Most stomach aches aren't anything serious and will go away after a few days.

Common causes of stomach ache

Use these links to get an idea of how to ease the most common causes of stomach ache. See a GP if you're worried.

Types of stomach ache and possible conditions:

• Type: Feeling bloated, farting a lot. Possible condition: Trapped wind
• Type: Feeling full and bloated after eating, heartburn, feeling sick. Possible condition: Indigestion
• Type: Can't poo. Possible condition: Constipation
• Type: Watery Poo, feeling sick, vomiting. Possible condition: Diarrhoea or food poisoning

How a pharmacist can help with stomach ache

A pharmacist can:

• help you find out what's causing your stomach ache
• suggest a treatment
• recommend medicines for constipation and indigestion

Find a pharmacy

See a GP if:

• the pain gets much worse quickly
• the pain or bloating won't go away or keeps coming back
• you're losing weight without trying to
• you suddenly pee more often or less often
• peeing is suddenly painful
• you bleed from your bottom or vagina, or have abnormal discharge from your vagina
• your diarrhoea doesn't go away after a few days

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

• your stomach ache came on very suddenly or is severe
• it hurts when you touch your stomach
• you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like ground coffee
• your poo is bloody or black and sticky and extremely smelly
• you can't pee
• you can't poo or fart
• you can't breathe
• you have chest pain
• you're diabetic and vomiting
• someone has collapsed

Other causes of stomach ache

Don't self-diagnose - see a GP if you're worried.

Type of stomach ache and possible condition

• Type: Pain and cramps when you have your period. Possible condition: Period pain
• Type: Sudden pain in the lower right-hand side. Possible condition: Appendicitis
• Type: Ongoing cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation. Possible condition: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Type: Bad ongoing pain that can go down to your groin, nausea, pain when peeing. Possible condition: Kidney stones
• Type: Severe pain that lasts for hours in the centre of your tummy or just under the ribs on the right-hand side. Possible condition: Gallstones