Crohn's with anxiety and panic attacks
- Thread starter juangrov
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Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
I want to share my story and experience with this diagnoses of mild Crohn's.
It all started around May 2014 and I have been battling this since then. It started out with a family trip to the mall with my wife and kids. I noticed that my abdominal area was in pain and I was experiencing Nassau and a little dizzy. When we got to the mall I started to feel it even more and it made me really sick. I started with fast palpitations, sweating, numbness on my arms and felling immediate dom. I thought I was going to die. Luckily I was near a hospital and we rushed over to it. I was seen and after the check my ct scans of brain and EKG they said it was not a stroke or a heart attack. They checked to see if it was an aneurysm and the ruled that out as well any blood clots in my lungs. The ER dr did not do a ct scan of my abdomen and ruled it as a exits and panic attacks. I know myself and told that I have never suffered from that and that I disagreed with him. I was kept over night to be only screened a little more and then the a dr came in a cardiologist and said it was vasovagal syncope.
I went to my cardiologist and he said that he did not agree with that and that there was something else with me. He cleared me of having any heart conditions and told me to go to a gastroenterologist and a neurologist. I went to a gi and he said it could be ibs and he treated me with welcol. That did not seem to help me at all and I was still having the same symptoms as before. My neurologist and cardiologist said it is my intestines or stomache and that we needed to get to the bottom of the matter. My cardiologist ordered a ct scan of my abdominal area and it came back clear. However, the same symptoms are still there. They both refered me back to my gi.
I went ahead and did a endoscope and colonoscopy and the results came back as mild Crohn's. The gi dr started me with pentesa 500mg 6 pills a day and after almost two days I started to get severe headaches. So they canceled the drug and gave me bebudesomide ex 3mg 3 times a day. I have been tAken it for 2 days but I still have the headaches, dizziness a, faint and nausea.
I feel that my abdominal area is still weak and not sure if the medicine is working.
I just want to see if anyone out there has experienced what I have.
1.naseau
2.dizzy
3.faint or fainting
4. Tingling and numbness on arms and legs as well as your face
5.fatigue
6.frequent thirst
7.dry mouth
8.hungry but hurts to eat
9. Anxiety or panic
10.fast palpitations
Mainly those are the symptoms. Please anyone help me I am tired and exhausted from dealing with this since may. It's been around 3 months and nothing has given.
It all started around May 2014 and I have been battling this since then. It started out with a family trip to the mall with my wife and kids. I noticed that my abdominal area was in pain and I was experiencing Nassau and a little dizzy. When we got to the mall I started to feel it even more and it made me really sick. I started with fast palpitations, sweating, numbness on my arms and felling immediate dom. I thought I was going to die. Luckily I was near a hospital and we rushed over to it. I was seen and after the check my ct scans of brain and EKG they said it was not a stroke or a heart attack. They checked to see if it was an aneurysm and the ruled that out as well any blood clots in my lungs. The ER dr did not do a ct scan of my abdomen and ruled it as a exits and panic attacks. I know myself and told that I have never suffered from that and that I disagreed with him. I was kept over night to be only screened a little more and then the a dr came in a cardiologist and said it was vasovagal syncope.
I went to my cardiologist and he said that he did not agree with that and that there was something else with me. He cleared me of having any heart conditions and told me to go to a gastroenterologist and a neurologist. I went to a gi and he said it could be ibs and he treated me with welcol. That did not seem to help me at all and I was still having the same symptoms as before. My neurologist and cardiologist said it is my intestines or stomache and that we needed to get to the bottom of the matter. My cardiologist ordered a ct scan of my abdominal area and it came back clear. However, the same symptoms are still there. They both refered me back to my gi.
I went ahead and did a endoscope and colonoscopy and the results came back as mild Crohn's. The gi dr started me with pentesa 500mg 6 pills a day and after almost two days I started to get severe headaches. So they canceled the drug and gave me bebudesomide ex 3mg 3 times a day. I have been tAken it for 2 days but I still have the headaches, dizziness a, faint and nausea.
I feel that my abdominal area is still weak and not sure if the medicine is working.
I just want to see if anyone out there has experienced what I have.
1.naseau
2.dizzy
3.faint or fainting
4. Tingling and numbness on arms and legs as well as your face
5.fatigue
6.frequent thirst
7.dry mouth
8.hungry but hurts to eat
9. Anxiety or panic
10.fast palpitations
Mainly those are the symptoms. Please anyone help me I am tired and exhausted from dealing with this since may. It's been around 3 months and nothing has given.
DJW
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- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
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Hi. Sorry you're going through this. I understand the frustration.
Are you having other crohns symptoms?
Have you had full bloodwork done? While it could be anxiety it's important to rule out physiological causes. You may be low on vitamins and minerals. (B12, iron, Vit D, magnesium, folic acid, I'm sure their are others I've missed) or dehydration; which is common if you have a lot of D.
You may also want to talk to a councilor.
Are you having other crohns symptoms?
