Are there any OTC medicines that will help when having a gallbladder attack?

Question

Symptoms with attack include of course abdominal pain, gas, bloating, belching...but lack of vomiting and bowel movements which seems to be what would make it all better!!!

Answer 1

Although there can be a wide variation to the things that some people experience when they have gallbladder pain, the variation is primarily due to the fact that many diabetics get gallstones, and some diabetics have microvascular nerve damage to the internal organs. These diabetics will have altered sensation from their disease and will not have classic symptoms.

That being said, the symptoms that you describe are not a pattern that suggests gallbladder pain!!

When gallstones occur (and these are quite common - about 20 percent of the population will develop gallstones by their senior years) they may or may not induce discomfort. About 1 or 2 percent of the stone-forming people will develop symptoms each year. Once someone becomes symptomatic, the strong likelihood is that they will continue to be episodically symptomatic.

The stones fall into a position where they either block flow of bile in and out of the gallbladder, or else by sheer size or number, they represent an impediment to the normal process of gallbladder contraction. Either way, the gallbladder contracts against resistance and hurts. Thats how the symptoms occur.

The gallbladder contracts in response to a gut hormone called cholecystekinin (CCK). CCK is released by the intestine in response to a fatty meal. Bile is ejected by the gallbladder, through the duct system, into the intestine, to mix with fatty food and then help keep tiny oil particles suspended in the watery digestive material much the way soap keeps oil particles suspended in water when you're doing the dishes.

The symptoms of gallbladder pain are typically upper midline crampy aching pain that occurs after eating. It may continue for several hours. These attacks come and go undependably. The reason that gallbladder pain, starting from a right-sided organ is perceived as midline pain is that organ pain is "stupid". The nerves from organs don't give information about what side of the body is hurting. Since the brain can't decide left from right, it experiences midline. This is the same for all of the organs.

Sometimes these attacks persist for a day or more and the pain moves over to the right side slightly. When that happens, it is probably a more ominous sign, suggesting that the actual surface of the organ is inflammed and it is irritating the inside of the abdominal wall. The abdominal wall is "smart" and can tell right from left, hence the localization to the right side.

Gas, "bloating", belching... these are not gallbladder symptoms. These are, however, often stomach symptoms. The differentiation between stomach problems and gallbladder problems can sometimes be tricky, and there are more than a few patients with both problems. Diabetics, again, have a tendency to form problems with both systems.

The most common reason that people have problems with retained gas in the stomach is that they swallow a lot of air. This is called aerophagia and it occurs with many people who have either chronic reflux or gastritis. Aerophagia will entrain a lot of gas into the intestines and can make people feel bloated. It can, obviously, also cause a lot of burping and farting... and some "explosive" bowel movements too! For older people, this can be more than a little embarassing.

If you have ultrasound evidence of gallstones, that does not necessarily mean that you have symptomatic gallstones. Although, if you wait long enough, the chances are nearly 100% that you would develop symptoms if you haven't already. If you are diabetic, having stones alone is enough reason to remove the gallbladder because we can never know if and when you'd have a bad blockage, and when you do, you may or may not give sufficient early warning in order to avert a serious situation.

Either way, your gas bloating symptoms and other gastric issues deserve independent evaluation. I recommend endoscopy to rule out gastritis and esophagitis that may be an indicator of why you might be profoundly aerophagic. With treatment for this, you may yet enjoy relief of symptoms, although there is a long lag between the treatment and the loss of the air-swallowing habit. Habits die hard!

If you have weight to lose... LOSE IT. One of the most common reason that people develop aerophagia is nocturnal reflux as a result of increased abdominal pressure when they lie down. The extra weight on the tummy pushes acid up during the night, and there is constant swallowing to push it back down.

Be careful not to lose weight TOO quickly however... when you mobilize up a lot of fat stores back into the blood stream... you tend to form gallstones!! ;)

Damned if you do... Damned if you don't...

I hope that helps.

Answer 2

No there is nothing you can take OTC that will make you feel any better while having an attack. You most likely have little stones in your gallbladder and or bile duct and when your gallbladder tries to squeeze out the bile to break down the fat in what you have eaten, the bile cannot pass through- and therefor the pain. STOP eating anything with fat in it and you will not have the pain. This is only a quick fix until you get yourself to a surgeon and have it removed. They do it laproscopicly- you are in and out of the hospital the same day and can return to work in 3 to 5 days depending what it is you do for work )hard labor or desk job)
Good luck!

Answer 3

I have gallstones and have to avoid certain foods. Fat in food causes pain so keep off fatty foods, forever, if you don`t want the operation. It takes a few days for it to settle down. Have you had an ultrasound scan, which shows how big the stones are and if they are causing an obstruction. It could be that a stone moved and caused the attack, so would be best to see a doctor you may need treatment.