What Does IBS Pain Feel Like?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder that affects 10-15% of adults in the United States. Yet, only 5-7% of people seek professional help and are officially diagnosed with IBS. One of the main symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome is abdominal pain (belly pain) or cramps, which can be sharp or aching in nature. If you have digestive tract symptoms and are wondering if it is IBS, please keep reading to learn what IBS pain feels like.

What are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms?

Abdominal pain or cramps that worsen after eating and then improve after a bowel movement may be a sign of IBS. IBS pain usually takes place in the lower abdomen. Some other common symptoms of IBS to watch out include:

• Chronic abdominal pain or cramps. The nature of pain can vary from sharp, throbbing, and stabbing to aching or cramping.  

• Changes in bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation or both)

• Bloating (which can also cause stomach pain)

• Nausea

• Whitish mucus in the stool

• A feeling that your bowels cannot completely empty after a bowel movement

These symptoms can be worse during IBS flare-ups, which can last anywhere from a few hours to a few months. Women may experience more severe IBS symptoms during their menstrual period. 

Are there more than one type of IBS?

Yes, there are four different types of IBS. In addition to the days that IBS symptoms are present, people with IBS have days that they have regular bowel movements. The kind of IBS is defined by the symptoms on the days they occur. 

The four types of IBS are as follows:

• IBS-C (IBS with constipation): your bowel movements are lumpy and hard with abdominal discomfort, leading to the feeling that you can’t completely empty your bowels. IBS-D (IBS with diarrhea): you experience loose and watery stools with abdominal discomfort.

• IBS-M (IBS with mixed bowel habits): you experience both constipation and diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. 

• IBS-U (IBS with undefined subtypes): your symptoms vary and may not fit into the above classifications.

What can IBS abdominal pain be compared to?

IBS abdominal pain can range in severity from mild to severe. Some people with IBS describe the stomach pain as a dull ache, while others experience severe pain during an IBS attack that is described as sharp, stabbing, or throbbing in nature. On a bad day, the pain can be severe enough to feel like your guts are being twisted, causing you to double over in pain. 

Where do you feel pain with IBS?

People with IBS feel pain, usually in the lower abdomen. However, you may feel pain in the upper abdomen due to bloating or in the middle abdomen due to cramping.

What does an IBS flare-up feel like?

IBS flare-ups can be distressing, with abdominal pain, cramping, and changes in bowel habits (constipation, diarrhea, or both). You may feel gassy and bloated. Your bowel movements may feel like they aren’t finished. These symptoms of IBS can make you uncomfortable and cause anxiety about getting to the bathroom on time. 

How can you manage IBS pain?

The following lifestyle changes can give you long- and short-term relief from IBS symptoms:

• Keep a food diary: Certain foods can make your symptoms of IBS worse. Keeping a food diary can help you identify common triggers and make dietary changes to avoid them. For example, you may find it beneficial to avoid gassy foods like Brussels sprouts, gluten, and other triggering foods. 

• FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, and polyols) are the types of carbohydrates that aren’t easily digestible. FODMAPs have been found to cause bloating, gas, stomach discomfort, constipation, and diarrhea. A low FODMAP diet may provide relief from discomfort in some people with IBS. Talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet.

• Change your eating habits: Eating smaller, more frequent meals and staying well hydrated can help in managing IBS symptoms. 

• Take fiber supplements: If you have IBS-C (predominantly constipation), taking fiber supplements may help in managing your symptoms.

• Get regular exercise and enough sleep: Staying active and getting enough rest can help with IBS symptoms.

• Reduce stress: It has been shown that stress is closely linked to IBS and can worsen IBS symptoms. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises may help to reduce pain.

Learn more about natural remedies for stomach pain.

What medications are used to treat IBS?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the following IBS medications:

• Alosetron (Lotronex): This medication reduces gut motility. It is prescribed only to women with severe diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) by healthcare providers who must be part of a special program. It carries an increased risk of serious side effects and is only used when no other treatments are successful.

• Rifaximin (Xifaxan): This antibiotic may help ease diarrhea by decreasing bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

• Eluxadoline (Viberzi): This medication is used to treat diarrhea in people with IBS-D. It reduces muscle contractions in the intestines and increases muscle tone in the rectum. 

• Lubiprostone (Amitiza): This medication increases fluid secretion in the intestines and is used in women with constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C). 

• Linaclotide (Linzess): This drug increases fluid secretion in the intestines and makes it easier to have bowel movements.

In addition, other over-the-counter and prescription drugs can help in managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Depending on your specific IBS symptoms, your healthcare provider may give you a prescription medication such as:

• Antidiarrheals: If you experience diarrhea, medications such as loperamide (Imodium) or bile acid sequestrants (colestipol, cholestyramine, or colesevelam) may help.

• Anticholinergics. Medications such as dicyclomine (Bentyl) can help with abdominal spasms. 

• Antidepressants: These medications are typically used to treat depression, but they also act on nerve cells in the digestive tract. 

• Pain medications: Medications such as pregabalin (Lyrica) or gabapentin (Neurontin) can help in managing pain.

Check out “How to Settle an Upset Stomach.”

Does IBS cause colon cancer?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be painful, but it does not lead to colon cancer or other gastrointestinal disorders. Check out “IBD vs. IBS: What’s the Difference?”

What can be mistaken as IBS?

Other conditions that can cause similar symptoms as IBS include food intolerances and allergies, celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. 

There is no single test to diagnose irritable bowel syndrome. It belongs to a group of conditions called functional gastrointestinal disorders that are characterized by chronic digestive tract symptoms without any findings on testing. This can make a diagnosis of IBS challenging. 

Your healthcare provider will order tests to rule out other conditions that can cause abdominal pain and other symptoms resembling IBS. They will develop an IBS treatment plan based on your specific symptoms. 

You should seek immediate medical care if you have the following symptoms, which can be signs of more serious conditions:

• Your symptoms started after age 50

• Fever

• Recurrent vomiting

• Ongoing diarrhea

• Rectal bleeding

• Weight loss

• Anemia (low iron)