Still no appetite after 6 weeks

[Zerox]

I was diagnosed with IBS about 6 weeks ago and the symptoms for it have been on and off, but the reason I saw the doctor was because of my lack of appetite, which still hasn’t returned. I did tell my doctor about it, but he didn’t seem concerned about it, just said try to eat something. Is this normal? I haven’t felt hungry or had any desire to eat anything at all.. I know lack of appetite is common with anxiety, but 6 weeks? That can’t be right. I’m losing quite a bit of weight too, even though I am eating, just not as much as I used to.

[Sabbine17]

Hi! I’m sorry you’re dealing with the loss of apptite! It is completely normal and comes hand in hand woth anxiety, in fact I think it can easily be one of the more persistent symptoms. I had the same problem at some point and lost a bit of weight because my appetite was gone. Give it time, it will gradually come back and in the meantime try to eat things you enjoy and slowly increase the portions, it will be easier if it’s food your brain is tuned to like! Difficult cycle to break but just think of it as a normal part of anxiety/worrying, ironically accepting it as normal made me worry less and then want to eat more :) Exercise or activity generally can also help as your body will crave calories after, and also helps take your mind off things.

Let us know how you get on hope this helps! :)