anyone relate to this....please as struggling at the moment.

Hi Guys

 This is a copy of post i posted on GERD forum but i am wondering if anyone experienced anything similiar when stopping their antidepressants. ?

havnt posted in a while as been doing pretty good, until last week when  bang!!! I had been having the odd off day back and forwards since last august but on the whole doing pretty well, until 4 weeks ago when i stopped my antidepressant after a year. The first 3 weeks i had stomach cramps etc etc, but last week i started getting reflux again, but slightly different as this time its more of a pain than a burn (sometimes both) just behind my sternum..you know where i mean!!, kinda like indigestion pain, i have the tight throat, the feeling of  a huge weight in my chest, like cathy describes as a small animal running around inside. Bending forward makes it worse and i keep feeling as if something is sticking in my chest. I can eat ok and im not choking or anything,just this sensation of fullness etc. Losec doesnt seem to be helping it at the moment, yet i am getting a little relief from zantac. I have loads of gas as well. In truth im really stressing about all of this, not sure if its a combination of withdrawal from my anti depressant (mirtazapine) as well as the reflux although i dont get the feeling of stuuf coming up. I know my anxiety about it is making it worse. I had an endoscopy last august which showed only mild oesophagitis, but i cant help but worry that its developed into the big c, my question is can simple GERD make you feel as miserable as this???. I go to see my gp on thursday so will hold on till then.

i know youguys cant  give me a diagnosis, just looking for some reassurance and support.

thanks in advance

Nell

GERD can make you feel absolutely rotten, and it does seem to change in character over time (at least that's my experience).

For example, I've had really bad GERD for about four years and was on Prevacid for the last two or three. Last week I decided to discontinue the Prevacid. As expected, the GERD got much worse. On Sunday I finally decided to take my anxiety medicine. I never would have expected this, but most of the GERD went away. It was better than when I was taking the Prevacid, in fact.

This weekend I've experienced a little bid of GERD backlash, but nothing too serious. I've been eating pizzas and stuff, too, so it's no surprise.

But, anyway, GERD can change over time. When I first started experiencing it, the only symptom was "burps of fire". That eventually became pretty rare. Sometimes my GERD would present itself as horrible tastes in my mouth that were impossible to get rid of. Occasionally as stomach burning. Sometimes esophagus burning. Sometime just general upper GI tract discomfort. I never had many "heart attack" symptoms but it wasn't unusual to feel a pressure and mild burning behind my sternum. Also, at times I'd regurgitate. Swelling, nausea...common. "Full stomach" when it shouldn't be full...that has caused me a lot of trouble.


I's an odd condition to have, for sure, and one that would be horrible for a person with a health anxiety disorder. Luckily I got to know GERD pretty well before I started getting paranoid about my health. Otherwise I'm sure it would've driven me nuts.

Post Edited (debaser) : 3/25/2007 1:58:08 PM (GMT-6)

thanks, that helps a lot, and yep it is a pretty rotten disease to have with health anxiety. Some people say anxiety and gerd isnt related but i think it is very much related.