# Solutions to Anxiety and IBS?



## forge13 (Aug 31, 2013)

Hi all

Firstly I'd like to say thanks for taking the time to read this. Although I consider myself an IBS-A sufferer I'm sure I don't have it half as bad as some people and I'm really glad to have sites like this for us to help each other.

To give you a bit of background, I'm pretty sure I've suffered since I was around 13 (I'm 27 now) although it definitely became more apparent as I grew up and moved in to the working world and adult life. Over the past year in particular I've learnt ways to help manage myself. Sometimes I meditate (very basic though), I make sure I get up an hour and a half before I need to go to work or anywhere else, I like the time to wake up but also the time to have my mandatory 2 (minimum) toilet trips. I have more fruit/veg in my diet now (bananas, kiwi fruits, plenty of salad and veg) and try to avoid red meats, fatty foods (had a very bad BBQ experience recently), battered foods (another trigger) and try not to have too much alcohol.

Unfortunately, I don't really exercise that much. Oh and I'm 6'2" and weight about 10st 5lbs!

Other things which some people may pick up as bad things that I shouldn't do is that I smoke (hand rolling tobacco) and I also smoke Marijuana. When it comes to the MJ I tend to smoke each day, but only in the evening and it's not too strong, a 'rollie' sized one, I'm not the kind of guy to smoke 3 big spliffs each night.

Aside from managing my eating and giving myself adequate time to prepare, I feel more and more that my IBS is psychological and linked to (undiagnosed) anxiety. This is one of the reasons I leave myself plenty of time in the morning to do what I have to so I don't find myself in a situation where I can't easily get to a toilet. But in addition this anxiety links in to 'big' events such as trips abroad and general nights out (something that other people seem to have no problem with, frustrating!).

I've found that learning and commending myself helps, I had a trip to Germany with work recently which meant getting to the airport at 6am, so I was up at 2am to do my stuff and then travel. The trip went fine and I was proud of myself. Also, I went to a music festival recently and paid £30 to use 'VIP' toilets for the weekend, the safety of knowing this was there whilst not having to worry about queuing or dealing with the horrific nature of portaloos helped me.

I have plenty of wonderful friends but I am also a bit of a loner and appreciate my time alone. I think this is a reciprocal cycle with my anxiety and IBS which tends to lead me to making excuses for not going out and doing things with friends (something I wish I could move past).

I'm not sure where the anxiety stems from, but I'm sure some of it is from my youth. My mother and sisters also suffer from stomach issues and when I was young one of the 'jokes' was the 'Clarke Family Belly' and my mother/sisters we're always in need of using the toilet for number 1's and 2's before going anywhere. As my symptoms seemed to develop I adopted having the 'family belly' and as such now I think this conditioned me to thinking "I have this, it is normal for me".

Now, although I am keen to accept and face issues I have, I also think this early acceptance increased my anxiety from an early age so that I just accepted the fact that I had this and I couldn't do anything about it. I did suffer from other anxiety as a child, physical education was not good for me as I wasn't very good and spent a lot of time worrying about the classes and not being able to do it/embarrass myself.

Coming back to the Marijuana topic. I didn't start smoking until I was around 18 so I know it was not a direct link, but I am aware that it can cause some anxiety and also lead the user to become more secluded. However, I do enjoy it and it often helps me relax in the evening after a stressful day and also tends to calm my stomach if I have issues. That being said, I'm sure it will be suggested that I can do alternative things to produce the same outcome?

I'm in a new role at work which I absolutely love, but there is more stress (the good kind thankfully) and will also include a lot more foreign travel (one of my worries at the moment is a 2 day trip I have where I will be sharing a hotel room with colleagues, "how will I comfortably find a place to go? What if I can't go?!").

In addition, 10 months ago I broke up with a long term partner and as such yet, have not got back in the world to try and find another.

Both of those last 2 points are things I really need to work toward achieving, just forcing myself to do things will help but I feel I need more (and I find forcing myself very difficult).

What I'm ambling towards is that I am thinking of going to my doctor and asking to see someone for Hypnotherapy, PIT or CBT. I'm wondering if anyone else has tried any of these and if it has helped them? Additionally, does anyone have any other tips for dealing with anxiety?

