View Full Version : Anxiety/Retching badly/Everything feels horrendous...
I have come here to this forum because I am at my wits end. Having suffered from anxiety since I was a child aged 4, I am currently going through the worst time of my life.
Like I said I have battled anxiety since as far back as I am able to remember and it has always manifested itself in vaious different ways.
As a child it was seperation anxiety from my Mum, I was always crying when she left me at school. And when I wasn't crying because of seperation anxiety I would be crying and hysterical for no apparent reason. I just remember feeling really horrible and distressed at every little thing. Unfortunately at the time I was too young to understand what I was suffering from, I now assume it was anxiety.
As a child I could never sleep at night, I was always wondering the house and had a fear of "being the last person awake" I would lie in bed for hours just unable to switch off.
Then as a teenager I had intrusive thoughts and other strange behaviour. E.g. I would need to write down everything the teacher told us in class in case I forgot it, I would also write down everything anyone had said to me during the day and then spend the evening after school analysing it and wondering "what they meant" by it.
Then aged 16 in June 2004 I suffered what I now know to be my first full blown axiety attack. And to be honest it has been with me since then, not a day goes by when I dont think about the potential of a recurring panic attack. And as a result of this I now believe that I suffer from Panic Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and many various bizarre phobias.
However since February 2013 this year my quality and standard of life has started to become greatly impaired. The main symptom I am suffering from these days is "retching" without vomiting/nausea. It is plaguing me nearly every single day recently and it is starting to scare me as I don’t know why my body is behaving in this manner. It is now leading to a partial agoraphobia as I am now going to great lengths to avoid any situation where I could become susceptible to danger. E.g. I will now go to ridiculous lengths to avoid going on a long car journey by myself in case I start retching and become overwhelmed by it, thus resulting in being stranded far away from home in a place I am not used to with a nasty symptom that I have very little control over.
The only remedy that brings me partial relief is Tic Tacs, but these have caused my blood sugar levels to rise to very high levels so I have had to revert to Sugar Free mints recently, these don’t have the same effect as Tic Tacs but they eventually stop the retching from becoming overwhelming.
I am about 90% convinced that my retching is caused by anxiety and or depression as I have felt very bad these last few years as we have had a lot of trouble in our lives. However there is a 10% of me that can’t help but wonder if it could be an unrelated medical disorder E.G. H-Plyori which is causing me to retch and this in turn could be making me feel anxious? So in other words is the retching caused by anxiety or is the retching caused by a separate medical condition which in turn is triggering my anxiety? Either way it is making my life a complete and utter misery as it is embarrasing, uncomfortable and very unpredictable and irritating.
I have a family history of Coeliac disease and I thought that I might too have the same condition as my chances went from 1 in 100 to 1 in 10 as I have an immediate family member with Coeliac disease. I asked my GP to send me for a blood test (Anti TTG) to see if Coeliac disease could be to blame for my retching, however my test came back all clear.
I went to my GP in September 2013 and had blood tests done the same month. 7 of the tests came back all clear but a Blood Glucose Fasting test revealed a blood sugar level of 7.9. This concerned my doctor who sent me for a repeat test in October 2013. This time round my blood sugar level had dropped to 6.7. So I was then sent for an Oral Glucose Fasting test which I am currently in the process of arranging. Could this have anything to do with my retching? I have made enquires but any link between retching and pre-diabetes doesnt seem to exist.
The lack of any pain or discomfort in any part of my body and the fact that I never vomit and or feel nauseas must surely eliminate any severe physical illness surely???
I have a very bad diet admittedly. I drink regularly and regularly exceed the UK Daily Limit guidelines. I eat very quickly and erratically and I never eat breakfast. Lunch is often very hurried and dinner is consumed fairly quickly usually accompanied with cans of lager.
My Mum suffered from anxiety in 1985 and was rushed to Casualty where she was prescribed Valium and Propranalol. My Dad suffered from wild mood swings and "dark moods" as he would call them. My Nan suffered from her nerves and eventually ended up with depression, agrapohbia and sadly in later years dementia. So I do have a family history of mental illness.
I think I have covered everything in this article, if anyone has suffered from the same bizarre symptom or has any idea about what could be causing this debilitating symptom (retching) then I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions.
