Anxiety Symptoms During and After Eating

[minderaser13]

I have suffered with anxiety and panic attacks on and off for three years. It has been pretty bad recently. I have been getting better, but there is one place that I get anxiety like feelings and it really bothers me...after eating. I get worried that its not anxiety but a serious illness. I get all the classic anxiety symptoms while eating and immediately after...heart racing, sweating, head pressure, feelings of off balance, tiredness...almost like i am having a panic attack. The anxiety after eating is worse on anxious days and less on days I have been relaxed, but its still there. I spoke to my doctor about it and he told me that your body works very hard when digesting and in my sensitized state, every bodily sensation is causing me to have anxiety. He said once I get my anxiety under control, the anxiety during and after eating should go away. I have had all the normal blood tests and a physical and besides anxiety, I am an otherwise a healthy 28 year old. I don't have an eating disorder or anything like that. When I am really anxious I do lose my appetite, but I have recently gotten it back as my anxiety levels have improved. Is my doctor right? I just can't stop worrying that I have something wrong with me. Anyone had this?

[ItWillPass]

I do get the anxiety during/after eating also. I think having small, light meals throughout the day is helpful. I would also lose my appetite, then sit down to eat dinner and just get very light headed. It always felt a little better when I would force myself to eat small snacks all day.

[minderaser13]

Thank you for the quick reply...so it is just anxiety then?

[ItWillPass]

well... my theory is that when we eat, especially if we have eaten little all day, the blood leaves our heads quickly, and goes to the stomach ( a normal reaction to eating) But, since we are prone to anxiety, that sensation causes us to panic... so while its just a normal body reaction, when someone is sensitized like us, panic begins.

[stress-bag]

writing on behalf of my dad.

He has recently started with anxiety attacks and depression. He has noticed when evening comes and he has a meal he becomes very panicy. He has recently started on medication to help this however this hasnt started to work fully. When it is fully working do you think this evening meal anxiousness will pass?

many thanks victoria

[tracy0924]

Hey all,

I joined this site specifically to respond to this thread. I just google searched anxiety after eating because I definitely do suffer from horrible anxiety after I eat. I started to wonder if maybe I have a disorder or something because it is especially bad after I eat a big meal and am very full.

I can't begin to tell you the relief I feel that so many other people also have anxiety after they are finished with a meal. I am still anxious because I just ate, but still feel so much less weird and alone. This has happened so often recently that I had to google it and see if anyone else has ever felt this way. What a relief that I am not alone.

Thank you all for this thread. Please if anyone else has any thoughts or information on this topic, please please please post your queries!

Tracy

[hi-tech]

Like Tracy 0924, I joined because of googling this thread!
I guess it's always hard to tell how extreme it maybe for each of us.
I have never experienced anxiety before in my entire life, didn't even know what it was, now I'm in my early fifties.
The first small sign of changes showed up about 7 years ago, when my wife came to a doctors appointment with me and mentioned to him that I had cut back my eating significantly. I explained that I felt so much better when I didn't have much to eat. He told her that I would eat if I got hungry enough. Since then it's become more than just feeling better.
A few years ago I started to suffer panic attacks along with the anxiety.
The last year has blossomed into having really bad heartburn and I.B.S. (something else I've never experienced).
I've been tested for so many things, that now I just feel like giving up on the whole situation.
The following tests have all been negative.
I'm not diabetic even though I experience the shakes upon waking up!
I'm don't have Celiac (Sprue) yet I bloat terribly after most meals.
I can't handle milk products, yet I'm not lactose intolerant.
I've had a Colonoscopy, and a upper G.I. Endoscopy, everything is fine they tell me, yet when I eat I really suffer pain in my stomach and lower intestines.
The specialist says it's all in my head!!!
I have never been a hypochondriac and see no reason to become one. I've never wanted attention for myself, in fact, my whole life I have been a dedicated giving person.
Here is what has changed in my environment which makes me wonder.
I had an addition to the house built that took us down another level underground (about 22ft.) 8 years ago. I'm not sure if mold could of started or Radium gases are being given off, all I can feel is something in my life style must of caused this change, or it's something in our foods.
My wife also gained symptoms of Fibromyalgia around the same time my symptoms came into effect.
Any way, there is my life history.... oh ya, I used to drink lots of pop, I'm only a couple of pounds overweight (5'8", 165lbs). Nothing to even worry about, although when I'm bloated it looks like I'm very heavy in the midsection, and suffer joint aches!
I'd like the specialist explain how having I.B.S. episodes could be in my head? I think stress has a really big part in this, in my case I wonder which came first though!
Perhaps what I have is different from others, although food seems to be the common link for my anxiety!
Thanks for your time reading this.

