Am I kidding myself?

[supasooz]

Hi all,

Would really appreciate some outside opinins aboout this. I have suffered panic attacks on/off since childhood due to early stress. Over last few months the attacks have come back.

My doctor put me on Citalopram four weeks ago. It made things worse to start with and I am not seeing any improvement yet.

The thing is over the last few days I have had two experiences where I have felt panic attacks coming on. Then my tummy starts to gurgle and I rush home to the toilet. I do actually get cramps and diarohea(however it's spelt). I don't remember getting this in the past. A normal panic attack for me is hot flush, feeling feint, hard to catch breath, feeling nausea and wanting to run away. I don't normally actually vomit or poo. (How embarassing).

I have tried telling myself maybe its a bug and not a panic attack. It's starting to feel a bit like which came first...egg or chicken?!

I am getting more anxious than ever worrying about it. Please do tell me what you think, even if it's not really what I want to hear.

Thank you
Susan

[jackie]

it sounds like typical anxiety symptoms

perhaps in the past your symptoms were that of panic but now the symptoms you are getting are an all over state of anxiousness

i certainly get the symptoms you mention

take care

jackie

[ksmith]

My doctor told me I 'probably' had IBS - (irritiable bowel syndrome) caused by anxiety. Others on the site seem to have it to as it appears to go hand in hand with anxiety symptoms. Not very nice is it!! Probably diets you can follow to improve but others would be better placed to advise you.

Regards, Kay

[kazzie]

sounds like panic to me im the same first sign of stress and im in the loo!!! luv kaz x

[net]

i am exactly the same, it happened to me last week while i was a work, i was in a situation that iwas new and i didnt feel comfortable being there, which brought on an anxiety attack

netty

[nicjay]

Hi Susan

I too get an upset stomach when i get overstressed and i have to remind myself that it will pass when i feel more relaxed.

Nicola
xxx

[hayles]

a good friend of mine suffers like this and is constantly chucking Immodium down her neck to try and combat it.
Its just anxiety. I dont really suffer with upset tum, i get large waves of nausea which send me into panic, or is it the panic that brings on the nausea......oh hell i cant even tell!

Hay x

[supasooz]

Thanks everyone. I thought you would probably say its related.

I know what you mean Hayles about not knowing which came first the panic or the nausea. That is exactly how I feel.

I have just agreed to meet up with one of the mums from my sons school. Must have had a brave ten seonds! Have swallowed a couple of imodium. Should have kicked in by three o clock. I hope so. Does it work for your friend?

[missacorah]

I agree - most of the symptoms we generally suffer on here are a viciou cirlce and i find it hard to tell when one started and another begun. My 'worst symptoms' vary from week to week and I always feel the one I have at that particular time is the worst ever one yet. I have only just started suffering from 'toilet trouble' as a result of panicking (sorry to be gross) and am hoping I just have a bug or something.

[alicia123]

I agree with everyone else, Susan. When I had PA's my tummy would gurgle like a Victorian drain and I would start to panic that I couldn't get to a loo in time, which of course made the anxiety worse.

As for Citalopram, all SSRI's take a while to kick in because they are altering your brain chemistry. If you find that one does not suit you then ask your GP to prescribe another type. Based on my own experience I did not get on with Fluoxetine or Prozac, but haven't experienced Citalopram since I am not on medication now.

alicia

[Gabby]

I started with the nausea etc and then over the years ended up with the dizzy/tremor/hyperventilate etc. Now every time I feel sick cos I've done something like eat too much cake, I start to panic. Somehow I cant separate the two anymore....

G

[Insomniac]

I had IBS before anxiety. But now I can't tell which it is either! If I feel too hot I wonder if its just because its hot or because I have an attack coming on... I get hot & cold, palpitations, nausea, diahorrea, dizzy etc. So if I get any symptom any other time I get anxious and symptoms get worse because of anxiety!

My doc has given me immodium for stressful days, which I do find helpful. If you don't worry about needing the loo, you're less likely to need it. I'm also starting on seroxat - but the jury's still out on that one. I can't decide if I have side effects or anxiety...

Hope the immodium helped and you enjoyed your meeting. :)

Lisa.

[supasooz]

Hi everyone, thanks for telling me your thoughts. Has helped knowing that others are just as confused about what is panic and what could just be physical.

The meet up went ok. I wouldn't use the words 'well' or 'good' as at the moment everything feels like such an ordeal to get through. But I didn't panic so it was a success.

This morning when I went to make my cornflakes I noticed that the milk wasn't as liquid as it should be. Which is strange since it's in date and has been kept in the fridge. Now I am wondering if that has caused all my trouble this week. Am going to seriously complain to Morrisons.

Thanks again.

[kimmy]

it all sound like anxiety. I found doing lots of reading, asking questions helped me. I take citaloram too 40mg and they didnt work at first and now I think there brilliant, they have done me so much good. they just seemed to take the edge of thing so I could work at it myself. I am virtually free of panics now, i do get anxious sometimes but I know thats just the habbit rather than the disorder itself.

Recently i have experienced my nan being taken ill and dying of cancer. It was all over a couple of months. What was happening was horrific, my nan died in a horrible way and i saw it all. My point to this was I was focused and wasnt panicing, I did at point get the lump in my throat, I had never experienced this symptom before but i didnt get scare, I accepted it was a symptom of anxiety. As quick as it came it left.


It been 2 weeks now sinse my nans funeral. I am going to speak to my GP this week about reducing my dose.

The whole point to all of this was, you can do it. I honestly thought I went mad when my anxiety began. Its beeen a slow journey but I believe I have over come it, and if It comes back. Ill do it again!

Be positive and you can do it! I promise