Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Simethicone is an anti-foaming agent commonly used to relieve symptoms of excessive gas in the digestive tract, including bloating, discomfort, and pain. Its use for adult colic, which refers to abdominal pain likely associated with gas or functional gastrointestinal disorders, is based on its ability to reduce surface tension of gas bubbles, thereby facilitating their coalescence and expulsion. However, the quality of evidence supporting simethicone specifically for adult colic is limited. Most clinical studies and systematic reviews focus on its efficacy in treating infant colic or general symptoms of flatulence and bloating rather than colic in adults per se. Some small-scale clinical trials and anecdotal reports suggest modest benefits in alleviating gas-related discomfort in adults, but high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are lacking. Meta-analyses and reviews (e.g., by the American College of Gastroenterology) have concluded that simethicone may offer some relief for symptoms like bloating, but its effect size is small and results are inconsistent. As such, while there is some scientific rationale and indirect evidence for its use in adult colic related to gas, robust scientific validation is insufficient, leading to a moderate (2/5) rating for the evidence supporting its use in this indication.

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Other ingredients used for Colic (adults)

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