# Could anxiety have triggered IBS?



## ocdibs (May 31, 2013)

I am new to this support group. I have had OCD since I was a child and have lived with severe panic attacks. Over the past few years my anxiety attacks have been less frequent, thanks to medication, but the intensity has increased ten-fold. Whenever I get anxious. I immediately have diarrhea. In January, I had such intense anxiety attacks that my bowels wouldn't stop "shaking" and I couldn't keep anything in my intestines. After I recovered from that anxiety attack (It lasted for about a month), I now have chronic diarrhea and intermittent pain in my lower abdomen. I have IBS, but I am wondering if the anxiety could have induced it by damaging the normal function of my intestines? The doctor just looked at me when I mentioned that and didn't respond. I am already on antidepressants for anxiety and I don't think they have helped with my stomach issues at all. Although, they might be worse if I stopped taking them. Thank you for any help.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Anxiety certainly can trigger GI symptoms for some people (nervous diarrhea is a common phenomenon in people who do not normally have GI issues), and it definitely interacts with IBS. I don't think we have the data to say that all by itself anxiety breaks the GI tract. We do have a lot of data that GI infections or other environmental factors start IBS.

Once you have IBS anxiety may make it more difficult to deal with. If you are taking SSRI's for the anxiety (like Zoloft) it may add to the IBS-D as those often speed up the gut. It may be worth having a medication review to see if you are on the right combination of meds for your system, or if you are on the best meds for your anxiety so need to find other things to help with the GI issues.


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## ocdibs (May 31, 2013)

> Thank you so much. I hadn't thought about my medicines making diarrhea worse. My doctor didn't mention it, but I will look into it.


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## psychgirl823 (Jun 3, 2013)

I have anxiety also and I'm taking Zoloft. I was having very bad IBS-D so my doctor put me on Bentyl 10mg 3 times daily 30 minutes before I eat. I have only been taking it for 5 days, but I have never felt better. I know how awful it feels to not feel any control over your body. I hope this helps! Good luck!


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## philoctetes (Aug 28, 2012)

I'm not a doctor, but uh, it's almost certainly impossible for you to do permanent damage to your intestines just by "willing" it with anxiety. I also have a diagnosis of OCD and severe panic disorder that goes back to childhood, so I definitely know what you're feeling, and I've had that thought as well. Every doctor I've ever had, however, has assured me that it's not really possible and the body does not work that way. They've also all agreed that although anxiety will definitely make the symptoms worse, there is a legitimate medical reason behind the symptoms basically 99.9% of the time.

I know how terrible the cycle can be, honestly. Your anxiety will make things worse, but it's almost impossible -not- to be anxious when you're in school or holding down a job and you can't eat anything without suffering. ANYONE, anxiety disorder or not, would be stressed out if they felt like they were on the verge of shitting their pants everywhere they went. What helped me with the anxiety was CBT and meditation. You have to do these things when you're already calm, however. Learning how to relax and accept things is a skill, and it can be especially difficult for people like you or I who suffer from a severe anxiety disorder. Before you can use that skill in a state of high anxiety, you have to use it in a situation where you're calm and comfortable. Just 20 minutes of meditation a night can help a lot of people- I personally do about an hour a day, and I'd honestly say that it is at least as useful as medication for treating my anxiety.

When you're feeling a little calmer, you can try to treat your physical symptoms more aggressively, if you aren't already. Just like how IBS is a cycle of anxiety and physical pain making each other worse, improvement can work the same way. Improved symptoms lead to less anxiety, which leads to even more improved symptoms, which provides more energy to treat it even further. You aren't doing permanent damage to your digestive tract with your thoughts- but that doesn't mean you can't work on improving them.


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## susie419 (Jul 14, 2009)

ocdibs, just to add my thoughts....when I get a fear of something, I have an immediate release of gas, farting away within 1 second. Some people get headaches, I get an immediate brain to gut reaction and immediate gas then diarrhea. If I am on a subway and it stops and especially if the motor stops and the lights go off, worse if it's in a tunnel...I am SO afraid of getting the runs right then and there. I have been lucky so far and truth is, when I know I have to take a long subway ride, I have no fruit for days and eat very little.

I have had chronic diarrhea now for a month and severe pains. Being tested for everything, colitis, crohn's, stool tests, all negative so far so doc things it is IBS but awaiting colonoscopy. My Mom died a few months ago and I am sure that brought on a recurrence. Have had IBS all of my life but in the old days (I'm in my 60s) we called it nervous stomach or spastic colon. So, in answer to your question, absolutely, almost all of my flares have been when I am going through a particularly hard time.


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## ibsisnewtome (May 31, 2013)

i wonder this too, about two months ago....i was very stressed out with possibly losing my pet of 16 years and also talk of layoffs at where i work. it seems coincidental that i start having cramping after those two episodes.


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