These medications lead to an inflated stomach
Various drugs have as a side effect flatulence.
- One group of drugs that cause flatulence are oral antidiabetics. These are drugs that are supposed to reduce the sugar content in the blood in different ways in diabetes mellitus.
Since it is often not possible to completely do without these drugs, different types can be tried out in order to set up an individual therapy and avoid flatulence and other side effects as far as possible.
- Another group are the opioids. These are strong painkillers which are used for operations and tumor pain. As a side effect, they paralyze the intestinal muscles and thus prevent the undisturbed passage of food pulp. The food pulp accumulates and the affected persons develop flatulence.
- Certain food supplements, such as iron tablets, also have an effect on digestion and can cause flatulence.
- Antibiotics also often cause flatulence, since these do not only kill the harmful bacteria, but always also affect the good intestinal bacteria. Therefore an antibiotic therapy should be weighed out well and not be set with each small effect.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract as cause
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. The intestinal mucosa is almost permanently inflamed and leads to severe abdominal pain. Furthermore, digestion is also restricted, which is why food components accumulate in the intestine and lead to flatulence and diarrhea.
The diseases usually appear for the first time in young adulthood. A cure is only possible in ulcerative colitis by removing the posterior sections of the intestine. Some medications can alleviate the symptoms.
Those affected must also follow a strict diet. Diverticulosis is an initially asymptomatic small protuberances of the intestinal wall in the area of the sigmoid, the last part of the colon before the rectum. These bulges provide a habitat for gas-producing bacteria.
The bulges can also become inflamed and lead to severe abdominal cramps. Diverticulitis is usually caused by diverticulosis and is also called “appendicitis of the elderly” because the symptoms are very similar and only have their main area on the left side of the lower abdomen. It is an acute disease requiring treatment, since a rupture of a diverticulum is life-threatening.
Overweight can have many consequences for the body. Especially the rapid weight gain in a short period of time leads to some difficulties in adaptation. An increase in volume in the abdominal cavity can also lead to flatulence.
This increase can occur both in the organs, in the form of constipation, and through an increase in abdominal fat. The latter is the cause of increased flatulence in overweight people. Furthermore, in the case of massive obesity, the entire digestion is restricted and body systems lose their natural balance.
Restricted movement in the abdominal organs can cause food mush to accumulate and the formation of gas in the abdomen is increased. In this case the flatulence is a warning sign of the body that it is overstrained with the weight. In this case, a diet plan should be drawn up together with the treating doctor, which should also have the goal of reducing weight.
In addition, exercise can lead to an alleviation of the symptoms. Regular exercise in the form of sports or walks should therefore be part of the change of life. The pancreas produces enzymes which break down food components into smaller pieces and thus make it possible to absorb these components.If there is a deficiency of these enzymes, the food can no longer be absorbed by the intestine and the food pulp is in the intestine in larger quantities and a different composition.
This leads to flatulence and abdominal cramps, as well as to deficiency symptoms. Such a deficiency occurs, for example, after pancreatic tumor removal or pancreatic insufficiency, since healthy tissue always has to be removed as well. The intestinal mucosa is a tissue that is constantly regenerating itself.
These cell formations can lead to defective growth and thus restrict the passage of food pulp. The intestine can also grow together with the surrounding tissue and thus lose its mobility. Both lead to digestive problems and thus also to flatulence and diarrhoea.
Adhesions can be surgically removed in case of recurring complaints. Exercise-enhancing medication can also help those affected. With operations in the abdomen, the scarring can later lead to adhesions.
These can be an obstacle for the food pulp and thus lead to an inflated abdomen. Restricted function of the intestinal muscles can also be a possible cause after an operation. When operations are performed in other parts of the body, the use of opioids can also lead to intestinal problems, as these anaesthetics inhibit the intestinal muscles.
However, this drug-induced flatulence should disappear on its own after a few hours or days. Intestinal obstruction is an acute emergency requiring treatment, in which the transport of food through the intestine comes to a complete standstill. Intestinal obstruction can be caused mechanically by adhesions, tumors or constipation, or by paralysis of the intestine. The food slurry gets stuck in the intestine and the still functional upstream intestinal areas try to move this slurry convulsively. Affected persons have strongest abdominal cramps and flatulence up to stool vomiting.
