Several over-the-counter options can relieve gas and bloating, depending on what’s causing it. The right choice comes down to whether your problem is trapped gas bubbles, difficulty digesting certain foods, or a pattern of recurring bloating tied to your diet. Here’s what actually works and when to use each one.
Simethicone for Trapped Gas
Simethicone is the most widely available gas relief ingredient, sold under brands like Gas-X and Mylanta Gas. It works by breaking up gas bubbles in your stomach and intestines so they combine into larger bubbles that are easier to pass. It doesn’t prevent gas from forming, but it helps move existing gas out faster. The typical adult dose is 40 to 125 mg taken four times a day, after meals and at bedtime, with a maximum of 500 mg in 24 hours.
Simethicone is a good first pick when you feel pressure, fullness, or sharp pains from gas that’s already there. It’s not absorbed into the bloodstream, so side effects are rare. But if your bloating comes back regularly after eating specific foods, simethicone is treating the symptom without addressing the cause.
Enzyme Supplements for Food-Related Gas
If beans, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, or other high-fiber vegetables predictably give you gas, the issue is usually complex carbohydrates your body can’t fully break down. An enzyme supplement containing alpha-galactosidase (sold as Beano) helps digest those carbohydrates before gut bacteria ferment them into gas. You take it with your first bite of the problem food, not after symptoms start.
For dairy-related bloating, lactase supplements are the better option. These supply the enzyme your body needs to break down lactose, the sugar in milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Products range from about 3,000 to 9,000 FCC units per dose, with higher-strength options suited for larger servings of dairy or people with more pronounced intolerance. Like alpha-galactosidase, timing matters: take the supplement right before or with the first bite of dairy.
Peppermint Oil for Recurring Bloating
Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are one of the better-studied natural options, particularly for people whose bloating is part of a broader pattern that includes cramping or irregular bowel habits. In a double-blind trial of 57 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 75% of those taking peppermint oil capsules twice daily saw a greater than 50% reduction in their total symptom score after four weeks, compared with 38% in the placebo group. The benefits also persisted for about a month after stopping the capsules in more than half of the participants.
The enteric coating is important. It lets the capsule pass through your stomach and dissolve in your intestines, where it relaxes the smooth muscle that contributes to cramping and bloating. Without the coating, peppermint oil can trigger heartburn. Look specifically for enteric-coated capsules rather than peppermint tea or regular oil, which won’t deliver the same effect.
Dietary Changes That Reduce Gas
If bloating is a regular problem, what you eat matters more than what you take after eating. A low-FODMAP diet, which temporarily removes certain fermentable sugars found in foods like wheat, onions, garlic, apples, and legumes, has shown meaningful results. In one controlled trial of patients with gut inflammation in remission who also had IBS symptoms, eliminating high-FODMAP foods for two weeks produced a 56% reduction in bloating scores.
The low-FODMAP approach works in three phases: you remove high-FODMAP foods for two to six weeks, then reintroduce them one category at a time to identify your personal triggers, then settle into a long-term diet that avoids only the foods that bother you. It’s not meant to be permanent or all-or-nothing. Common triggers vary widely between people, so the reintroduction phase is what makes it useful rather than just restrictive.
Simpler changes can also help. Eating more slowly, chewing thoroughly, and avoiding carbonated drinks all reduce the amount of air you swallow. Cooking vegetables rather than eating them raw makes their fiber easier to digest. Increasing fiber gradually rather than all at once gives your gut bacteria time to adjust.
Bismuth Subsalicylate for Odor
If your main concern is foul-smelling gas rather than volume or pain, bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) targets the problem directly. Hydrogen sulfide is one of the primary compounds responsible for the rotten-egg smell in flatulence. Bismuth subsalicylate binds hydrogen sulfide in the colon, and research has shown it can reduce fecal hydrogen sulfide release by more than 95%. It won’t reduce how much gas you pass, but it can dramatically cut the odor.
One important caution: bismuth subsalicylate interacts with a long list of medications, including hormonal birth control, certain antipsychotics, seizure medications, and heart medications like digoxin. Take it at least two hours apart from any other medication or supplement. It’s also not meant for daily long-term use. If you find yourself reaching for it regularly beyond three days, that’s a sign to look into what’s driving the problem.
Probiotics: Mixed Evidence
Probiotics are widely marketed for bloating, but the evidence is inconsistent. Some strains show modest benefits in specific populations, while others perform no better than placebo. A recent randomized trial of Bifidobacterium breve Bif195 in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS found no statistically significant difference in symptom scores, including bloating, between the probiotic and placebo groups after eight weeks. That said, fewer participants in the probiotic group reported bloating as an adverse event compared to the placebo group.
The challenge with probiotics is that results are highly strain-specific. A product that works for one person’s gut microbiome may do nothing for another’s. If you want to try probiotics, give a single product at least four weeks before deciding whether it helps, and look for brands that name the specific strain on the label rather than just the species.
Signs Your Bloating Needs Medical Attention
Most gas and bloating is uncomfortable but harmless. Certain symptoms alongside bloating, however, suggest something that over-the-counter products won’t fix. These include unintentional weight loss, blood in your stool, persistent or worsening pain that doesn’t improve when you stop eating, difficulty swallowing, fever, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). Bloating that’s new and persistent in people 55 or older also warrants evaluation, as it can overlap with symptoms of ovarian or gastrointestinal cancers.
Celiac disease is another underdiagnosed cause of chronic bloating. It can show up with anemia or unexplained weight loss from poor nutrient absorption and requires a blood test and biopsy to confirm. If your bloating doesn’t respond to any of the approaches above and persists for weeks, the issue may not be gas at all but something affecting how your gut processes food at a deeper level.