View Full Version : Frequent urination...is this due to anxiety?
I have this weird symptom that I experience occasionally, I think its because of anxiety but I am not sure. I am wondering if anyone else gets this.
Sometimes I'll get these bouts of frequent urination where I have to desperately pee every 15 minutes or so. And it's not just the feeling of having to pee, it's an actual need to pee - like I will have a completely full bladder, go to the bathroom, and then literally 15 minutes later I need to desperately go again. This cycle usually happens one or two times (I end up going about 3-4 times in an hour), and then everything returns to normal and I don't need to pee again for the usual amount of time. The other weird thing is when this happens, my pee is totally clear. I don't dehydrate myself but I certainly don't drink a lot of water, either (most people I know drink way more than me). When I'm peeing at more normal intervals (usually every 2 hours for me), my pee is never completely clear.
I've noticed this happens when I tend to be nervous or anxious about something, but that's not always the case. Sometimes it happens if I eat a lot of a certain "watery" food, like a big salad, lots of ice cream, etc, and sometimes it seems to happen for no reason at all. Most of the time, though, it's totally random and it seems I can only chalk it up to anxiety. This has happened to me for as long as I can remember.
I know frequent urination is a common symptom of anxiety, but does this frequent of urination happen to anyone else here (this every 15 minutes cycle?). Also, I've had blood and urine tests at the doc before, everything came back clear and no diabetes or bladder infections.
Hoping I'm not the only one,
Valley
bettykitten
25-01-12, 09:59
It's anxiety alright!
I had it terribly in October last year. It was driving me insane, tbh. As my anxiety lifted, so did the frequent toilet trips.
Hi Valley
I have one of these symptoms too hen i' m anxious, i remeber times when i would go for a pee and within 5 minutes my blader would feel full again, i had all sort of tests done even scan and all was clear so it's definitely anxiety, when you anxious your kidny's will go mad and start getting rid off all waste from your body i think they call it flight or fight response.
I can't really go anywere if they are no toilets and traveling is nightmare so i can symphatise with you.
AngelHeart
25-01-12, 19:59
I had this at the beginning of last year on and off for about 6 months. Had water sample and blood tests and nothing showed. Couldn't get it into my head that it was caused by anxiety . Its a very frequent symptom of anxiety actually and I only got over it when I started *worrying* about something else!! xx
Hi everyone,
thank you for your responses. I'm sorry to hear you all have suffered through this too, but it's good to know I'm not alone. Glad to hear it goes away once the anxiety does, too. Out of all the symptoms of anxiety, this is one I think is the worst.
Like you, Keta, I too fear going anywhere that theres no restroom. I have developed all sorts of annoying habits because of this, like anytime I go see a movie in a theater I have to sit in a aisle seat in case I need to get up and go to the loo. Annoys my husband because he loves to sit front and center! I also hate going on boats, long car rides, the bus, anywhere there's no easy access to a restroom. It's also affected my ability to enjoy travelling and vacations. For some reason I'm embarassed to bring this issue up to my therapist. Every other symptom has been easier to talk about, but this one just makes me too embarrassed. I'm sure they've heard it ALL, but still...this is one of those that's just hard to talk about.
I'm glad to hear this symptom has passed for you guys. I hope it will for me, too!
Valley
Hi valley
I've had this almost every day for 3 months and it's driving me mad, had all the blood tests done, urine tests, and scans and cystoscopy all clear which I'm glad about, so I defo think it's anxiety as I worry every day about my health, hopefully when I do relax and had some Cbt treatment it will go.
Goodluck
Jayne
Hi everyone,
thank you for your responses. I'm sorry to hear you all have suffered through this too, but it's good to know I'm not alone. Glad to hear it goes away once the anxiety does, too. Out of all the symptoms of anxiety, this is one I think is the worst.
Like you, Keta, I too fear going anywhere that theres no restroom. I have developed all sorts of annoying habits because of this, like anytime I go see a movie in a theater I have to sit in a aisle seat in case I need to get up and go to the loo. Annoys my husband because he loves to sit front and center! I also hate going on boats, long car rides, the bus, anywhere there's no easy access to a restroom. It's also affected my ability to enjoy travelling and vacations. For some reason I'm embarassed to bring this issue up to my therapist. Every other symptom has been easier to talk about, but this one just makes me too embarrassed. I'm sure they've heard it ALL, but still...this is one of those that's just hard to talk about.
I'm glad to hear this symptom has passed for you guys. I hope it will for me, too!
Valley
Valley you need to talk about it with your therapist, because of this i have developed full on agoraphobia it's been going on for good 7 years now, i have had CBT and also been on Citalopram 3x times but i think best way how to beat it is exposure therapy but it can be really hard to put yourself in situation where you know you will feel anxious and feel like you might wet your pants, it's just awful, i have all those habits you named out too and it just limits your life so badly, i wish there was some magic cure to it. I too felt so embarrassed to talk about it but it has to be done because that way your therapist can deal with it and help you.
Hi Keta,
You are very right, I need to bring this up with my therapist. I have been trying to work up the courage. I dont know why it is so hard for me, but it is. Have you seen a therapist for this issue? if so, did it help, and what techniques did your therapist teach you?
