emetophobic and feeling sick all the time

[Danath]

.....even when I take cyclizine which are an antihistamine designed to stop you feeling sick, I took omeprazole too today, and that hasn't helped, just seems like im forever feeling sick, I'm sure i was feeling this way before I started on the citalopram too, and even if it was the citalopram it would have stopped by now i should think (im at about 6-7 weeks i think)

I had a H.Pylori test for a stomach ulcer which came back negative, and when I asked what the alternative possibilities are regarding my stomach acid and nausea he said 'some people are just like that' which I felt was rubbish.

Also I saw a consultant psychiatrist this last week who told me that he thinks I have GAD and that there is nothing he or anyone can do to help me. I won't go into my opinions of this as this is a polite message board.

I've been on most antidepressants going, some seem to work for a while and then I slip back, but I'm not sure if that was down to drinking heavily whilst on them or not. Only two antidepressants have worked for me and firstly was fluoxetine which eradicated my problem (I can't remember how long it took though) but I had a relapse whilst still on the fluoxetine and tyhats when we tried allsorts of different medications (I've had 3-4 different doctors) we tried citalopram after trying amytriptiline and after some horrible weeks, I secured a temporary job, and started getting regular excersise (I rode to work on a bike for 45 mins each way every day)and I was doing well for abotu 3 months. but after that job had ended I slipped back. I also asked the doctor (a different one from he who prescribed citalopram) if it might be a good idea to change my ADs as I thought citalopram were making me angry, this turned out to be a bad idea and I slowly slipped back into hell, been there ever since, on venlafaxine and mirtazipine both of which provided very temporary relief(though it was during these tiems i was drinking heavily) now I've been on citalopram again for 6-7 weeks and had virtually nothing to drink since over a week or two before I started it(been a bit drunk one night and tipsy on another 2 occasions)however the war against anxiety still rages as bloodily as ever, though I made it into town and back today without my drinks bottle or MP3 player, though that was horrible....

just seems like no matter what I try it won't let up even enough for me to get back into regular work/education( I plan to start studying again at college in new year) I can never remember how long it took for them to start working last time either

Doctor flatly refuses to prescribe any form of anti anxiety whatsoever, even non-benzodiazepines, and whislt these aren't constructive in the lnog term they might be helpful at night times like tonight.

anyone any words of comfort or support? Because I sure haven't got any for myself

thanks for letting me rant.

Dan

[BabyRachel]

Hi Dan. Im so sorry your going through such a hard time! I understand how it feels. And a rant is always good for the soul (as I was told last night after I gave a big rant on another thread :P)

Firstly Im emetophobic too. For a good couple of months I was feeling nausea ALL the time, I started to constantly take over the counter nausea medication constantly. Which is VERY expensive. Then my doctor prescribed me maxalon which is fantastic. Helps a lot with nausea. The reason we feel so sick all the time is because we're afraid of feeling sick. It is a big loop in our brain that just doesn't stop. It helps in the long run to think about it that way. That it is a cycle our brain does not shut off - being afraid of feeling sick and vomiting, therefore we physically make ourselves feel sick.

I've tried citalopram once for depression and I hated it. Felt it did nothing at all and was taken off it soon after. For the past couple of months I have been on Lexapro. It is wonderful. I had side effects to start with (nausea, vertigo, feeling like a zombie) but we worked out the dose and I feel a lot better now. It certainly ha helped with the anxiety.

Has your doctor given you an explanation as to WHY he is refusing to prescribe you medication? I suggest you find a new doctor. Your obviously in a lot of distress at the moment and your doctor doesn't sound very supportive!

All the best, let me know how it goes. xx

[Danath]

hi baby rachel thanks for the response,

I was never feeling sick all the time before though, i was actually sick earlier this year and when it actually happened i wasn't overly bothered, yet the phobia remains which is odd, I just don't get why for the past few months its been happennig when my problems have gone on for around 3 years now.

must have been the negative effects of citalopram outweighing the positive, i heard that lexapro is like a better version of citalopram, though if thats the case i don't know why they still bother prescribing citalopram.