Thank You
Calum
P.S. There is a lot more that I haven't gone into detail about but I fear I could be writing this all day long if I was to continue. I will add more should it become nessecary.
No-one can help??? :weep:
nicola1980
15-11-13, 10:04
Hi when my anxiety was really bad i retched every single morning, for the first hour of the day id spend it with my head in the sink retching :-( it really got me down and i used to dread waking up as i knew what the morning would bring, my stomach muscles would ache from retching so much it was truly awful, i knew this was all down to my anxiety and eventually when i got put on the right meds it gradually stopped, it is a very common symptom of anxiety, do you take any meds to help you with your anxiety? X x
Hi Nicola, thanks for the reply. No I have never taken any form of medication for anxiety as I believe they cause nasty unpleasant side effects.
Like I said I have had this retching since July 2011, I am very certain it is anxiety related as I have been a nervous wreck since I left school in June 2004 (coincidentally the same month I had my first panic attack)
Like I said doctor was pretty uncertain and seemed baffled when I said I am suffering from retching. He was just sitting there asking me if I had eating disorders and how was I sleeping, etc. But he kept saying "Oh my goodness"... He seemed to have absolutely no idea what could be triggering it.
This year the retching has come back with a vengeance, it was almost gone last year but 2011 and this year have been simply awful at times.
I just hope that it isn't a separate medical condition in my stomach that is causing this retching...
:mad:
Well, it might be something in your stomach triggering the retching response, particularly as you've said
"I have a very bad diet admittedly. I drink regularly and regularly exceed the UK Daily Limit guidelines. I eat very quickly and erratically and I never eat breakfast. Lunch is often very hurried and dinner is consumed fairly quickly usually accompanied with cans of lager."
Doesn't mean it's anything serious, but it also doesn't sound like you're treating your digestive system very kindly, so it might just be rebelling a bit! It could be something like acid reflux, which is quite common with anxiety anyway, and won't be helped by the alcohol. Have you ever tried some antacid type products to see if they do anything to alleviate the retching?
I havent had that symptom BUT I friend of mine suffered from terrible anxiety and when it got really bad the retching was horrendous every day. So I think it is "anxiety"
nicola1980
15-11-13, 17:36
My doctor said it is a common symptom of anxiety, my auntie also gets the retching when her anxiety is playing up x x
Hi Emlica, yes I agree along with the anxiety it could be stomach issue as well. I haven't had a night free from alcohol since this January, mainly because drinking at the end of the day helps me wind down and chill out and escape from all my stresses and strains.
I thought I might have acid reflux but my Mum tells me I cant have it as I don't have heartburn or any pain in my stomach. Is that correct???
And Hi Sarah, how bad does your friend get it? Mine is sometimes really bad, its just constant retching with watery eyes and a really dry throat.
And in reply to Nicola I wonder why my GP didn't consider anxiety triggering this? Especially when I told him I was an anxious individual?:ohmy:
---------- Post added at 17:52 ---------- Previous post was at 17:49 ----------
And yes Emlica, I have tried Asda Antacids and Rennie's but Tic-Tacs are the only thing that seem to calm me and my retching down. On the negative side I have given 2 very high level blood test results for Glucose. Something that the Tic-Tacs will have surely contributed towards I'd imagine.
Where the hell has everyone gone?:blush:
Hi guys I heard about a medication called Drammine which is meant to be good for dry heaves/retching and another one called Reglan which is meant to be very good as well. My Mum also said I should ask a GP for Propranolol.
Can any of you share your knowledge and/or experiences about these medications?
Thank you so much, I am at my wits end :(
sarahblonde32
21-11-13, 10:50
hi,
so a fellow gagging sufferer. welcome to my world. I have been suffering with retching for some time. i had as a kid, but it was few and far between and mostly when i had been running about and playing with kids.
