Anyone have Digestive problems that cause panic attachs

[MasterJPK69]

Does anyone have disestive problems that cause them to ahve panic attachs. It seem like every time i eat something spicy or that makes me gassy i get palps and anxiety. When i eat right i am fine does anyone here have this problem too.

[jodie]

hi

yes i feel this way tonight i have heart burn feel panicy getting palps ect .
i have tryed allsorts tonight to make it go away i think i will just stop having spicy food as it dose i every time so your not alone on this one .

jodiex

[ksmith]

unattractive as it sounds, I feel sure excessive wind (or gas) has played its part in raising my anxiety. I seem to have an amazing capacity for storing wind and could belch for Britain (much to husband's disgust) but I feel much better once I have. Not only physically more comfortable but also more mentally stable and calm.

Kay x

[Danuella]

I dont believe it!! I have ever met anyone with the same problem,i thought i was just strange,lol.I have the same problem as Ksmith i belch loads i did get told itd because when i am anxious i gulp air down,but it doesnt seem to matter when i get trapped wind i just feel really rough until i get rid of it!!,lol.
xx

[shaz01]

Hey there,

I do find a connection with digestive problems...for some reason my erratic heartbeats seem to be worse if I have indigestion or wind etc..
Shaz x

[yorkylover]

Hi I have suffered with tummy problems for years,and I find when I get pains,wind,cramps ect I get more anxious and panicky.:sad:

[sallad]

I have read that people with panic often have tummy issues. I Totally do! If I feel full I am sure I am going to vomit and then I feel panic setting in. I also have loads of gas which, because I am a teacher, has led to tons of humiliation! I often find if I eat smaller amounts I feel less anxious. Strange how the body works. My therapist and I are working on 'listening' to my body more and giving it what it needs. She thinks I may ignore signs I am hungry and then eat too much at a time or take in too much air, some such thing. Good to know we are not alone isn't it!

[tommie]

I know when a panic attack is over as I release so much wind (burp)and as you have all said I to feel so much better.

I usual ignore or forget to eat regularly, have an attack and have to force a soup on to a very nervous stomach before the attack ebbs away. So although I have had a light lunch at 1.00, I set my phone alarm to buzz me at 3.00 p.m. to have a marmite drink with a slice of bread. If I do not eat for more than four hours an attack usually follows.

The Dr. put me on 10mg omeprazole for the stomach acid/reflux. I found I had less panic attacks when the nervous stomach went away but after a year I was taking them for panic reasons and not stomach acid, so the Dr. took me off them.

Also really painfull lower intestinal pain (cramps) which after all the tests is IBS. and the pain is the wind which goes on release.

I suck one extra strong mint on the way to work and it helps as the cramps are not as severe.

It is good to know we are not alone.

[siouxzieque]

Hi I am the same food and panic attacks, but mines due to me eating disorder, but something that i find helps is peppermint tea, or chamomile tea, peppermint calms the gut and chamomile calms the nerves, Twinnings now do both in one tea bag, i drink it night and morning and if i am still windy i drink one during the day.

[BellisC]

I know what you mean - I find that having an upset stomach can make me feel bit panicky and not able to think clearly - I am finally getting to the point where I recognize that this is what's happening before I get even more alarmed.

[joans60]

I thought it was only me that sduffered with a lot of windI find that it starts my herar beating fast when I am full of wind I also have an hiatus hernia as well so I start to panic. and that then starts my anxiety of so it is one vicious circle.

[dawn rose]

me i think its coz part of the thing i get panickt about is being ill.

[ronski]

Hi

The reason that most of us can relate digestive problems to panic type symptoms is because of various problems that we induce ourselves because of our anxiety.

The main issues are increases production of stomach acid and swallowing air plus increased stimulation of the vagus nerve due to parasympathetic drive. The stomach lies very close to the heart just under the diaphram, so with increased size due to excess gas the stomach can push against the heart and so initiate a irritated heart response so the odd palpitation like sensations that we can feel occaisionally. Excess stomach acid can cause heartburn or on the odd occaision especially with long term oesophagitis stimulate the vagus nerve fibres so giving asthma symptoms or heart rythmm problems. And anxiety itself can unbalance the autonomic nervous system so allowing either the sympathetic or parasympathetic to dominate so giving very unpleasent symptoms that a lot of us can recognise.

Spicy foods cause problems by excess secretion of hydrocloric acid and there by increasing the chance of bloating so stimulating abdominal viseral and maybe pressing on the solar plexus so giving abnormal nerve sensations which can be felt as gastrointestinal panic. Google it, such a condition excists. I hope this is helpfull
Ron

[Ellie25]

i have a severe vomiting and diarrhoea (sp?) phobia which ALWAYS leads to a full panic attack...nightmare!

[pk]

wow, i thought i was the only one! i'm generally fine in the mornings until i eat something, and then after i've eaten the slightest digestive twinge will throw me into a full blown panic attack (my panic is mainly centered around worrying about a heart attack)

[tHamera]

Hi

The reason that most of us can relate digestive problems to panic type symptoms is because of various problems that we induce ourselves because of our anxiety.

The main issues are increases production of stomach acid and swallowing air plus increased stimulation of the vagus nerve due to parasympathetic drive. The stomach lies very close to the heart just under the diaphram, so with increased size due to excess gas the stomach can push against the heart and so initiate a irritated heart response so the odd palpitation like sensations that we can feel occaisionally. Excess stomach acid can cause heartburn or on the odd occaision especially with long term oesophagitis stimulate the vagus nerve fibres so giving asthma symptoms or heart rythmm problems. And anxiety itself can unbalance the autonomic nervous system so allowing either the sympathetic or parasympathetic to dominate so giving very unpleasent symptoms that a lot of us can recognise.

