Most upset stomachs respond well to a combination of simple dietary changes and over-the-counter remedies. What works best depends on your specific symptoms: nausea, heartburn, bloating, and diarrhea each respond to different approaches. Here’s what actually helps and when to use it.
For Nausea and General Stomach Upset
Bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate, covers the broadest range of symptoms. It treats nausea, heartburn, indigestion, and diarrhea. It’s available without a prescription and is generally well tolerated by adults and teenagers. Children should avoid it because it contains a compound related to aspirin, which carries a risk of Reye’s syndrome in younger age groups.
Ginger is one of the most studied natural options for nausea. Clinical trials have tested doses ranging from about 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day, typically divided into several smaller doses. You can get this through ginger capsules, ginger tea, or even ginger chews. A common approach is 250 mg of powdered ginger four times a day. Fresh ginger steeped in hot water works too, though the exact dose is harder to measure.
For Heartburn and Acid-Related Pain
If your upset stomach feels like burning in your upper chest or throat, stomach acid is likely the culprit. Antacids (like Tums or Rolaids) neutralize acid and provide the fastest relief, often within minutes. The trade-off is that the effect wears off relatively quickly.
H2 blockers take about an hour to kick in, but the relief lasts significantly longer: four to ten hours. This makes them a better choice if your heartburn tends to linger or return throughout the day, especially after meals or at night. For occasional heartburn that hits fast and hard, starting with an antacid and following up with an H2 blocker gives you both quick and sustained relief.
For Gas and Bloating
Simethicone (sold as Gas-X and similar brands) works purely on a physical level. It merges small gas bubbles in your gut into larger ones, making it easier for trapped air to move through and exit your body. It doesn’t get absorbed into your bloodstream, which makes it one of the safest options available. If your upset stomach is really more of a bloated, pressurized feeling, simethicone is a better fit than an antacid or bismuth product.
Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules can also help with bloating, abdominal pain, and gas. In clinical trials, about 79% of patients taking peppermint oil experienced reduced abdominal pain severity, and 79% had less gas compared to roughly 22% in the placebo group. The enteric coating is important: without it, peppermint oil can relax the valve between your esophagus and stomach, which actually makes heartburn worse. If you have acid reflux, skip the peppermint.
For Diarrhea
Loperamide (the active ingredient in Imodium) slows down movement in your intestines, giving your body more time to absorb water from stool. The standard starting dose for adults is two tablets after the first loose bowel movement, then one tablet after each subsequent one. The over-the-counter maximum is four tablets in 24 hours. It’s meant for short-term use during acute episodes like food poisoning or traveler’s diarrhea, not for ongoing digestive issues.
Bismuth subsalicylate also helps with diarrhea, so if you’re dealing with both nausea and loose stools, it can address both at once.
What to Eat (and Avoid)
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s a reasonable starting point for the first day or two of stomach trouble, but there’s no clinical evidence that restricting yourself to only those four foods is better than a broader bland diet. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereals are equally easy to digest and give your body more to work with nutritionally.
Once your stomach starts settling, you can gradually add back more substantial foods: cooked squash, carrots, sweet potatoes without the skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. These are gentle enough to avoid re-triggering symptoms while providing the protein and nutrients your body needs to recover.
What you avoid matters just as much as what you eat. Steer clear of dairy products, fried foods, anything sugary, spicy foods, acidic foods like citrus and tomato sauce, and caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. High-fiber foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, popcorn, and beans are also worth skipping until you feel fully recovered. These all either stimulate acid production, irritate inflamed stomach lining, or speed up digestion in ways your gut isn’t ready for.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most upset stomachs resolve within a day or two. But certain symptoms signal something more serious. Seek emergency care if you’re vomiting so intensely that you can’t keep any liquids down, if you notice blood in your vomit or stool, or if your abdominal pain is significantly worse than anything you’ve experienced before.
Pain that starts near your belly button and migrates to the lower right side could indicate appendicitis, especially if it worsens with movement, coughing, or sneezing. Severe, constant pain in the upper abdomen paired with nausea, fever, and a rapid pulse may point to pancreatitis. Both require prompt medical evaluation.