How to Get Rid of Stomach Ache

Stomach aches are never fun and they always seem to come at a bad time. Luckily, they usually are not serious and can be remedied with a little self-care. When your stomach hurts, it's usually because your body could use some tending to. Here are some simple tips to start the process.

Stop eating and drinking. Give your stomach a complete break from liquids and solids right away. If you really need to eat, go with small portions of non-acidic foods like crackers, veggies or fruit.


Take an over-the-counter antacid. Take an antacid to neutralize the acidity in your stomach if you feel the stomach ache is related to indigestion or you are experiencing heart burn.

• Tums and Milk of Magnesia (Magnesium Hydroxide) are the most common brands, but you can find other brand names with similar ingredients at the drug store.

Take simethicone. If you feel bloated, stimethicone is an over-the-counter anti-bloating remedy that should help clear out any excess gas.

• To find out if gas is your problem, try massaging your stomach and listening for gurgling sounds. Hear them? You probably have some excess gas in there. Simethicone can help clear it out.

Take bsmuth subsalicylate.This works as an antidiarrheal, so if you have the runs this is what you should take. Pepto-Bismol is the most common brand, but you can find other brand names with similar ingredients sold over-the-counter at the drug store.

Go to the restroom. It may seem impossible, but sometimes all a stomach ache is asking for is a good, solid bowel movement.

Take a warm shower or bath. Resting your body, warming your organs and calming your mind can all help with a stomach ache. Sometimes stomach pain comes as a reaction to a stressful day.

Lie on your back. Lying down lets the rest of your body take a break so it can better deal with your stomach.

Put a hot compress on your abdomen. If you don't have a heating pad, wet a washcloth with hot water and then place it on your stomach. Keep it there as long as needed.

Massage your stomach. Slowly apply pressure with two fingers in a circular motion along your lower and upper abdomen.

Try to sleep. If you are able, take a nap. In most cases, your stomach ache will be gone when you wake up. If you can't fall asleep, try to rest on your back, letting your stomach stretch out.