Indigestion

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Nearly everyone has had indigestion at one time. It's a feeling of discomfort or a burning feeling in your upper abdomen. You may have heartburn or belch and feel bloated. You may also feel nauseated, or even throw up.

You might get indigestion from eating too much or too fast, eating high-fat foods, or eating when you're stressed. Smoking, drinking too much alcohol, using some medicines, being tired, and having ongoing stress can also cause indigestion or make it worse. Sometimes the cause is a problem with the digestive tract, like an ulcer or GERD.

Avoiding foods and situations that seem to cause it may help. Because indigestion can be a sign of a more serious problem, see your health care provider if it lasts for more than two weeks or if you have severe pain or other symptoms. Your health care provider may use x-rays, lab tests, and an upper endoscopy to diagnose the cause. You may need medicines to treat the symptoms.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Indigestion (Dyspepsia) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Indigestion (Dyspepsia) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Treatments and Therapies

• Chamomile (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Peppermint Oil (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Sage (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Related Issues

• Belching, Bloating and Flatulence (American College of Gastroenterology) Also in Spanish
• Confusing or Ambiguous Upper Gut Symptoms (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Warning: Aspirin-Containing Antacid Medicines Can Cause Bleeding (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Functional Dyspepsia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dyspepsia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Diagnostic performance of biopsy-based methods for determination of Helicobacter pylori infection...
• Article: Weichang' an pill alleviates functional dyspepsia through modulating brain-gut peptides and...
• Article: Analysis of composition of gut microbial community in a rat model...
• Indigestion -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Your Digestive System and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American College of Gastroenterology
• Find a Gastroenterologist (American College of Gastroenterology)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Indigestion (For Children) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Indigestion (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Indigestion (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Indigestion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Taking antacids (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish