Abdominal pain may be associated with the use of a medication or other drug. Drug-induced abdominal pain is characterized by a sense of discomfort in the abdomen presenting soon after beginning a medication. Drugs that cause abdominal pain can also typically cause nausea, emesis, constipation, and diarrhea. In some cases, the pain may spontaneously self-resolve with continued use.

Persistent abdominal pain since starting a medication may be indicative of a more worrisome complication that warrants intervention, such as esophagitis, ulcer formation, colitis, perforation, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, nephrolithiasis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, angioedema, chronic constipation, or anemia with chronic vascular compromise.

Many medications have been associated with abdominal pain (see Drug Reaction Data below), most commonly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).