Anxiety and food

[sekhmet]

Hi guys, I hope I'm posting this in the right forum.

I was diagnosed with panic disorder a few years ago, and have never really gotten to grips with it. My symptoms were at first pretty textbook: I would get anxious in bright and public places, at work when stressed, on the tube, when eating etc. My therapist put it down to my pretty crappy childhood, etc.

Lately though, I've noticed that they seem to be related to eating - I start to feel ill if I haven't eaten in two hours or so, then I'll eat, feel absolutley dreadful for an hour or so and then rapidly start feeling better. My doctor mentioned it might be hypoglycemia, but did not advise me further on what it actually is, means, or how it could be related to my panic disorder. I had a blood test and apparently my sugar levels were normal.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Captain America]

yes i've heard of the link. i went to a chiro who gave me a hypoglycemic diet to try, but i like too much on the 'avoid' list.

there's defnitely a link between the two though. i've been told to eat small meals throughout the day and avoid high sugar food and drinks, etc. didn't make much difference for me because food was never my trigger, but it sounds like it'd do some good for you.

[Dahlia]

I definitely get this, and so do my mum and sister. A dietician told me to eat 6 small meals a day, rather than 3 big ones. I was getting 'dumping syndrome' too (which isn't what it sounds like!), where you eat a big meal and the food passes too quickly through the stomach. That would make me feel sick and shaky for an hour or so, and send my blood pressure sky high.

A friend of mine believed all his panic attacks were due to changes in sugar levels. He swore by bananas! He always had them with him, and snacked on them, to keep his bloody sugar level constant.

I think you're meant to eat slow release sugars, rather than refined. So museli and wholemeal bread/pasta is good; cakes, biscuits, chocolate, white bread etc isn't.

Dahlia x

[marie1974]

hiya yes little and often is best way i think every few hours have something little, even an apple.

also like dahlia says, i heard bananas are great to keep sugar levels right.

hugs xxxx

[CONS]

Im fastly having problems eating lately and when i have an attack i cant eat.

I lost 2 stone in 3 months so far which was kind of nice but food in general doesn't seem to appeal to me much anymore.

Maybe just a phase for me,

someone above said about eating little often "grazing" as the weightlifters say. Could be a good option.

Personally i go back to 1 platefull 3 or 4 times before i finish or rollover to the next day.

CONS