Anxiety attacks with nausea and vomiting

Hi everyone
I'm new to this forum and am looking for a wee bit of reassurance if possible. Over the years I have had episodes of anxiety but in last week I have had two episodes which I would describe as anxiety attacks. These attacks can last for days maybe even weeks). I have a major freak out and then I am left with feelings of agitation, aware of my heart beating and worst of all vomiting and nausea. My GP originally prescribed Diazepam 2mgs as required up to three times daily but other than making me feel very tired these have had little effect. This morning after a terrible night of not sleeping, heart racing and vomiting I went to see the out-of-hours GP who precribed Buscopan for the vomiting and told me to take 2x2mg of Diazepam three times a day. I have taken her advice and taken 1 Buscopan and 2 x 2mg diazepam and as I am sitting here I'm still feeling nauseaous although the actual anxiety feeling does seem to be slightly better. All I feel at the moment from the Diazepam is very tired. It would be great if anyone else who has experienced similar especially with the Buscopan could let me know if this helped. Thanks Marie.

Hi ree5575

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

Hi and welcome to NMP :welcome:
Paige x

Hi Marie - welcome to NMP. I get the same symptoms as you - but luckily usually don't get to the point of vomiting (although I HATE the nausea).

I've only ever taken Buscopan for bowel cramps (ie not for nausea), so am a bit surprised you were given that (I didn't think it was actually for nausea). I take some anti-emetics called Motilium, which are available over the counter. You can take up to 6 a day. You can't take them the same time as Buscopan, though - but you can take them with diazepam and pretty much anything else.

I have also recently got myself some acupressure wrist bands from Purple Turtle (online), which are for travel sickness, but also any other type of sickness. They also do sweets which are good for nausea.

TBH, I've not found much that works for anxiety nausea, other than meds that take away the anxiety (and hence the nausea). Diazepam does the trick for me to a certain extent.

There are a few people on here who have the nausea symptoms of anxiety - so have a look around or do a forum search.

Just an aside - if your anxiety has been helped a bit with the diazepam, but the nausea hasn't gone, perhaps the nausea isn't an anxiety symptom per se? Do you get acid pains at all? This could suggest gastritis, which can make you feel nauseous. If so, try some Gaviscon or Rennies and see if the nausea eases.

Welcome again,

Dahlia

Any headache? I get all that with migraines a couple of times a year. And the headache itself is not always that severe.

Dahlia - The sickness is definitely related to the anxiety. Unfortunately the Buscopan doesn't seem to be working at all and I still feel like I could throw up at any minute. The Diazepam doesn't seem to help either. I'm taking 2x2mgs at a time but all I feel is tired. The feeling of being aware of my heartbeat and the constant sick feeling never go away which I am finding extremely debilitating. I can't seem to get a grip on the feelings and the anxiety about the anxiety makes me feel even worse.

Tero - I do have a headache but it's usually after I've taken the Diazepam.

I really feel like this is taking over my life at the moment. The fact that Christmas is around the corner and I don't want people to know I'm suffering is what's really making it a lot worse. My dad suffers from depression and my mum has mild anxiety so sharing my feelings with them is not an option at the moment. I have a very supportive husband who understands and trys to help me but no matter what he says or how logical he is about my worries I can't stop the thoughts.

Hi Marie

It occurred to me last night - have you been prescribed Buscopan, or Buccastem? Buccastem is an anti-emetic, but tends to work better on nausea created by dizziness. Buscopan is for bowel cramping, ie IBS. Personally, I have found that Motilium is a better anti-emetic.

Dahlia