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Cause of your symptoms

Your change in bowel habit and abdominal pain or discomfort could be the after-effects of a gut infection.

Advice

Try the treatments outlined below for four weeks but if your symptoms stop you sleeping or working see your GP

Treatments

Eat less roughage and if necessary take bowel sedatives to reduce the number of times you go to the toilet. Try an antispasmodic tablet for your abdominal pain or discomfort. A pharmacist could advise on suitable treatments.

What now?

If you get better nothing else needs to be done but if your symptoms persist for four more weeks or recur after stopping treatment, see your GP.

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You are less than 50 years old and have a change in bowel habit to going more often to pass looser stools and abdominal pain without weight loss or reduction in appetite and no rectal bleeding.

Additional information if you see your GP

Your GP will probably examine your tummy and back passage and do a blood test and if these are normal it would be reasonable to advise a further period of treat watch and wait. However, if your symptoms did not settle completely you are likely to be referred to a routine clinic for further investigations and advice on how to manage your symptoms.