1. Implement Dietary Changes
Dumping syndrome, also called rapid gastric emptying, occurs when undigested food moves too quickly into the small intestine. Up to 50 percent of people who have had gastric bypass surgery or other surgeries to remove part of the stomach experience dumping syndrome. Making changes in the way you eat and the types of food you eat can help treat symptoms of dumping syndrome such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhea and bloating. Instead of eating the traditional three large meals a day, consider having five to six smaller meals spaced evenly throughout the day. Drink water and other beverages in between meals only. Limit your intake of sweets and other foods that are high in carbohydrates, as symptoms can become more intense after eating a sugary dessert or snack. Avoid acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits if you have difficulty digesting them. Slow the absorption of carbohydrates into the small intestine by increasing the amount of pectin in your diet. Peaches, plums, apples and carrots are all rich in pectin. Lying down after a meal can also be an effective way to treat dumping syndrome, since the food doesn't have the help of gravity and moves more slowly through your system when you're in a reclining position.
2. Treat Dumping Syndrome With Medication
If your rapid gastric emptying does not decrease in severity through changes to your diet, your doctor may prescribe medication as a treatment method. The drugs play a dual role: they slow down the digestion system and may also alleviate some of the discomforts you experience during an episode of dumping. Arcabose is a drug used in diabetes management, but it's also an effective solution for some people who have dumping syndrome symptoms. Octreotide is a powerful anti-diarrheal drug that can be used to treat dumping syndrome. Octreotide is an injectable drug and has a high risk of side effects. For this reason, it is used as a "last resort" kind of treatment.
3. Surgery Can Treat Severe Dumping Syndrome
Some extremely severe cases of dumping syndrome can be treated only through surgery. Surgery is performed on patients who have lost a dangerously large amount of weight and have become malnourished due to the condition. In most cases, a surgeon will repair damage that may have been done to the opening between the stomach and small intestine, called the pylorus. In rare cases, a gastric bypass procedure can be reversed to treat dumping syndrome.
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