Again, if you've read this whole thing, thank you so much! If you have any thoughts, criticisms or advice then please let me know J


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi,

It seems that you have pretty much figured out what works for you and what does not. I was reading a couple of posts a while ago and it seems that mike mahoney's IBS audio CD's (http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com/) seem to to have helped some people on the forum to deal with the anxiety and stress part of IBS. I haven't tried it myself, so I cannot really comment about it. Here is an Amazon link for some reviews - www.amazon.com/Audio-Program-Irritable-Syndrome-Self-Hypnosis/dp/0954751302/

Looks like heather's tummy care and not mike is the distributor now.

Anyway, coming to the weed part. I am not user of weed or an expert on any medical matter, but I'd suggest that you should be careful about this one. As far as I know, there is no solid info about weed's benefits and risks. So, its a risk which must taken with great care, if it comes to that. I suggest that you search for updates/research on weed from reliable sources once every few months/weeks in order to be aware of problems and benefits.

Here is a CNN program which shows Dr.Sanjay Gupta's take on weed which I found interesting.






I watched only half of it and some things caught my attention -

1) A strain has been developed in Indiana USA which has more of CBD (the "helpful" part) and very little THC (the "high" part)

2) Apparently, long time users seem to be able to drive a car well just after having weed, but newbie users cannot.

3) It helped a guy to immediately cure his "disease" of incessant hiccups and get rid of opiate cures.

As an aside, I have read and heard anecdotes about how it has helped cancer and AIDS patients to improve their appetite.

There are also cases where it seems to have helped people with chronic pain.

Btw, what is your diet like ?

good luck and hope you enjoy life more !


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## forge13 (Aug 31, 2013)

Hi, thanks for the thoughts!

I've used weed for quite a few years now, but never heavily, I'll watch that youtube clip soon. I think there is a lot to be said for it's medicinal usage, but sure there are risks as there are with any drug.

I tend to keep my diet fairly bland, not too much spicy. tay away from wholemeal and too much red meat. My daily intake is something like:

Morning - Tea and Rice Krispies with milk

Lunch - (at work) a good meal, sometimes jacket potato with salad, veg and tuna, other times some things like fish and vegetarian dishes, some pasta (at home) - probably potato waffles and Pea&Ham Soup

Dinner - Toasy, Kiwi Fruit, Bananas

Snacking (i shouldn't but I do) - some nuts maybe, some chocoloate maybe

anything stand out as a big no-no?


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

What works for me might not work for you. If I had to make choices only from your diet, then I would have everything with these conditions - zero red meat, low or zero chocolate, medium potato. In the end, I think you would be the best judge.


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## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

Have you thought of trying antidepressants? Just a thought. I started Cipralex a month ago which is supposed to help with depression AND anxiety, but has also found to help IBS symptoms such as pain... So far it's done wonders for me, and I've found the habits I formed out of anxiety from IBS are almost completely gone. I leave the house without feeling I need to be prepared in case I get sick, because I don't feel like I will. And when I do, I seem to be able to manage it much easier. 
Just thought I'd share that. I may be benefiting from it, but there's still people who antidepressants do more harm than good to.

There has been a link between depression and IBS though, which is why I decided to try antidepressants in the first place. My depression and IBS started at the same time (when I was 12). So theoretically depression is caused by low serotonin in the brain. But it's theorized that IBS may be caused by low serotonin in the gut. So perhaps my issue is I'm just overall low on serotonin in my body altogether.


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## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

Also, Marijuana raises the same chemical (serotonin) as antidepressants, at least temporarily. Your body starts producing less serotonin with long-term use. Have you found your IBS has gotten any worse over time? Just curious..


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## Sylvia (Aug 22, 2013)

forge13 said:


> I tend to keep my diet fairly bland, not too much spicy. tay away from wholemeal and too much red meat. My daily intake is something like:
> 
> Morning - Tea and Rice Krispies with milk
> 
> ...


ok, here is my take, look at your diet (I am not saying diet, just maybe some changes) Your breakfast...maybe try tea that isn't caffeinated- most are naturally I think?. Milk...try non dairy milk. I use the Almond breeze with vanilla flavor. It make cereal soo yummy!!! not sure what a potato jacket is, but if it has breading, cut it out, at least temporarily. tuna- if your adding mayo, DO NOT use real mayonnaise- Miracle Whip. pasta is not a big deal, but what you put on your pasta could be. I personally have to make sure my sauce has basic ingredients- if you can read the ingredients (at least most) good to go. bottom line, READ labels. and you should definitely snack, just one stuff you know you can eat.

ok, so sorry I picked apart your meals, but I hope I have helped in some way, at least giving you ideas for eating! Good luck!


