anxiety attack with acid reflux

Hi Barfarm,

 

I am not sure by your question if you have anxiety attacks because of acid reflux or acid reflux because of anxiety attacks, but they both sound really difficult to handle!! I found some information that might be helpful, but it would be better to know which you are suffering with the most. Also this information is a good guideline for deciding what to ask your doctor, but should not be taken as a replacement for a doctor's care or advice.

I take it that you take the Xanax for the anxiety attacks. You can read more about anxiety attacks, which kind they are and what can trigger them here in the anxiety database.

 

You can also read about the various symptoms here. You might be experiencing a symptom that is not related to the anxiety, or you could have overlooked some symptoms that are directly related to the anxiety attacks.

 

You are already taking Xanax, and you can read more about that and other available medications, here in the medications database.

 

It could be that you should look into a different form of treatment too and you can get information about current treatments available here. Some treatments work well for some people and others don't. Plus this is a great place to see late breaking news about new treatments.

 

You didn't say if you were taking any medications for the acid reflux, but in this posting, Dr Todd Eisner, resident Medical expert, said that proton pump inhibitors like (Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Nexium and AcipHex) are very well tolerated. However, AcipHex does have anxiety attacks listed as a possible side effect for that one proton pump inhibitor. You can read more about these medications and the full article by Dr. Eisner in the links above.

 

I hope this information helps you understand a little more. Once you know something about what you are dealing with, it's easier to know what to ask your doctor when you speak to him/her.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M

Depending on your 'changes in breathing' there is something called vocal cord dysfunction that appears similar to asthma. You can find information on it here:

http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/diseases/vcd/about.aspx

 

http://www.webmd.com/video/vocal-cord-dysfunction-asthma

 

http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com/page4.html

 

VCD is often mis-diagnosed as asthma, but it can involve difficulty getting breath in whereas asthma presents as difficulty getting breath out.

 

However, the steriods and stuff used to treat asthma usually don't have any impact on VCD. Instead, they recommend certain breathing exercises that can be taught by a speech pathologist.

 

VCD is linked to things that irritate the vocal cords including acid reflux, coughing, post nasal drip. There is also some link between VCD and hysteria. Physicians are a bit reluctant to talk about this because they don't want to make it seem as if it's "all in the mind" and indeed there are clear physical triggers as discussed above.

 

Michael 

I am not a doctor, so I suggest you explore the sources above to form your own opinion, and then bring the issue up with your doctor. 

I get the same thing when I feel it coming on i talk to myself and try to stay calm so it doesn't go into  a full blown attack .Like you I made several trips to er for this. I am on protinix for my stomach .I have devolped gastritis now. I had a nissian fundolacation done about 12 years ago which did help for awhile . But I have bad pain and burning about 3-4 times a week now . I take 2 40 mg pills a day but doesnt seem to be helping much. So hang in there and try to stay calm when you feel the anxiety attack coming on with it...my prayers are with you

i think the anxiety comes from having the acid reflux.  we panic, we are not used to feeling like this.  for awhile i thought i was going crazy.  i was really scared all of the time, i had a lot of anxiety. 

also, i think it could be the meds that you are on, maybe your body is not agreeing with the medications.  i went to the doctor and he told me people with acid reflux  can eat and they don't go through what i was going through.  you know he told me that all of this could be"in my mind." when i heard that, i knew for sure i was going crazy.  so that night i took myself off of all medications, except zegerid.  i don't have the shakes anymore and iam able to eat at least half a meal a day. i also, decided to get some counseling and also praying alot.

I did that today. I have done this several times in the past, but today was the first time in over a year. it is a scary feeling. For me, I drink too much coffee and I don't eat right. These are things I can correct.

 

I had one over a year ago and gave up coffee for lent and did not have another until today, but I drank far too much coffee.

 

If you recall what the natural remedy was, please let me know. Prayer works when I am absolutely freaking out with it, and I am thankful for that.         

You make perfect sense to me.  I am going through something very similar.  My throat feels like it is closing and I have no appetite.  It seems to get a little better with various reflux meds, and then worse again.  I have lost 10 pounds without even attempting to.  I have come to the conclusion that there is an anxiety component, but they seem to be inter-related.  I can't tell if the reflux brought on the anxiety, or the other way around.  The anxiety seems to come out of nowhere.  My doctor told me that that is a classic symptom of a panic attack...no identifiable trigger.  Just now, I had sat down to have something to eat.  My throat closed up and I felt the pressure in my chest.  Nothing was going to go down without adding to the pressure.  I took half a Xanax and waited about 15 minutes.  The symptoms subsided and I felt better.  But, I saw no reason for the anxiety in the first place, unless I have reached the point that I am afraid to eat.   I had also had a few episoded of trembling, heart racing, and pacing that you mentioned.  As you know, these are also panic symptoms.  Xanax has really helped, but I use it only infrequently.  I am also a Christian and use Scripture, and prayer.  I feel like my body has turned against me, but perhaps it is the enemy. 

