New to the forum

I'm new to this forum so hello to everyone! My name is Mark and I am 27 years old.

So I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis about 2 weeks ago, though I have been having the symptoms without knowing what it was for at least a couple years.

I also have Panic Disorder. I have a lot of anxiety overall and suffer from panic attacks.

I just started taking Pentasa 1g 3x daily three days ago. I was starting to feel better. Abdominal pain was easing up and BM's more normal. Yesterday, I had a horrible panic attack. Now I'm starting to flare up again. I was wondering if anxiety and panic disorders commonly worsen UC?

My other meds are:
Valium 5mg 2x day(reduced to 1x day last month)
Atenolol 50mg 1x day
Tramadol or Vicoden as needed

I just stopped taking Wellbutrin SR 100mg because of persistent side effects after 2 months.

My doc wants to put me back on Zoloft 50mg 1x day. I thought I read that SSRI's can worsen UC as well. Is this true?

Anyway, I needed a place to go for answers and some type of support group to help deal with my UC.

kazbern said...
Some SSRIs can help UC, so if your psych wants you on it it's worth a shot IMO.

Emotional stress always affects the gut. Have you been working on developing any self soothing strategies?

You should also be on rectal meds to help get your UC under control.

I've just started going to a therapist specializing in relaxation therapy for people with panic disorder, but right now the only thing that helps is a benzo. I tried both buspar and vistaril and had bad reactions and side effects.

The only meds my GI doctor has prescribed so far is the Pentasa. I haven't even had an office visit with him yet as I am still waiting on biopsy results from my colonoscopy. Do you mean like a suppository med?

I thought I should also mention that my GI doc said the UC is affecting my entire colon and I have diverticuli as well.

Post Edited (Markh) : 5/24/2013 1:50:10 PM (GMT-6)

That makes sense because my pain and cramping is in my left lower belly area.