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## forge13 (Aug 31, 2013)

Emilyy I wouldn't say my IBS has got worse, as I think I've learnt to manage it over the years. However I do find that weed tends to settle the stomach temporarily.

I picked up some 5-HTP (50mg) capsules today so am going to try taking them, as they help with raising serotonin levels you never know. a quick search online shows some people have seen positive effects with IBS, others have seen none. Will try it for a month and see how I go. Interestingly, I found on some weed forums (which I don't hang around on but they popped up in the search) that some weed smokers use 5-HTP to increase their high, although they take 100-200mg+ which is something I certainly won't be doing!

Will probably smoke a small amount tonight and take a 5-HTP before bed. will then try one tomorrow morning to see how it affects my daily routine. I'll let you know how it goes!

Sylvia thanks for your thoughts  I may try decaffeinated tea, i've tried swapping out milk for non-dairy in the past but didn't really change things for me.

A jacket potato is what we call a baked potato in the UK. although I've heard IBS sufferes saying to avoid potatoes and apparently there is a lot of starch in a baked potato which doesn't help so shall try cutting these out.

I tend to have bland sauces but am trying slowly to have ever so slightly spicier things to see how I go, it's all about experimenting.

One thing I missed off that list is that I have a probiotic yogurt (yakult) in the morning with breakfast. not sure if it is helping but certainly not making things worse so shall carry on for now.


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

Emilyy said:


> Your body starts producing less serotonin with long-term use.


Where did you learn that about weed ? I'd like to know.


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## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

Although I have a Bachelor of Sciences, I learned about the effects of weed in one of my Biology of Human Psychology courses. It may have also been discussed in one of the mental health courses I took.


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## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

It's all about homeostasis. If the body is registering that it's producing too much serotonin, it will decrease it's threshold therefore requiring more stimulus to achieve the same amount of serotonin naturally. But it may go back up after halting use of marijuana long-term as well.


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

Emilyy said:


> It's all about homeostasis. If the body is registering that it's producing too much serotonin, it will decrease it's threshold therefore requiring more stimulus to achieve the same amount of serotonin naturally. But it may go back up after halting use of marijuana long-term as well.


Any good articles or research on this ?


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## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

I'll see if I can find you something sometime n inbox ya


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## tearsinrain84 (Oct 12, 2013)

Just a quick note re your anxiety..about 3 months I was diagnosed with panic disorder (despite having panic attacks for the last 12 years)! My doctor recommended CBT and a my good friend who's a psychologist said she thinks it's the best solution for most anxiety-based disorders so I would definitely give it a go. Also I think your diet looks fine (I have IBS-D and your diet looks way healthier than mine)! The IBS leaflet my doctor gave me said jacket potatoes are fine and are preferable to any other kind.

Good luck and let us know how you find the CBT if you decide to go for it


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## mr120 (Sep 1, 2013)

Slightly old thread now,

I pretty much have symptoms like you (OP).

I can eat/drink mostly anything without much trouble, smoked pot in the past (while at uni) and only get major problems from anxiety.

Started 13/14 when i started acne meds.. i'm 28 now.

So if I need to travel somewhere I'll be in the loo either going or trying to because I feel i need to..

Going out clubbing, dancing, drinking all that fun stuff I'd get this happening (before I actually DO anything) - it would continue to act up after I leave the house too, needing to find and use toilets.

Unfortunately I have tried IBS Audio 100 tapes 3 times, did nothing.

I've had 4 months of professional CBT & Hypnosis, did nothing.

Tried 5HTP from powder form taking 500mg a day, did nothing - (p.s. (generally - not always) low serotonin is linked with constipation, high serotonin is linked with diarrhea)

Tried different probiotics including VSL#3 and Symprove for 3 months each, did nothing.

Other stuff too but meh..

I'm currently trying some experiments with FMT but you can do a forum search on that for more info 

But yeah, so far nothing that SHOULD help anxiety has helped mine - I've avoided taking addictive antidepressants (plus i'm not depressed but yes - if nothing works for much longer I will be trying a 5HT-antagonist drug)

Hope you have some success in anything you try!


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## horizonzero (Nov 17, 2013)

Look up a book called the Thrive Programme by Rob Kelly - It'll be able to help you out a ton


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