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Side Effect: Stomach Cramps

What are stomach cramps?

Stomach cramps are characterized by a painful, tight feeling in the muscles of the belly. They are a common symptom caused by a variety of factors including gastrointestinal infections, food intolerances, menstrual cramps, and inflammatory bowel disease. Less commonly, stomach cramps may also be a symptom of cancer.

What do stomach cramps look like?

The sensation of stomach cramps can vary depending on the patient. Generally, they feel like a sharp, intense pain or a dull, persistent ache in the abdominal area. Some may also experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and bloating along with their stomach cramps.

Who gets stomach cramps?

Patients with cancer can experience stomach cramps because of their disease or cancer treatment, including medications and radiation. Cancer itself can cause abdominal pain if it spreads to other parts of the body, like the liver or pancreas. Chemotherapy medications can cause gastrointestinal side effects, including stomach cramps.

How do you prevent stomach cramps?

There are multiple ways to help prevent stomach cramps in patients with cancer. Healthcare providers may use multiple approaches to target different aspects including the foods to avoid and medications to take before chemotherapy to prevent nausea, vomiting, and ultimately cramping. Common recommendations are below to prevent stomach cramping in patients with cancer:

How to treat Stomach Cramps

As mentioned for prevention, treatment of stomach cramps may include dietary changes and medications that prevent nausea and vomiting. Additionally, healthcare providers may prescribe a category of medications called antispasmodics to assist in helping the gastrointestinal (or stomach) muscles relax. Different therapy modalities including acupuncture and massage therapy have helped patients with cancer as well. Some examples of each treatment type are listed below:

Overall, stomach cramps treatment depends on the underlying cause (nausea, vomiting, pain, etc.). After the cause is identified, treatment choice will aim to target this cause and hopefully provide relief for the patient.

References

1) Koo MM, von Wagner C, Abel GA, et al. The nature and frequency of abdominal symptoms in cancer patients and their associations with time to help-seeking: evidence from a national audit of cancer diagnosis. J Public Health (Oxf) 2018;40(3):e388-e395

2) Storr M, Weigmann H, Landes S, Michel MC. Self-Medication for the Treatment of Abdominal Cramps and Pain-A Real-Life Comparison of Three Frequently Used Preparations. J Clin Med 2022;11(21):6361

3) Wang X, Shi X, Lv J, et al. Acupuncture and related therapies for the anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D): A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Psychiatry 2022;13:1067329

Created: May 21, 2024 Updated: August 1, 2024