I have had it now consistently for the last 3 years and i have absolutely no idea why. it is i can assume the anxiety, the anxiety comes and goes, sometimes present sometimes not but the gaggy feeling is always there. Mine is a complete pain in the arse when im having a conversation with someone and i get the feeling im going to gag, i constantly have a bottle water with me and tic tacs have been a god send, people think i have a strange addiction to them. it has ruined many holidays, nights out and weekends away and dates are no no!!
its very very difficult to supress a gag, its a natural body instinct and i have researched this lots and lots, but seems to be no cure or meaning. i have it today, although i am not anxious at all, so i cant find a pattern to mine at all. ive tried everything, it can be diet related. i very strongly recommend you cut back alot on the drinking. i find a glass of wine sometimes helps me relax on occasion, but triggers anxiety the next day. eating healthy and exercise WILL help. my next step to try is hypnosis as i think this might go deeper.
The conclusion i have come to recently is that i dont fear going out, going to work, or social occasions...but i fear the gag feeling. I HATE it and i am too at my wits end and baffled by it.
sarah
Oh my God, what you have just written is so familiar to my dilemma that I could swear I had written that!
I feel awful with the retching/ dry heaving, my GP wants me to go for a Glucose Tolerance Test as I have given 2 high Glucose blood levels from 2 blood tests. I found something on the Internet about glucose levels and retching and that they could be related :(
I would love to go for the test but I hate hospitals and giving blood so the thought of having to drink a glucose drink and then sit in a room for over 2 hours and have various blood samples taken petrifies me. I have been putting it off for nearly a month now but I know I am going to have to have it done at some point. They also say you must NOT take alcohol before the test but this is a problem also as I love lager and don't want to give it up for 1 night as I will not be able to relax knowing that I have to sit there for an entire evening with a horrible medical test looming :(
Do you have any idea at all what could be causing your retching? Have you been to your GP? And have you ever had any blood tests to try and locate the cause?
Thanks
Calum:D
sarahblonde32
21-11-13, 21:19
Hi,
I hate hospitals too. but I will do anything to get rid of this, I can barely remember life before gagging!
ive been to the docs but they said it was just anxiety. they offered counselling or meds, ive tried acupuncture and that didn't help. ive been taking herbal tablets and thought I was almost there, but its still here so nothing yet. I also thought it might have been my sinuses as I wake up with a blocked nose a lot, but nothing really has helped. dentist appointments are a nightmare, I have to be sedated.
the other thing it might be connected to is I have a fear of vomit, I hate it, hate it I feel sick and if kids are near me or anyone near me is sick. have always had that. so im wondering whether to try treat that fear.
but other than that I cannot find anything that helps at all. it seems quite rare and until you I hadn't found anyone else with it!!
I agree entirely, I cant remember the last time I felt normal or when life consisted of a day without this horrible urge to dry heave/retch. I joined another forum and told the people on there of this problem I have and they are all trying to convince me that I have fatty liver disease, which is quite bizarre if you ask me!
And yes I hate vomit as well, have you considered you might suffer from etmephobia?
I am very sure mine is anxiety related as I have been a gibbering wreck most of my adul life unfortunately :(
sarahblonde32
22-11-13, 14:00
yes i do have some sort of emetophobia i guess.
I hadnt considered myself a ssuffering from anxiety until all this. i still wonder what exactly 'anxiety' is, mine is more stress related, anxious and stressed. im a worrier, always have been. But the gagging starting completly randomly one day, i cant remember why or where it came from, i thought i had a stomach bug or something and went home from work, it lasted a day or so, then went away. then came back and is still here!
Yes that is how mine started, it just cropped up one day back in July 2011 and now it wont leave me alone. I am at my absolute wits end with all of this s*** I mean it. My body and mind are in turmoil and I just want the retching to be gone as it is making me agrophobic as I am scared to go anywhere out of my comfort zone in case I get a retching attack which leaves me incapacitated and stricken far from home... Oh I don't know anymore, cant take much more of this sarah:weep:
sarahblonde32
23-11-13, 11:13
Mine is also about the comfort zone. OUtside of it, im a mess!.
I sometimes also tell myself to breathe, its all just a big chemical reaction. that's all it is, chemicals and brain signals. Everyone anxiety sufferer has the same chemical reaction but differing symptoms, some have palpitation, some feel choking, some shake, all different. but ours is the throat and the gag reflex. Weirdly enough.
How old are you?
im all out of ideas. we can try different thigns if you like, see if we can help! PM me if you like.