[Zee]

I never had eating problems at all until anxiety started in Spring of this year. It came out of nowhere but I had been through 6 years of stressful situations and was feeling very low. I began eating less because my tum was getting upset and I didnt associate that with anxiety at the time.. It went on from there really..very soon I had halved the amount of cals I was eating and weight started dropping of at the rate of 1lb per week. I then developed food anxiety, Food became a source of anxiety to me.
I sit to eat an evening meal and sometimes my tum just flips over and I get anxious.
Im trying so hard to eat better as I used to enjoy food so much

[Alissakobe27]

I have the same problem. All my life I have had a weird anxiety about eating. I always feel that when I eat I'm going to throw up, but then I tell myself that if I don't eat, I am going to die. Then I freak out and have a full on panic attack. In two weeks I am taking a long trip to Oregon and I am scared I am not going to eat anything. Do you have any advice?

[Invisibletouch]

I too have a similar thing. I suffer with anxiety and it has got worse since i've got older. I can usually cope most days but this has got worse recently. I have for maybe a couple of years noticed that sometimes when i eat in the middle of the day, and not necessarily anything much, after about half an hour or less i get the increased pounding heart rate and this usually lasts about 20 mins. I have not worried that much about this and put it down as others have said to the digestive system. However, about 10 weeks ago i had something smallish to eat at lunchtime and then went to clean out the rabbits. After a few minutes i could feel my heart pounding and racing and had to come in. I felt just awful and thought i was going to be sick. It eventually went off after about 20 mins or so. This happened again 6 weeks ago, again after i had eaten lunch at a friends, by the time a had driven home and carried the shopping in same thing happened. I really thought something major was happening but again it went off eventually. I went to the Gp, she did my bloods and an ecg and said she wasn't sure why it was happening She said if the bloods came back ok, which they did, the next step was a 24 hour moniter, although she also said unless it did it when it was on they wouldn't know what caused it.
I still believe it is to do with digestion although i also believe as others have said, that the anxiety makes our bodies react extremely as they are so sensitised. I also have thought that both times in my case i didnt let my food go down properly, but carried on with doing bending and lifting things, which i know can upset the vagus nerve. I am also now very careful what i eat!!

[AlexandriaUK]

Hi I think your therapist is crack on, when you eat your stomach which if you are a mid range size expands and pushes upwards, also your stomach has to work harder to digest the food, this in turn increases your heart rate which in anyone who doesn't suffer anxiety would possibly not be noticed, and then if you are a sufferer you will become conscious of your heart rate and then panic will increase and the adrenaline will kick in and that's the circle of panic/anxiety in full swing.
My partner's heart rate goes well up when he has eaten and so does mine, he is not aware of his I am so aware :D
Don,t worry about it, it is quite a normal process, digestive biscuits and Mono-sodium Glutamate (Chinese food has this mostly but loads of processed foods have it in different names)always set mine off, it is very well known for causing palpitations and anxiety.

[betty363]

ok everyone, I am far too familiar with feelings of panic before, during and after eating. Mine started at restaurants when I was around 12-13. I got panic attacks about going to school as well. Then once I conquered the school thing, it was just with eating. I felt/ and still always feel fine when I have an empty stomach. I have, for the most part, conquered the restaurant fear, except I get it now when I'm dating someone. My boyfriends always want to go out to eat and take me to a nice dinner, but I rarely can eat. I feel adrenaline running up and down my arms and extreme nausea.
I usually use self talk to get through it, and I tell them when I am feeling it, or have at least told them ahead of time that it is a real possibility. I have pegged it down to a situation where I feel out of control. Relationships, though I am always cautious in them, leave one feeling out of control. I am a Christian and strongly believe in being pure until marriage, which I have held to. Much of my victory in this is because I get anxiety as soon as I kiss for a couple minutes. Sometimes as much as holding a guy's hand will set off panic. Panic always involves being nauseated, so food is out of the question when I feel like this. I trust that the Lord is sovereign over everything and cares deeply for me, His creation, however the physical struggles are hard. I always lose weight when I'm in a relationship, which is literally the only bonus of anxiety.

For the most part, when I am single, I have had little to no issues with eating, but I try never to overeat, because I get panicky as well when I do that. Eating healthy smaller portions helps. Eating low sugar amounts helps as well. I was on Prozac for almost two years and I didn't have any issues with eating while I was on that. I gained a bunch of weight, but I was happy. The only downside was that I was sleeping a lot and starting not caring about things. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat. So I went off of it, and now I'm trying Zoloft. That's a snippet of my life. Anyone have a question, let me know!

[DragonflyFlame]

Hello all, I am new to the site. I am to suffering from anxiety after eating.

I have not been tested (but the test isn't 100 percent either) for Celiac's Disease but I have all the symptoms. I notice I get more anxietic after I eat, I get the extrememly cold hands and sweaty feet. Sharp stabbing pains in both my arms and in my left jaw and down my shoulder and left arm.