I get why he won't prescribe benzodiazepines like diazepam, and lorazepam etc etc, as theyre addictive and you build up aq tolerance to them real quick, the only reason hes given me for not prescribing something else such as hydroxyzine was first 'because thats mainly for 'itching'' and secondly because many say only for short term treatment of anxiety in the BNF, however I don't see how that stops me from having something to take as required and not to take regularly. both he and the psychiatrist have said there is nothing they can do, and hes the only doc at my surgery, a one man army as it was. And I hear the only other surgery available to me has a terrible set of doctors from several different sources. The only thing I could POSSIBLY get him to prescribe is propranalol but that doesn't help me, it only reduces the physiological effects of anxiety, doesn't help with the hideous fear in one's mind.

I might just end up shouting at him on monday, as I will be making an appointment.

Dan

[Cat80]

Hiya Dan, you sound so much like me.

I too am emetophobic and am suffering from GAD.

I've tried about 6 or 7 anti anxiety tablets, the first being almost 3 years ago which was 20mg of Citalopram. I was on them for 10 weeks then came off them as I still had the side effects (nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite etc). Since then I've tried so many other such as Fluoxetine, Venlafaxine, Mirtazapine, Seroxat etc and none have helped at all, just made me feel worse.

My main problem is feeling sick all the time I just can't get the thought out of my head which makes me feel even worse because I think I am going to be sick so it sets off the anxiety. The one thing I have found that helps the nausea a lot is Metoclopramide which my Dr prescribed me. It's not perfect because you can only take it 3 times a day and only lasts for upto 4 hours so there are still times I feel rough.

One thing that helps me at night is Phenergan, it's an antihistamine which makes you sleepy and also stops nausea (it's used for people with travel sickness). Some chemists let you buy it over the counter some don't. I get mine online at a proper chemist and it helps me a lot at night.

I too have tried Propanalol but it didn't help me, as my Dr says all it does is help with the fast heartbeat etc but can't help with the mental thoughts associated with the anxiety so I came off it. It just gave me the jitters.

I think benzo's aren't a good thing to take personally because the Dr won't give you them any longer than a couple of months and then you are back to square one except maybe worse because you realise the benzos helped but you can't have them anymore. That's the main reason I wouldn't want to try these personally.

If you ever want to chat feel free to pm me as I think we are in a very similar boat.

[nikkinik]

Hi,

I actually came on today to post something similar.

I was just wondering whether anyone with emetophobia felt sick all the time, as I do. So it seems Im not alone.

I just seem to feel genuinely sick all day, everyday pretty much.
Sometimes I think its just in my head, that it doesnt feel like actual sickness, but Ive been physically sick 3 times in the last 3 months and it felt pretty much the same.. which in a way is worrying as Id been going along saying to myself 'well you feel sick all the time, youve not been sick in all that time so its nothing to worry about'! Then Ive been sick, and 3 times in 3 months seems excessive to me - comfirming my worries that the nausea is genuine and there a problem .. which is turn makes me even more anxious :weep:
I know this time was a bug as me, my son and my fiance were ill, but the other 2 times I dont have an explanation for.

My Gp prescriped me omeprazole months ago when he initially suspected an ulcer. That seems to work a minute amount.
Nexium didnt work and made my stomach pains worse.
Tests Ive had to try and get to the bottom of it :
Various blood tests,
Tests on my thyroid,
x-ray
Ultra sound on my bowels
ultra sound on my abdomen
Upper endoscopy..

Next possible tests could be:
lower endoscopy
ct scan

Ive tried every antidepressant going, none of them having worked for me.

Due to feeling sick and fearing I'll be sick I rarely go anywhere - this makes my agoraphobia worse!


Im scared because like I say Ive actually been sick a lot recently. So a)I could either be making myself so anxious Im making myself properly poorly
or b) theres something actually wrong with me.. This means I have to keep on at the hospital pushing for the tests etc. Either one holds so much anxiety.

During all this Im obviously losing weight. It takes me months and months to gain it, but as Ive been phsyically sick Ive lost weight with that, but also because it tales a while for my stomach to settle enough to eat normally, then I have the daily nausea and loss of appetite to contend with.

Needless so say Im so scared too :weep:

[maxskiboy]

I think it seems like a bit of a coincidence that only us emetaphobes get this problem, it has to be something in our heads. What has really helped me and I swear by it is Homeopathy, not the over the shelf stuff, but from a qualified homeopathist. Try it out.