Are there any other gag sufferers out there!??
sarah
I am 25 but have had varying degrees of anxiety since I was about 4 years old. But this year has been the worst of my life without a doubt. If the retching would go then that would be about 95% of my anxiety gone straight away. I hear certain meds are meant to help the urge to retch. I will try and find a link...
ddonaghey1989
26-11-13, 20:51
hi im on propranolol i havent noticed it doing anything for my nausea bt its helped my heart rate slow down bt im on a very low dose 10mg as im terrified of medication but it can help relax people without that dizzt feeling. i had no side efffects. hope u get the help you need x
I thought I might have acid reflux but my Mum tells me I cant have it as I don't have heartburn or any pain in my stomach. Is that correct???
No, it isn't.
You can have GERD without classic signs of acid reflux. It is called Silent GERD, so your Mum is wrong I'm afraid!
The first thought that came to my mind when you mentioned your retching was reflux, calumcco. You can have reflux but without heartburn/chest pains, etc. Your retching could well be a symptom of your anxiety creating stress-induced acid build up. You also mention throat symptoms, and that is quite classic for acid reflux.
Have you tried liquid antacids? I personally am not big on Gaviscon anymore. I suffer from acid reflux and it doesn't do much for me, but one that I can strongly recommend is Maalox Antacid liquid. You can buy it in a big 500ml bottle. I haven't yet found it in stores, but I found it on the internet and it is a much better, long-lasting antacid than Gaviscon IMO.
I hope you find some resolution to it soon.:hugs:
No, it isn't.
You can have GERD without classic signs of acid reflux. It is called Silent GERD, so your Mum is wrong I'm afraid!
The first thought that came to my mind when you mentioned your retching was reflux, calumcco. You can have reflux but without heartburn/chest pains, etc. Your retching could well be a symptom of your anxiety creating stress-induced acid build up. You also mention throat symptoms, and that is quite classic for acid reflux.
Have you tried liquid antacids? I personally am not big on Gaviscon anymore. I suffer from acid reflux and it doesn't do much for me, but one that I can strongly recommend is Maalox Antacid liquid. You can buy it in a big 500ml bottle. I haven't yet found it in stores, but I found it on the internet and it is a much better, long-lasting antacid than Gaviscon IMO.
I hope you find some resolution to it soon.:hugs:
I hope so Debs71, this retching is doing my head in. I don't know how much more of it I can take, I feel like I am losing my sanity and little by little I am getting more and more agraphobic as I am starting to avoid situations where I might dry heave and make a prat of myself in front of people.
I am driving my Mum and sister mental as well and its not fair on them, but I just feel horrendous all the time, today I was on the verge of driving to A&E as I felt like my throat was closing up and that I couldn't breathe and along with that I was retching as well, so as you can imagine it was extremely unpleasant.
With regards to the "Silent Reflux" I want to believe I have it so that I can get treatment and a cure and hopefully in turn that will relieve my anxiety with regards to the retching. But what if it is all in my mind and I don't have any reflux at all? How am I going to cure myself then if this retching/dry heaving is all mental and not physical? That's scares me profoundly as I don't seem to be able to escape this living hell.
I hope that by now you have found a cure for your dry retching. If not, for what it is worth it really does seem to be related to your anxiety. You could try to treat the symptoms or try to tackle the anxiety. Especially if it is getting in the way of you walking out the door each day. I hope this helps!:)
Hows it going callumco
I can relate to what you are saying totally! I had this a few years ago and it only went when I went on anti depressants, I have recently tried to come off them and after a couple of months of coming right down to hardly anything, the stomach churning, starting to feel sickly and feeling the need to retch started again. I don't know if this was a symptom of the withdrawal or if that is what I would be like again if I came off them completely. For me, what you have seems to be linked to anxiety and you hot the nail on the head when you asked 'why is my body reacting like this'. I ask the same question as although I am a stress head on certain things, I am not generally lacking confidence or overly bothered about things, yet as soon as these feelings start, it starts massive panic feelings and racing thoughts.
It is a horrible thing to suffer from. Would you not consider an anti depressant? I was completely against them and it took me 10 years and a really low point in life to accept trying them, I tried 5 different ones, the modern ssri's made me feel ill, so I am on clomipramine and older style trycyclic and it seems to work for me.