It all started in September of 2013, I did a cleanse and started eating healthier and it just went down hill from there. It got so bad that I became suicidal, I have no health insurance so I didn't have the option to go see a doc to get put on Antidepressants. In January, I had an abnormal thing happen. My blood pressure sky rocketted to 265/187, I should have died. I had all cardiac test run and they came out fine. They showed a less than 1 percent shadow or something so technically it was abnormal, which they told me that some woman have abnormal test results because of size and breast size and..i fell asleep on the table and jerked awake a couple times whihc caused movement.

I was hopsitalized for a day for observation, started on BP meds which didn't work even after they changed it like 4 times and the doctors where not listening to me at all just wanting to push meds into me.

I stopped taking the meds because they made me feel worse. I was having upwards of 15 to 20 panic attacks a day. I was at my wits end and my husband was frustrated because I was constantly waking him up in the middle of the night crying thinking I was dying.

In February, I started to do research on digestive disorders and I came across Leaky Gut Syndrome which made sense, sense I had charged my habits of eating (more fiber and whatnot) and probably stripped the crap out of my stomach not to mention eating all that gluten for the past five years when i never ate it before. I started eating Paleo. Basically organic meats, grass fed, no grains, no legumes, lots of veggies and water. I stopped drinking soda and juices and stopped eating sugar.

Well, I am feeling better minus the aches and pains. I have upped my protein in my diet because I feel it makes my body feel better, yet I still get anxious after I eat. I am fine when I wake up but as soon as I eat I feel it, usually about an hour to hour an a half after eating so idk if that's digestion but my mind starts to panic and I have to sit sometimes at my desk at work and cry because I am just so fed up with the anxious feelings. When the pain starts in on the left side of the body it really amps it up.

Since September of 2013 (It is now May 2014) I have lost 223 lbs because I pretty much stopped eating. I have gotten better at eating though now. I eat three times a day. Small meals, 'safe' foods that don't make me feel anxious. I feel like I have no control over my body especially when I eat and I dread doing it. Even if it's safe food because I still get anxious.

It's very tiring and I feel running me down. I am glad (well not glad) but relieved to see others are experiencing this as well.

[Beckyminime]

This thread is a life saver ... Im27 weeks pregnant and barely eating due to constantly having anxiety attacks while eating.
I always thought my anxiety was due to being worried I've had some reaction to food.
I hate worrying continuously, it's taking over my life and I'm at my wits end as I don't feel normal.
I want my baby to be healthy and I want to be happy and in good health and until this is under control it's always a struggle... Prob doesn't help with hormones but I'm pleased I'm not the only person that feels this way.

[burgundysuitcase]

I'm currently experiencing this. I'm menopausal and I'm thinking it may well be histamine intolerance. This is now recognised by the NHS here in the UK, I can't show the pdf but it's under 'Histamine Intolerance NHS' in Google and it's Nottingham University Hospitals. During certain times, including after eating, histamine is released (it helps the body digest food) and as I personally have GERD and untold stomach problems yet to be diagnosed, my stomach isn't producing enough acid. The last few weeks my food aversions have rocketed, I've cut almost everything out and am basically eating veg. A panic attack after every meal is now, for me, looking more and more like an intolerance-fuelled histamine attack due to my damaged gut and the change. I hope this makes some sense.

[texasgirl79988]

Hello, your post was extremely helpful to me. I thought I was completely alone in this. I have been told that I had silent reflux in the past, or GERD, never took any medication for this problem for many reasons- no symptoms, etc,,,
Two years later, I am now having anxiety/panic attack symptoms after eating, I can even take one or two bites and it will trigger a response. I have been to endocrinologist's , Allergist/Immunologists, and no answers.
I was wondering, have you ever found a diagnosis or a solution that you could please share? This is pure hell. I have lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks , can't work, can't function, scared to eat. A bad episode will be high heart rate, pressure feeling, extreme agitation, shaking, tremors etc..
Any insight you could give I would be extremely grateful. Thank you.

[Jerry36]

Hope there is still people on this thread i have the same problem no help from doctors everything comes back normal they said it was anxiety i just did not believe it i also read about leaky gut so i started looking at food and now i can control my symptoms by food i react to about everything most of my symptoms go away if i eat beef or lettuce or cabbage i react to supplements and toothpaste too as corn in everything i found high dose vitamin d once a week to help my symptoms after 2 months but come back when i stop it i react to the d but the higher dose helps me it's been almost 3 years now and i am still running in circles to get to the next step of getting rid of or have better control over them with out starving myself to death i found most of my symptoms come the next day when i slip up and eat something other then my better food altho my ear ringing gets louder within sec when i do i hope some other people post i just want it over with i have dealt with 24/7 symptoms for a year now i was about to give in and take the anxiety med till i seen on u tube the med gave this guy like seizure episodes he has them for life now he has them 2 or 3 times a week so i don't think i will be taking that now i see no end to this