It's just so frustrating when this happens. Especially because a lot of the times it happens I don't necessarily always feel anxious, so I feel like I have no control over it. I think I just need to get more used to accepting the fact that hey, if I have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom every 15 mins, then I just have to be ok with that and try not to be embarrassed about it.
I've suffered frequent urination for years and years and though I believed it was an anxiety thing, which it most likely is, mine seems more likely to be IC as it gets worse with certain foods and drinks. I always seem to have a full bladder despite going quite often and I tend to only be able to drink Evian water (not any other waters) as it's low in Potassium. I'm just trying to stick to a diet that helps for me.
Therapy/CBT could help you with this, and there are certain meds out there for overactive bladders if thats certainly what it is. If you've had a cystoscopy and its clear then its probably not IC :) So I would say its most likely anxiety.
Hi Valley,
Yes thats me all over. I'm always on the end seat. I find I need to go to the toilet when I'm worked up and anxious , sometimes cannot pass water . I have had a urine test but it was ok. so it must be a nervous thing.
I have tried pelvic floor excersise, but it does not help me. So I give up as long as I feel I can cope. I wear tenna products when going fair way.
Lots Love
Hi Keta,
You are very right, I need to bring this up with my therapist. I have been trying to work up the courage. I dont know why it is so hard for me, but it is. Have you seen a therapist for this issue? if so, did it help, and what techniques did your therapist teach you?
It's just so frustrating when this happens. Especially because a lot of the times it happens I don't necessarily always feel anxious, so I feel like I have no control over it. I think I just need to get more used to accepting the fact that hey, if I have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom every 15 mins, then I just have to be ok with that and try not to be embarrassed about it.
I had CBT (congenital behaviour therapy) which teaches you about the whole cycle of the anxiety process in your body not just physical but psychological too, then they teach you how to relax yourself and also how to break the string of your thoughts . It was useful to know but sometimes very hard to put it into practise. Last weekend my boyfriend told me lets go shopping which would involve about 20 min drive by car and then 5 min on ferry. I broke into tears just from the bad thoughts and fear not being able to go to toilet. Well in the end i went but i had hardly anything to drink that morning, i had to do the driving as i feel more in control that way and the minute we got there i as looking out for signs for toilets. How debilitating is that :weep:
Keta, I know exactly what you mean about wanting to drive to feel more in control. I do the same thing. And I would be the one freaking out about the ferry ride and no toilets. I can totally relate. It can be debilitating sometimes, you are totally right. I also limit the drinks I have when I have to go somewhere, like on a long car ride or sit in an appointment, so that I hopefully dont have to get up to go to the bathroom. I found a book using CBT that I am going to try to work through, called Mind over Mood. There's also one called the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook and I'm hoping those will help me.
Hi valley
Just reading through your thread and wondering how your frequent urination is as I have yet to find a cure lol I'm very confused and don't know how anxiety is connected, just wondered if you found anything to help??
Thanks
Jayne x
I had these symptoms alot but I also have IC - I suffer on a constant daily basis even when I'm not anxious :(
I'm sure its just anxiety though, as 90% of the people on this forum will tell you!
Physiologically, when you're in the fight or flight mode, you're body wants to get rid of everything it doesn't need so it can "run" or escape. That's why you have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom, either to pee or pass a bowel movement.
I've also heard that the increase in anxiety hormones pass into the bladder and cause more urine i.e. want to pee...can't say what source this is from though.
However, just thinking about this I feel I need to pee now. When we become focused on one thing we notice it more right? So don't worry. Realistically it's not a big deal
Glad to know I'm not on my own, just keep thinking my doc is sick of me, theyve put mine down to health anxiety or my ibs but I feel they just don't know, this peeing is getting me down :( xx
I'm in the same boat. I've always been a frequent urinater, though as I drink loads of water throughout the day. But now I find myself not wanting to drink any fluids, which in turn makes me physically feel terrible.
Hi everyone, i am new here but not new on the anxiety thing, I've been dealing with anxiety for about 2 years now where i had really good periods of time where i felt great almost no anxiety but now it seems to be back and my new symptom is the bladder problem it is most a retention thing and it gives me a burn feeling and i go every 5 min to the loo. I've been tested for infection and everything came back normal and also i deal with a few new symptoms i didnt have before and i going crazy with this !!
also having children weakens the bladder and anxiety on top of this can cause alot of problemsxxx
Hi Valley
I have the exact same symptoms as you but only had it for about a year now. I would love to hear if you found out what caused it as this is turning my live upside down.
Stress and anxiety can trigger stress hormones to travel to certain spots in the body – the bladder being one of those areas – and bring about physiological changes. Relaxation and stress reduction often eliminate the frequent urination.
Source (http://www.belmarrahealth.com/frequent-urination-causes-symptoms-treatment/)
Also found this interesting article of some natural remedies to try for frequent urination (http://www.belmarrahealth.com/natural-home-remedies-frequent-urination/).
volcanic ash
24-09-17, 17:10
I had this at the beginning of last year on and off for about 6 months. Had water sample and blood tests and nothing showed. Couldn't get it into my head that it was caused by anxiety . Its a very frequent symptom of anxiety actually and I only got over it when I started *worrying* about something else!! xx
I am the same! Always it goes when I start worrying about other symptoms I have. Anxiety is a ******* alright!
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