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Can Constipation Cause Pain In The Left Side Of The Abdomen?
Posted on
Fri, 7 Oct 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 7 Oct 2016
Answered on
Fri, 28 Oct 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : Yes,I have had problems with my stomach,I have had constipation,hard stool,had dull aches on the left side of my stomach.What could this be
Brief Answer:
may need to switch meds, fiber, fluids
Detailed Answer:
HI , thanks for using healthcare magic
Constipation can cause pain in the left side of the abdomen because of the back up of stool.
The part of the colon that is connected to the rectum and then anus, is on the left side of the abdomen.
The medication you mentioned above may be zantac (name is not mentioned above), this comes in this strength and this would help reduce acid production in the stomach but it is not the most effective.
This and similar medications are used to treat bloating, nausea, burning pain in the chest, reflux/regurgitation of food. If you are experiencing these symptoms, the exact stomach problems not mentioned, then you may want to try medications such as nexium, prilosec, prevacid, protonix.
Constipation, if very problematic right now , can be treated with a laxative to relieve the acute symptoms.
After this helps to relieve your blockage and pain then treatment can be directed towards preventing future constipation.
Prevention of constipation: (1) physical activity
(2) at least 8 glasses of fluids daily, not including any caffeine products or alcohol because these cause the body to lose fluids
(3)fiber- in addition to diet fiber, you may want to add a fiber supplement such as benefiber, cetrucil, metamucil. Start at the lowest recommended dose and move up till you have regular bowel movements
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
may need to switch meds, fiber, fluids
Detailed Answer:
HI , thanks for using healthcare magic
Constipation can cause pain in the left side of the abdomen because of the back up of stool.
The part of the colon that is connected to the rectum and then anus, is on the left side of the abdomen.
The medication you mentioned above may be zantac (name is not mentioned above), this comes in this strength and this would help reduce acid production in the stomach but it is not the most effective.
This and similar medications are used to treat bloating, nausea, burning pain in the chest, reflux/regurgitation of food. If you are experiencing these symptoms, the exact stomach problems not mentioned, then you may want to try medications such as nexium, prilosec, prevacid, protonix.
Constipation, if very problematic right now , can be treated with a laxative to relieve the acute symptoms.
After this helps to relieve your blockage and pain then treatment can be directed towards preventing future constipation.
Prevention of constipation: (1) physical activity
(2) at least 8 glasses of fluids daily, not including any caffeine products or alcohol because these cause the body to lose fluids
(3)fiber- in addition to diet fiber, you may want to add a fiber supplement such as benefiber, cetrucil, metamucil. Start at the lowest recommended dose and move up till you have regular bowel movements
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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