Whatever you choose to do, there are people on here to talk to. This site has really helped me. Much love x
Rosalind Arscott
07-12-15, 11:18
Hi I am so glad to read this as I have been suffering from the same symptoms as you have described. Any possible change in my life like travelling, someone I am meeting who I feel uncomfortable around I get an upset stomach in the morning when I wake up and then it proceeds into retching sometimes. It's horrible and you are not suffering alone. I think many people have this high level of anxiety. My mum says to do relaxation but I'm so bad at concentrating especially when my anxiety is playing up on me. I just go back to bed and watch something as a form of distraction. Do u think the anxiety will go away? It is quite a stress. Anyway I hope you are ok? It's nice to see people are sharing their experiences on here. :)
---------- Post added at 11:18 ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 ----------
Oh ye and I eat mints too, seems to help me.
Hi I am so glad to read this as I have been suffering from the same symptoms as you have described. Any possible change in my life like travelling, someone I am meeting who I feel uncomfortable around I get an upset stomach in the morning when I wake up and then it proceeds into retching sometimes. It's horrible and you are not suffering alone. I think many people have this high level of anxiety. My mum says to do relaxation but I'm so bad at concentrating especially when my anxiety is playing up on me. I just go back to bed and watch something as a form of distraction. Do u think the anxiety will go away? It is quite a stress. Anyway I hope you are ok? It's nice to see people are sharing their experiences on here. :)
---------- Post added at 11:18 ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 ----------
Oh ye and I eat mints too, seems to help me.
Hi Rosalind Arscott. I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. I firmly believe it is genetic as it runs in my family tree. I don't think I will ever be 100% free of it.
I am still retching to this day. More than 2 years on from my 1st post and I am retching so badly that I literally CANNOT risk going anywhere in case I explode and retch violently and die and make a fool of myself in front of strangers.
---------- Post added at 22:30 ---------- Previous post was at 22:28 ----------
Hows it going callumco
I can relate to what you are saying totally! I had this a few years ago and it only went when I went on anti depressants, I have recently tried to come off them and after a couple of months of coming right down to hardly anything, the stomach churning, starting to feel sickly and feeling the need to retch started again. I don't know if this was a symptom of the withdrawal or if that is what I would be like again if I came off them completely. For me, what you have seems to be linked to anxiety and you hot the nail on the head when you asked 'why is my body reacting like this'. I ask the same question as although I am a stress head on certain things, I am not generally lacking confidence or overly bothered about things, yet as soon as these feelings start, it starts massive panic feelings and racing thoughts.
It is a horrible thing to suffer from. Would you not consider an anti depressant? I was completely against them and it took me 10 years and a really low point in life to accept trying them, I tried 5 different ones, the modern ssri's made me feel ill, so I am on clomipramine and older style trycyclic and it seems to work for me.
Whatever you choose to do, there are people on here to talk to. This site has really helped me. Much love x
Hi PurplePie. What anti-depressents did you take and why were you prescribed them? Were you complaining of anxiety and/or depression?
Try soda water and Vitamin B6 tablets are now given to pregnant women for morning sickness and nausea.
Try soda water and Vitamin B6 tablets are now given to pregnant women for morning sickness and nausea.
But I don't feel nauseas. It's just a constant reflex/urge. Maybe it's throat contractions/spasms? Who knows?
Ranbunctious
12-12-17, 17:09
My doctor ordered a swallow study. They actually xray you while you swallow different things. Test came up negative. More time wasted. I had appendicitis and needed an CT scan. I started to retch 1/2 way thru the procedure. They gave me ativan and it immediately stopped. I asked my GP doctor if he could prescribe it. He said it was not possible. My condition has become much worse since I became suddenly deaf. The extreme ringing or tinnitus escalates the panic response. I will be quitting my job because I can no longer work. Like I said in another post, remove as many stressful things as you can from your life, and you'll be MUCH happier. Stop making it worse....
Hi Cjmec
I take clomipramine - just gone up to 30mg.
xx
---------- Post added at 17:34 ---------- Previous post was at 17:33 ----------
I agree, remove all stressors, although when life events happen, it is easier said than done. it's rubbish to have anxietyy and depression.
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