Overview
- What is indigestion?
Indigestion (also called dyspepsia) is when your stomach feels uncomfortable during or after eating. You might feel too full while eating, even before finishing your meal. You might also feel very full afterward or have a burning or aching pain in your upper belly. It's common in adults. Some people only get it occasionally, but others might feel it almost every day.
Symptoms
- What are the symptoms of indigestion?
Most people with indigestion feel more than one of these symptoms:
- Getting full too fast. You feel stuffed soon after you start eating and can't finish your meal.
- Staying full too long. You feel too full after eating, like the food is just sitting in your stomach.
- Pain in the upper belly. This pain shows up between the bottom of your chest bone and your belly button. It can be mild or strong.
- Burning in the upper belly. You feel a hot, uncomfortable feeling in that same area.
Some people also feel nauseous (like they might throw up) or bloated (a tight, uncomfortable feeling in the stomach). But these two symptoms aren't always caused by indigestion, they can come from other things too.
People sometimes mix up indigestion with heartburn, but they're not the same thing. Heartburn is a burning pain in your chest that can spread up toward your neck or back. It happens when stomach acid moves up into your food pipe (esophagus), and it can be a sign of a condition called GERD. It's possible to have both indigestion and heartburn at the same time.
Diagnosis
- How is indigestion diagnosed?
To find out if you have indigestion, a doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history and then do a physical exam. The doctor might also order X-rays of your stomach and small intestine to get a closer look. If the doctor thinks a certain type of bacteria (one that can cause stomach ulcers) might be the cause, they may test your blood, breath, or stool.
The doctor might also do a test called an upper endoscopy. First, you're given medicine to make you sleepy and relaxed. Then the doctor gently guides a thin tube with a light and tiny camera on the end down your throat, through your esophagus, and into your stomach. This lets the doctor see if anything looks unusual. Sometimes the doctor will also take a tiny piece of tissue (called a biopsy) to check under a microscope for damage from GERD or an infection.
Indigestion is often not serious, but sometimes it can be a sign of a bigger problem. You should see a doctor right away if you have:
- Throwing up a lot
- Blood in your vomit
- Losing weight without trying, or not feeling hungry
- Black, tar-like poop
- Trouble or pain when swallowing
- Belly pain that's not in the upper middle area
- Indigestion along with shortness of breath, sweating, or pain that spreads to your jaw, neck, or arm
- Symptoms that last more than 2 weeks
Treatment
- How is indigestion diagnosed?
Ways to Feel Better on Your Own
Some people feel less indigestion when they:
- Eat smaller meals throughout the day, choose low-fat foods, and eat slowly
- Don't smoke
- Skip coffee, soda, and alcohol
- Stop taking medicines that can bother the stomach, like aspirin or other pain relievers
- Get enough sleep
- Find ways to relax and lower stress, like yoga or relaxation exercises
Medicines a Doctor Might Suggest
A doctor may also recommend medicine, either from the store or by prescription,to calm the stomach or help food move through it faster. If you buy medicine without a prescription, only take the amount written on the label unless your doctor tells you something different. Always let your doctor know if you start taking a new medicine.
- Antacids (like Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, and Riopan) are usually tried first. They work by calming down the acid in your stomach. They're made from different mixes of magnesium, calcium, and aluminum. But they can cause side effects. Magnesium can cause diarrhea, and aluminum can cause constipation, so many products combine both to balance things out.
- Calcium carbonate antacids (like Tums, Titralac, and Alka-2) also give your body extra calcium, but they might cause constipation too.
- H2 blockers (like Zantac, Tagamet, Pepcid, and Axid) reduce how much acid your stomach makes. They take longer to work than antacids, but the effects last longer. Possible side effects include headaches, nausea, throwing up, constipation, diarrhea, or unusual bruising or bleeding.
- Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs (like Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex, and Nexium) are even stronger at lowering stomach acid. These work especially well for people who also have GERD. Side effects can include back pain, cough, headaches, dizziness, belly pain, gas, nausea, throwing up, constipation, or diarrhea.
- Prokinetics (like Reglan) help the stomach empty faster for people whose digestion move too slowly. But they often cause side effects like tiredness, sleepiness, feeling down or anxious, or muscle twitches, so doctors don't use them very often.
If tests show that a certain bacteria (the kind linked to stomach ulcers) is causing the problem, the doctor may give antibiotics to treat it.
Key Points
- Points to Remember
- What it is: Indigestion (also called dyspepsia) means feeling too full during a meal, too full after a meal, or having burning pain in your upper belly.
- What causes it: It can be caused by other health problems, like GERD (acid reflux), stomach ulcers, cancer, or issues with the pancreas or bile ducts.
- When there's no clear cause: Sometimes doctors can't find a reason for someone's indigestion. This is called functional dyspepsia.
- Not the same as heartburn: Indigestion and heartburn are two different problems, but it's possible to have both at once.
- How doctors find the cause: Doctors might use X-rays, blood tests, breath tests, stool tests, or an endoscopy (using a small camera) with a tissue sample to figure out what's going on.
- Ways to feel better: Making healthy changes to your daily habits and lowering stress can sometimes help.
- Medicines that can help: Doctors may suggest antacids, H2 blockers, PPIs, prokinetics, or antibiotics, depending on the cause.
Author(s) and Publication Date(s)
Sharifeh Almasaid, MD, MPH, Henry Ford Hospital Program, Detroit, MI and Roopa Vemulapalli, MD, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX - Published August 2026.
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Gastroparesis, Nausea & Vomiting, and Dyspepsia - Brian E. Lacy, MD, PhD, FACG |