Stomach issues causing panic attack

[Scooter86]

Hey there - my stomach has been on and off bothering me for a few months - I just quit a toxic workplace back in March which I think was the main cause of my anxiety and I’m in a much better job now. But I was curious how long it might take for my tummy to get back to normal. Also - does anyone else have experience where your stomach brings on a bout of panic attacks?

Last night I had a bowel movement and it immediately caused me to have what I assume was a panic attack. I felt kind of light headed, tingly all over, like I needed to escape, the tell tale signs of panic.

Just curious if other people have experienced something similar

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I believe my stomach is the cause of 90% of my anxiety, and my anxiety causes 90% of my stomach issues. It's a vicious cycle.
I get so much bloating, nausea, loss of appetite, it makes me really anxious. I very often get an anxiety attack while eating. Or shortly after eating when my heart starts beating really hard to help digest my overly sensitive stomach.

As for how long it will take to pass? I don't think there's really an answer to that. I can not have too many issues for a few weeks, and then major issues for a few weeks. It seems no matter how anxious I am. Because there's always an underlying layer of anxiety with me, my stomach never really becomes normal. But everyone is different!

[Scooter86]

Thanks so much for the reply. I know logically the two are so connected. Sometimes I have trouble in the moment recognizing that though. And most times I’m not anxious at all and if my stomach acts up that in turn brings on the anxiety. To be clear I’m not anxious about my stomach being upset or needing to run to the washroom but rather the upset stomach just brings on all the common anxiety symptoms - raised heart rate sometimes but not all the time, shortness of breath, feeling of needing to escape, tension in the stomach area etc.).

Does anyone else have similar experiences?