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Anxiety Causing Diarrhea?

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Posted 5/26/2010 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hey there, I have had anxiety for about five years, but have had it under control most of the time. At the end of March, though, my live-in boyfriend and who I THOUGHT was the love of my life beat me up. He was arrested and everything, and he is out of the picture now, but I have had severe anxiety as a result of what happened. Even if I don't think I am thinking about it, I am. My heart rate is constantly high, it seems, and it's very difficult for me to work. Luckily, I have amazing co-workers and management that helps me cope with everything and gives me the time off that I need.

For the past couple of weeks, I have had diarrhea every single day. At first I knew it was anxiety, but then I began to think that something was wrong, because diarrhea from anxiety "couldn't possibly go on that long."

Can it? It doesn't matter what I eat, I get diarrhea no matter what. I went to the doctor the other day for some tests, and the blood came back normal, and I heard nothing on the stool sample, which I assume means there's nothing there, either. So why am I still having this diarrhea every day? I usually just lay around at home, waiting for it to happen. I went to work yesterday, or tried to, and ended up having to leave after 45 minutes because I was so worried about getting diarrhea that I almost passed out. What's going on with me? Can anxiety do this for so long or is there something else happening? And does anyone else experience this?

Thanks for reading!

Posted 5/26/2010 7:10 AM (GMT 0)
Anxiety can definitely cause diarrhea! I should know! The problem is that you get anxious and so you get diarrhea. Then you get MORE anxious over the diarrhea and it becomes a vicious cycle! You can try an OTC med like Imodium to see if it helps any. When you get your anxiety under control, the diarrhea will likely go away. Youmay want to talk to your doctor about something to help you with your nerves enough to knock the diarrhea out!
Wish you well!
jl
Posted 5/26/2010 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
Every time I get really nervous about something it causes me to have diarrhea. Never did it last more than a day though but I'm sure anxiety could make it happen for 2 weeks if you are really upset. Going to doctors really stresses me out and I always end up with diarrhea before I go. Same thing when I went to speak with the counselor the other day and I'm sure it will happen tomorrow as well when I go for session 2. Hope that it goes away soon for you! Take care!
Posted 5/26/2010 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
Have you ever seen a GI Doctor for your diarrhea as I am wondering if you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome which could be a cause of your diarrhea. Many people with anxiety have IBS.



I had a sister with high anxiety and she had been through much to be anxious about. She always had diarrhea that would last for days - weeks sometimes.



It is important to stay well hydrated and Gatorade or a similiar product is a good choice. G2 is now avaiable with less calories. My husband who has Crohn's Disease uses this product. JMHO.



Kindly,



Kitt
Posted 5/26/2010 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
i like some get d for days on end no matter what i eat
im sure to drink lots of gator aide as kitt said n i also hv a rx for LOMOTIL

i really would check into the ibs as was posted as well
stay with us n let us know how you are doing

huggs
lyn
Posted 5/26/2010 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
I was getting it pretty regularly, I noticed it was generally every time I was going to play ball. I think lived on imodium. I kept it with me all the time. I never associated with anxiety but I guess that's what it was. The more I started to relax and have fun, the less it happened. Our bodies sometimes do crazy things to let us know something is wrong.
Posted 5/26/2010 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I am on Effexor 150XR for anxiety and Xanax as needed. I don't usually like to use the Xanax because it makes me into a zombie.

I went to the ER on Sunday because I was so worried about what was going on, they took blood and a stool sample, and nothing came up. I was thinking also, Kitt, that it might be IBS, and I'm taking Digestive Advantage IBS right now, just started, to see if it does anything. Also, the doc gave me Lomotil also, for the diarrhea, but it makes me so drowsy. Since I've off work for most of the week, I have been taking it, but laying around all day makes me so lethargic...ugh!!!

I just feel so hopeless! I feel like I'm dying some days. The last few days, also, I've had such a severe sore throat, and I'm not sure if it's related. So not only is it hard to eat because of the diarrhea, and fear of getting it, but it's hard to eat because of the sore/swollen throat.

Thanks for all the feedback, I just feel so sad right now. I used to be so active, and vibrant, and right now I am craving SO MANY foods that I can't eat. I've lost 13lbs in two weeks. Ugh.
Posted 5/26/2010 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
Nice to meet you LadyBear. I am very familiar with your issues with the big "D". I've had diarrhea on/off for 8 years or so. All I've ever been told is that I have IBS and to keep changing up my diet. I've been quite stressed the last 10 months or so since being Laid-off after working for 10 straight years, and it's gotten to the point where I'm scared to leave my house (due to my fear of panic attacks) but also because I know I'll have to use the toilet 5 mins after leaving the house, and I despise using public washrooms.

Hopefully your case isn't nearly as severe. My dietary changes have yielded temporary success here and there, but again a lot of it does seem more to do with fear of doing something rather than eating something.

Good luck to you.
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