How effective are over the counter medicines for stopping gas? Are
they safe to use long term on a regular basis? I tend to get a lot of
gas. Maybe I eat too many beans. I think it also gets worse when I'm
stressed. I was thinking maybe I should start taking some sort of med
for it on a daily basis.

Hi,

There are two main types of OTC treatments for intestinal gas. (A
change in diet is also commonly recommended.) One is simethicone
(brand names include Gas-X, Phyzyme and Mylicon), and the other is
alpha-galactosidase (sold under the brand name of Beano).  Both appear
to be quite safe.

There has been at least one formal study done on Beano, not
technically a medicine but rather an enzyme that is supposed to aid in
the way the digestive system handles indigestible fiber (a common
cause of gas).

Here is a summary of the study results:

Ganiats, T.G. "Does Beano Prevent Gas? A Double-Blind Crossover Study
of Oral Alpha-galactosidase to Treat Dietary Oligosaccharide
Intolerance," Journal of Family Practice 39 (1994)
"RESULTS. The number of flatulence events per hour was significantly
less in the group treated with alpha-galactosidase than placebo over
the 6-hour follow-up period (F = 2.87, P = .016). When the two groups
were compared at each follow-up interval, this difference was
statistically significant only for the 5th hour after ingesting the
test meal (t = 2.19, P = .04). No differences between the two groups
were found in the extent of bloating or pain following the meal."
http://medline.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?95053807

So it looks like Beano can be effective in preventing the formation of
intestinal gas. If could find no indication it is harmful, so it's
worth a try.

You can find out more about Beano on the manufacturer's Web site:

Beano
http://www.beano.net/

Simethicone looks less promising, as the following excerpt shows:

Simethicone
"Several controlled clinical trials have been performed.
No evidence that simethicone is better than Placebo"
http://www.fpnotebook.com/GI186.htm

The following article includes how simethicone works and notes that it
doesn't prevent gas but may ease some accompanying symptoms:

Jackson Gastroenterology
"Some people may mistakenly think that simethicone prevents formation
of flatus or rectal gas. It does not do this. The drug simply makes
big bubbles out of many small ones. However, the drug is very safe so
it can always be tried for conditions such as abdominal boating,
excessive belching or rectal gas."
http://www.gicare.com/pated/simethicone.htm

Finally, here are three articles on the topic in general:

Are there any over-the-counter treatments for flatulence? 
http://www.drugstore.com/qxa1437_333181_sespider-are_there_any_over_the_counter_treatments_for_flatulence.htm

Medications--Gastrointestinal: Gas Relief
http://jhhs.client.web-health.com/web-health/topics/GeneralHealth/generalhealthsub/generalhealth/gastrointestinal/gas_medicines.html

What are the chemical mechanisms behind flatulence?
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/feb99/919548714.Bc.r.html

I hope you have found this information helpful.

Mvguy-ga



Google searches used:

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