Spicy foods cause problems by excess secretion of hydrocloric acid and there by increasing the chance of bloating so stimulating abdominal viseral and maybe pressing on the solar plexus so giving abnormal nerve sensations which can be felt as gastrointestinal panic. Google it, such a condition excists. I hope this is helpfull
Ron


great post. i usually get many of my symptoms after eating. thanks.

[love_kiwi]

Glad to find this site to read and share my similar problems here :)
Yes, I have the same issue here too, especially in the evening time when i am taking crowded trains or took a ride in my husband's car. If my gastric is no good, i will start to feel panic. My version of panic attack will cause me to hard to breathe and suffocate. Many times in my husband's car, i need to ask him to stop somewhere as I could not continue with the journey. it only happens in the evening time. I need to take antacid to help me to feel better.

This panic attack makes me frighten to take planes especially long-hauled ones. Anyone had similar issues? hOw to deal with it when on plane?

[axaxia]

having an upset stomach gives me anxiety and anxiety makes my stomach feel worse! it's a vicious cycle. eating well helps and also learning to identify which signals are "real" and which are just anxiety

[marlowe78]

My digestion wasn't right for almost a year before the real anxiety issues set in. I was constipated, had a burning feeling in my stomach, and had many other symptoms of acid reflux (burning throat, irritated gums, bloating, etc.). I started making changes to my diet that did help but I still had lingering problems and finally went to a gastro. I'm scheduled for an endoscopy next week. Funny thing is that the problem isn't as bad as a few months ago but my anxiety is at an all-time worst...

It's something how digestion seems to play a role in anxiety symptoms. If I have bloating and excess gas, my palpitations and muscle tightness seem to get worse (probably because those symptoms can mimick a heart attack). When I've belched or broken wind I calm down.

[AlexandriaUK]

Eating a meal that's spicey can cause palpitations so can chinese food, also too much food can do It as well, then the vicious circle begins and the panic can take over,
Try to eat smaller amounts and keep some indigestion tabs as well.
I sip lots of water while eating now to fill me up.

[Sabre120]

I've never experienced a panic attack from it (Thank God), but I get an obscene amount of trapped wind semi-regularly that somewhat hinders my breathing slightly and can cause my anxiety to sky rocket, I'll sit through an entire lecture at uni, silently burping to myself, terrified of what other people think of me. But, once I've burped all I can burp, I feel a hell of a lot better.

[marlowe78]

After posting on this thread I made the mistake of drinking coffee at Easter dinner and it made my reflux come back with a vengeance. Stay off of coffee, it is one of the worst things for digestive problems.

[Mattyex4]

Does anybody have strange back sensations seem a little worse when bloated been having weird mild aches, bubble feelings, various tingling spots general aches that move around my back usually in and around my left shoulde blade sometimes very close to spine

Seems to be worse when i am sat at my computer or when eating

Suffered with IBS, Ulcers, Gerd for around 3 years also i am sure i get frequent bouts of mild gastritis takign PPI omeperazole

My Health Anxiety is sky high at the momnet with back thing :(

[vicky23]

A fellow stomach problem/ anxiety sufferer here!
My fear is pain that I can't handle and so when I feel any kind of pain my mind brings up all kinds of horrible scenarios (some memories from actual painful past illnesses some imaginary)
MattyEX I think the back thing you describe is pretty common for those with stomach probs I've always thought because gas travels around the body and the intestines are really long they probably spread to your back area rather than staying at the front like we would think.

[Junglechicken]

Yes, all too familiar.

Scared at the moment as suffering from really bad trapped wind, in fact have had this for the last 6 yrs. Thought it may have been bacteria we picked up whilst travelling around India 3.5 months.

[fordaisy]

I am having that right now. My stomach is gasy and bloated and it even caused me to have a panic attack last night.

[sammie]

Hi

Try looking up the Vagus Nerve , its closely linked to palps and anxiety after eating

sam

[Carla2014]

I have been diagnosed with panic and anxiety disorder. I'm on Wellbutrin 150mg a day and it's helped the daily pain attacks. But I was wondering if your stomach triggers panic attacks? For the last 12 years I thought I was allergic to everything from having mono in 2012,
Fish/ shellfish. Nuts/ peanuts. Garlic onions sunflower eggs.
So I do not eat of these foods. But when my stomach has an issue with meds like antibiotic, it throws my system into a full blown panic attack and it seems nothing helps the panic to go away.
I know now ( 12 years later) that my so called food allergies are probably just sensitivities but I was wondering if anyone else gets panic attacks from foods/meds that their stomach disagrees with and what do you do for the panic to stop the stomach.

[JustBeMe]

This is how I feel. Turns out that I have gastritis, but whenever I eat something I feel naiaeas and it sends me into a panic. When I was hospitalized for dehydration, I got severely nauseas and my heart raced, went into a sweat, blood flushed from my face and limbs, and fell like I was gonna faint. The worst feeling ever. They think it was a panic attack but at the same time it turned out I did have gastritis.

[Kitty Cat]

I how I can so relate to these issues. Had IBS all my life (I'm 57) wasn't diagnosed until 10 years ago by a lovely understanding GP. Never been able to find out what my triggers for the IBS are, but I do know how much anxiety this can cause. Some days it literally rules my life. so good to know I'm not alone :)