MAX

[lc2613]

i have had the sickness and stomach problems for well over two years now one doc sent me for all the tests under the sun i saw my other doc as i wasn;t happy the first thing he said is your anxouis and slowly but surely i am where i am today that was the build up no comfort i know but try ginger tea it does help the sickness! and as for him not prescribing i would look into that maybe see another doctor even if you have had probs with other things ie drink everyone is entitled to an anxiety free life.hope things look up soon. x

[Danath]

cheers for all the responses.

I dont like the sound of ginger tea I must admit, dont like ginger beer, the only ginger I like is ginger biscuits(and alyson hannigan :winks:) The quack reckons ive got IBS which could explain it, but though the tablets for that help with the agitated feeling i get in my abdomen they dont help with nausea. As a matter of fact Ioften have little relief from nausea using cyclizine, Cinnarizine(stugeron) and pepto bismol or andrew's salts (sometimes in combination) which suggests to me its all in my head, though that fact brings no relief. Often when I am worried about vomiting i dont actually feel sick but its the tightness in my throat that makes me worry ill be sick.

Dan

[Juliecupcake]

I feel sick due to too much acid in my stomach, After being prescribed different tablets which didn't work I had an endoscopy which found nothing!

I've given up going to the doctor about it after finding that apple juice or eating apples really helps stop the heartburn and nausea!

Also terrified of vomiting, didn't know there was a name for it, haven't actually been sick since I was a child though..

[Danath]

most people scared of vomiting havent been sick simnce childhood. I was once earlier this year yet at the time i wasnt scared aty all, yet still emetophobic now. weird...

I take it the doctor has tried you on omeprazole?

[maeanna]

Heya im emetophobic too and feel sick constantly so much so that i have lost alot of weight as am scared to eat alot of the time especially if im away from home. At the moment im takin omaperazole,pepto bismol and motilium10 plus travel sick tablets! the dr had prescribed Prochlaprazine for dizziness coz i was dizzy too but then after 2mths stopped! so im back to self medicating which i hate! Its seriously depressing and i havent worked for 8wks coz im so scared to leave the house for longer than a couple of hrs. I feel im fighting a losing battle and the only thing to help i.e hypno or NLP costs too much money :( So annoying specially when u know its in ur head!!! lol Anyway good luck and i hope u find something to help x

[Juliecupcake]

Danath yeah was on omeprazole for a while, it made no difference. I didn't know that, never come across anyone else who had a fear of vomiting! Does other people vomiting freak you out as well?

[Jellie]

I am an emitophobe too, whenever i go anywhere i have to carry loads of ginger & lemon yogi tea and mints which calm my stomach a little but am too scared to try meds eep :S I didn't used to like ginger tea either but if i made it really strong and dipped biscuits in it it was much yummier, now i just drink it by the gallon :D

[Danath]

yeah other people being sick usually freaks me, though i can handle that muchbetter

[abc9]

This time last year I was feeling constantly sick just as you describe it- was awful- couldnt bear to do anything at all. the more sick i felt the more i was convinced i was ill. the sick feeling started after i got an abcess last november and had to have an emergency operation. the antibiotics and blood poisoning from the abcess made me feel very sick for weeks. after that i never really felt back to normal, and my doctor told me it was anxiety. i already knew i had anxiety, but always couldnt tell whether i was anxious or really ill, hence the vicious circle!!

i had CBT and alongside that started on buspirone 5mg- at the worst i took 4 a day, but still a very small dose, this helped me so much. it controls the chemical that you release when youre anxious that makes you feel sick. i was given propranolol too but this didnt help.

now i just take motilium if i ever feel really sick but that is very rare now, i seem to have worked through it- the buspar took the edge off and made me feel more in control and back to normal again. it took a few months but it was chnaging the way i think that needed to happen before i could feel fully normal again.i now know that when i feel sick its me worrying (i can usually tell because i used to geta really big pulse above my belly button- which i now know was the blood rushing to the centre of my body ready to send it to where i needed it- fight or flight!) and with breathing exercises i could calm down and find the sick feeling would go. also i noticed that if the phone rang or something, i would forget to think about it, and the feeling would go! so this also proves that its in your head.