# panic attacks



## meowmtv (Apr 21, 2003)

hi, my boyfriend has ibs, he is in his twenties and lives in the uk. he was told he had ibs about 8 years ago, and i feel that due to the restricted access and information available in his area, the nhs (are they any use??) and the number of changes to his diet, that he has become trapped and feels completely isolated.my boyfriend suffers from panic attacks and that and is often of a nervous disposition. i was just wondering if any of you had suffered from panic attacks due to ibs, any anxieties and if you were found that they were related to foods in your diets. my boyfriend becomes very anxious before and during meal times and i know that this also causes him to swallow excessive amounts of air and leads him to panic. have any of you experienced this or have any of you heard of this at all.any replies would be appreciated. i feel my boyfriend feels lost and it pains me so much to watch him fearfully suffer and become pained by such simple things sometimes.meow


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## Mrs Bear (Apr 9, 2003)

I don't know if I technically suffer from panic attacks, but when I am in very quiet surroundings or when I am in a meeting at work, I find my symptoms seem to get worse and I automatically need the loo. Where I start to panic I can feel my heart race and sometimes get a bit light headed. I find this is more due to stress that what I have eaten, however if I have avoided all my trigger foods, I am a lot calmer than if my tummy is feeling inflammed anyway.Does your boyfriend eat with other people, because I find that the worst. I avoid eating at social occasions wherever possible and really try to relax and sit comfortably before I eat at home.There are quite a few posts already on this site for relaxation exercises. Has he tried any of these immediately before he eats? This may help.


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2003)

I have suffered from panic attacks. Things that can help are:-Hypnotherapy http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com/ (the hypno program is based in the UK so hopefully you can get in contact with Michael Mahoney to ask questions about its effectiveness)Here is another hypno link that you may find helpful: http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/hypnosis.html And here is the link to the Hypno/CBT Forum on this board: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=11 Also helpful are:-Talk therapy with a trusted therapist-Medications such as antidepressants-Exercise-HUGS....







Hope this helps,and best wishes, Evie


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

sounds like both the panic attacks and ibs might come from too much thinking? CBT might help.tom


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## 11 (Apr 8, 2003)

Hi!!! Yes I have been there. Tell your boyfriend that, it's o.k, what he is experiencing is completely normal for IBS. It's the anxiety of what's going to happen after you eat that causes the panic attacks... and I have been there. You are in luck!!! I am Canadian and I am on a drug called Dicetel (Pinaverium Bromide). And although it is not available in USA it is available in England! It stops your intestines from having painful contractions. It is a God send for me. To help him with Diarhhea or Constipation get him to have a glass of Metimucal every morning. This helps either loosen or bind the stool. I have been taking this for 2 weeks now and I find that since my stomache no longer is killing me with the pain, I am not as aware of it. Also the Metimucil is working so far, therefore my anxieties are getting less and so are my panic attacks. It takes about a week for your body to adjust.let me know if this helps!!Cathy


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## StressedOut (Nov 14, 2001)

Hi,Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!!! Tell your boyfriend to hang in there! I am going through some serious diet manipulation at the moment to help with my IBS, as advised by my dietician. This involved some "new" foods which made me really anxious and I'm sure your boyfriend will tell you this as well, new food + anxiety = major panic!!!I managed to have two full blown panic attacks last week both were accompanied by / trigged by bad IBS D episodes







which was kind of a rough week!It also made me realise that you need to tackle IBS from ALL angles. Sure eating the "right" things helps but if your anxious then whatever you put in there is gonna cause some havoc!So I decided to resume Mike's tapes which I bought last year, tried unsucessfully for a week and forgot about. Now I'm almost two weeks into the program and I feel so much calmer about IBS and food and what it "might" do to my system. I can't explain it and I'm trying not to think too much about it in case the bubble bursts actually! I'm by no means cured but the panic attacks last week really shot through my confidence, a lot. Like not wanting to go anywhere where there might not be a toilet in case of another attack. But you can't think like that! I usually walk my puppy for an hour a day but I was too petrified to go too far from home so I just walked him round and round the block and I only managed that because I kept telling myself I could run home to the toilet if I had to! I mean, whats that all about!?! It took about three days after my last panic attack for me to resume where I was before, what I felt confident doing, going into the supermarket, doing my usual walk etc.Anyway sorry to ramble on but I totally understand what your boyfriend is going through. I'd recommend adjusting his diet (cutting out the junk, dairy etc. etc.) whilst keeping a food / symptom diary and trying something for his anxiety, either seeing a psychiatric nurse (not that she did any good for me, thanks for nothing NHS!!!) or getting Mikes tapes which suited me because I'm not a fan of waiting rooms.My panic attacks are trigged by "trapped" situations where I can't leave to get to a toilet. If I think I can't leave then my body will somehow make sure that it desperately DOES need to leave! (nice of it huh?)Anyways good luck to you both!


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## KRAPPY (Apr 26, 2003)

For anxiety and GI control I've been trying autogenic training routine. The name of the training manual is AUTOGENIC TRAINING a Clinical Guide, by Wolfgang Linden, 1990 The Guilford Press, New YOrk, NY. It's been of some help with my anxiety & bowel symptoms.


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