Have you had full bloodwork done? While it could be anxiety it's important to rule out physiological causes. You may be low on vitamins and minerals. (B12, iron, Vit D, magnesium, folic acid, I'm sure their are others I've missed) or dehydration; which is common if you have a lot of D.
You may also want to talk to a councilor.
I really appreciate you responding.
I am low on both bit man b12 and d. They have done blood work and everything else seems fine. Not sure if they have to do one for vitamins if there is one.
Did you experience headaches and palpitations? One thing is to deal with the flare ups of the digestive system. The other thing is to deal with the secondary issues like anxiety and panic attacks. But I have daily headaches and palpitations. I'm not sure if the medication is working or not. I have only been on it for two days. I also am taken a anxiety medicine clonazapan. But it really is not doing anything. Not sure if I have to take it daily now. They told me to take it when I get these attacks. In the mean time it sucks because I feel like I'm having a heart attack or a stroke. But it must be the anxiety because I have been dealing with it since may. I hope something gives because it's getting really frustrating.
I am low on both bit man b12 and d. They have done blood work and everything else seems fine. Not sure if they have to do one for vitamins if there is one.
Did you experience headaches and palpitations? One thing is to deal with the flare ups of the digestive system. The other thing is to deal with the secondary issues like anxiety and panic attacks. But I have daily headaches and palpitations. I'm not sure if the medication is working or not. I have only been on it for two days. I also am taken a anxiety medicine clonazapan. But it really is not doing anything. Not sure if I have to take it daily now. They told me to take it when I get these attacks. In the mean time it sucks because I feel like I'm having a heart attack or a stroke. But it must be the anxiety because I have been dealing with it since may. I hope something gives because it's getting really frustrating.
DJW
Forum Monitor
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
- 2,849
I've not felt with palpitations or headaches. Are you on b12 & D supplements?
Fatigue is a frustrating one. Inflammation from a flare can cause fatigue along with a hose of other things. Make sure you're drinking enough fluids .
80% of serotonin (feel good brain chemical) is produced in our gut so what you're experiencing isn't uncommon.
You may want to talk to your doctor about a different medication. I take ciprolex everyday for anxiety and depression. Counseling is effective with medication.
Hope you feel better soon.
Fatigue is a frustrating one. Inflammation from a flare can cause fatigue along with a hose of other things. Make sure you're drinking enough fluids .
80% of serotonin (feel good brain chemical) is produced in our gut so what you're experiencing isn't uncommon.
You may want to talk to your doctor about a different medication. I take ciprolex everyday for anxiety and depression. Counseling is effective with medication.
Hope you feel better soon.
That makes me feel a little better knowing there are people out there that are willing to listen and help. I appreciate your response and is it ok if I have any other questions that I send you a message? Know what it sounds Like is that you have a antidepressant medication? I guess the chemical in your brain needs to be stimulated. The clonazapan is for anxiety does it work the same way? And should I take it regularly so it can get into my system until I get the Crohn's under control?
CrohnsChicago
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2012
- Messages
- 2,123
Hello there.
Yes I also suffer from Crohn's and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and there is hope. The first thing I would suggest to you is that you get all of your bloodwork done routinely. Iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, commonly found in IBD patients, can cause a variety of side effects including anxiety.
Also what helped me the most is cognitive behavioral therapy and practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction. More specifically I often practice mindful breathing and body scans to help learn to relax my body in it's most stressful times.
Stress/anxiety aggravates crohn's symptoms and crohn's symptoms cause stress/anxiety. It's a vicious cycle as you know. Mindfulness has given me more focus and the ability to catch myself in many anxious states. I also have the help of xanax to calm me in emergency situations that I cannot control which is now rare since I have started practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction. Also interesting, the xanax relaxes my body and calms some of my flare symptoms so my doctor lets me use it on occasion (and RESPONSIBLY) to ease really bad bathroom urgencies.
Tackling anxiety takes a lot of work sometimes, but with daily routines in place and proper treatment for your crohn's life does become a bit easier to deal with. Wishing you all the best :hug:
Yes I also suffer from Crohn's and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and there is hope. The first thing I would suggest to you is that you get all of your bloodwork done routinely. Iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, commonly found in IBD patients, can cause a variety of side effects including anxiety.
http://blogs.discovery.com/dfh-sara...-check-for-these-5-nutrient-deficiencies.html
Also what helped me the most is cognitive behavioral therapy and practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction. More specifically I often practice mindful breathing and body scans to help learn to relax my body in it's most stressful times.
Stress/anxiety aggravates crohn's symptoms and crohn's symptoms cause stress/anxiety. It's a vicious cycle as you know. Mindfulness has given me more focus and the ability to catch myself in many anxious states. I also have the help of xanax to calm me in emergency situations that I cannot control which is now rare since I have started practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction. Also interesting, the xanax relaxes my body and calms some of my flare symptoms so my doctor lets me use it on occasion (and RESPONSIBLY) to ease really bad bathroom urgencies.
Tackling anxiety takes a lot of work sometimes, but with daily routines in place and proper treatment for your crohn's life does become a bit easier to deal with. Wishing you all the best :hug:
