# IBS and Anxiety



## notoriuskitty (Jul 18, 2007)

I noticed a lot of people here say they have anxiety along with their IBS. I was wondering if they go hand in hand because I have have pretty bad IBS and when I have had to go to class it gets worse and I get anxiety. I must say it's relieving to know I'm not the only one out there who is suffering from this, and I'm glad I found this site. Does anyone else get anxiety in public in fear of the IBS getting out of control?


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## sucky (May 18, 2007)

Oh my Goodness Yes!!! They totally go hand in hand. My life has completely changed the last few months. I've had IBS for a couple of years but it has never impacted my social life, academic life, attitude about myself, relationships with others anywhere near as bad as it has since my anxiety levels became unmanageable. So far, no real way of dealing with it. My doctor does prescribe ativan (lorazepam) that I can take in really bad situations but its effects are limited by the fact that I only get 20 at a time and she is really hesitatnt to prescribe more (I'm on my second batch of 20 pills since late may). The problem with ativan is that I stress about which situations are worth using a pill on so I end up missing out on a lot of everyday activites like taking my mom shopping or to the movies or even registering for a normal semester. The good part about ativan is that I can attend special events and exams, things like that. I am going to be ordering Mike's Tapes (found in the Cognitive therapy forum). They seem to make a huge difference for a lot of people and for me, my problems are directly rooted in me working myself up into a frenzy over the everyday tasks in life.Good luck


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## 14989 (Aug 3, 2006)

Yes, it's not uncommon for summon who suffers from IBS to also suffer from Anxiety. In fact, I'm one of them.As far as treatment options, it's either pharmaceutical or psychotherapy, most likely both.


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