How to reduce stomach bloating and discomfort. Why?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

Well, congratulations on being able to cut down your alcohol intake. That is wonderful to hear. But are you completely abstinent from it, or have you moderated the amount?

You are right; there is possibly a resetting within the body. However, the body does adapt things, particularly within the liver and gastrointestinal tract, after abstinence from alcohol and after setting withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol mainly causes slowing down of the bowel and can cause various mineral and vitamin deficiencies, which could manifest even when alcohol is stopped. Therefore, I suggest some multivitamins that you must take for a month.

For bloating, I am sure, since you have been cutting carbohydrates and sugar in your diet, the part of gas production in the gut is secondary to the food we take in. Carbohydrate is one such food content that can ferment within the human gut and produce excessive gases.

There is a long list of foods with high FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) content. And they should be avoided as well.

I suggest you take

1. Tablet Metoclopramide 10 mg thrice daily half an hour before meals for a two-week duration.

2. Tablet Revital (Copper, Iodine, Ginseng, vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D & E, Folic Acid, Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese) once daily.

With the food precaution mentioned above and with this medication, you will have your problem solved.

Update me in two weeks. If symptoms persist, I may consider suggesting you some investigations and some add-on treatment.

Thank you.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Alcohol is a fermentation of the carbohydrates like fructose and sugar polyols such as sorbitol, etc. The part of this fermentation is carried out by yeast, but in purified form, no traces of active yeast are present. So it is unlikely to be the reason for your bloating. However, as I said in my previous response, the alcohol does cause slowing of the bowel and stomach. It can also alter the microbiota (the microorganism present in the human gut harmlessly). These microbiotas are the reason for the excessive production of gases. Slow bowel and extreme gas-producing bacteria are both autonomously perpetuated by one another. The long-term symptom control would be with alcohol abstinence which you have been successful in doing already.

The second thing to control for the long term is food precaution and some antibacterial medications like Rifaximin, followed by a course of probiotic medicines.

The Metoclopramide is basically to control your bloating for a short term, to span the time until the avoidance of FODMAPs starts working. So to answer your concern, if it is essential, the answer is no.

After two weeks, I asked you to follow up to assess your symptoms and whether FODMAP avoidance corrects the problem. If it does not, I would consider giving tablet Rifaximin 200 mg thrice daily for three weeks. However, I am afraid that it is also prescription medication.

I suggest you-

1. Start avoiding high FODMAPs diets.

2. You can take tablet Metoclopramide or Motilium (Domperidone) 40 mg one tablet thrice daily half an hour before meals, or tablet Ondansetron 8 mg thrice daily half an hour before meals can be used for two weeks only.

I hope that your symptoms should show some improvement by nearly 50 % in these two weeks. If nothing improves, I suggest you tablet Rifaximin 200 mg thrice daily for 21 days.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is all my pleasure. Thanks for such kind remarks. I appreciate it too.

Sure we can discuss things after two weeks and take it from there.

Take care and have a great day.

Thank you.