- Eating or drinking citrus fruits.
If you suffer from abdominal complaints, you may:
- Have pain in your upper abdomen.
- Suffer from burping.
- Suffer from heartburn.
- Feel bloated in your abdomen.
- Feel nauseous.
- Vomit.
- Get full quickly.
There are a number of things you can do about abdominal complaints yourself, such as:
- Eating regularly.
- Eating plenty of fibre.
- Drinking at least 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day.
- Not eating foods you can’t tolerate.
- Not drinking alcohol.
- Not drinking caffeinated drinks.
- Not eating too much or too much greasy food.
- Not drinking carbonated drinks.
- Getting enough exercise.
- Sleeping with your head end raised for a week. Do this by stacking a few extra pillows on top of each other. Heartburn, belching and other abdominal complaints can be reduced or resolved as a result.
- Losing weight if you’re overweight.
- Reducing your stress levels and talking to someone if you’re feeling anxious or gloomy. Find out what can help you to reduce or resolve this together.
- Making sure you get enough sleep and if you find this difficult, we recommend you contact your GP.
- Taking medication for abdominal complaints if you’ve been prescribed these.
We recommend you contact your GP immediately In the following situations:
- If your stool is dark black.
- If you vomit blood.
- If you have blood in your stool.
- When the pain is unbearable.
- You faint and/or become very drowsy.
- If the symptoms don’t go away.
- If the symptoms don’t change.
- If the symptoms don’t get worse.
This information has been written in clear, patient-friendly language by the medical team at Moet ik naar de dokter? and is based on the guidelines of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG) and the Dutch Triage Standard (NTS). We do not provide medical diagnoses, and this information is not a substitute for a doctor’s professional judgment.