 

I'm just writing this because it was helpful to me to know I am not the only one going through this.  I hope it will be helpful to you to know you are not alone.  BTW....what is the natural remedy you used?  A friend told me about DGL (a form of licorice) but I haven't tried it yet.

Barfarm,

 

What was the natural med that the dr gave you?

 

 

I have taken nexium for probably 10 years for my acid reflux.  Any time I try to get off of it my systoms come back.  In the past couple of years I have started having anxiety attacks or nerves,  They are not as bad as some I have heard of but they are still bothersome.  My main systom now is shaky and bunring in the fleshy part of the back of my arms,  It is scarry and I want it to stop.  I can take xanax and it calms me down but  i don't like taking them,  It helps to talk with others who have some of the same systoms.

About 6 years ago I was almost killed by a tornado that crossed the road in front of my car. I went 2 years with no problems untill one day I remember getting extremely frieghtened by a thunder storm that was rolling into town. As the days rolled on here in florida (storm capital) I became worst and worst with the Anxeity getting so bad I would shake. 2 more years pass and I end up in the ER with chest pain. they run all test for heart attack but all comes back negative. Now for the last two years I have been dealing with chest pain, stomach pain and anxeity among other strange symptoms. I have been diagnosed with Acid Reflux, Asthma, Hetial Hernia, High Blood Pressure, High Cholestorol and Allergies. Now 16 doctors 2 ER visits and many specialists. No one can tell me where the chest pain is coming from. the easiest way to expalin what happens is. I get up and eat brekfast and drink a sip of soda and off to work I go which is a 90 minute drive. half way to work out of no where my stomach will start to hurt followed by chest pain then followed by Anxeity Attack. I pull over and wait untill I can concentrate again. back on the road untill I reach work where stomach pain comes back the chest pain then Anxeity. the chest pain will be so crazy that I have on occastion adimitted myself to ER just in case it's my heart. wich test will always reveal that my heart is fine. I now take xanax in the morning and afternoon and acid reflux meds at night. these don't stop the attacks but do help with some of the symptoms. But it is interesting you mentioned your fear of storms because I still have that same fear and the strange part is I was always the stupid idiot running outside in a lighting storm to watch it before.

Hi!  WOW...After seeing this forum I realized maybe I'm not going crazy after all.

 

Just today, I was telling my husband that after I woke up from my nap (actually, anxiety woke me up) I was lying in bed and all I could feel were "butterflies" in my stomach/chest area.  I didn't do anything different than I normally do, except that I ran out of my Prilosec OTC about 11 days ago and have been trying all sorts of natural home remedies (ie...ACV/Water/Baking Soda mixture)....and as I thought it worked for me last night, today it was worth nothing...so, I told my husband that I needed to go out and buy the Prilosec OTC (because my insurance won't cover it...they cover the generic and the generic version does not work for me :(...) 

 

At any rate, we were trying to figure out what would cause me to have anxiety again waking up from a nap.  I had this problem before in the past 3 months and it went away for a little while...and now it came back a couple days ago.  The only thing we could think that it was was my acid reflux...because when I woke up today....my stomach burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnned and my throat felt like there was a major lump in it and it hurt...I mean it was THROBBING.....

 

I see a gastro doctor next week...and I'm afraid to have an endoscope done :(  I'm hoping they can give me a less abrasive procedure.  Like a Barium drink or something.  I'm not sure if my Prilosec OTC was working when I was on it because I'm on 3 meds for my bipolar.  And I think the one interacts with it....Lorazepam....but yet, when I bring it up on the "drug interaction" list...it doesn't say it does...but yet on one website it said that it does....so I don't know what to believe. 

 

But it's nice to know I'm not the only one going through it.  I just want my anxiety to stop as well as my acid reflux.

 

I hope you are feeling better since you wrote?

 

:)

 

Chelbie

Hi, my name is Lynn.  God is wonderful, fantastic, and just so unfailing.....  I take care of two elderly parents who are unyielding in their ways.  I have had acid reflux for five days now, going on six.  I too was trying to find out what set off this reflux because I never had it like this.  I did my research...read that one of reasons for this is if one tends to swallow air in their lungs.  I didn't recall until this morning at work, retracing when the this first occurred... was when I had a panic attack after attempting to stay calm dealing with my father's dementia, and stressful family situation in caring for them without the help of my siblings.

 

Wow, I didn't even realize that I had a panic attack while venting about my father's rebust actions.  I thank Father God for moving me to your statement. 

 

Like we all have to keep encouraging one another... for it is the only way we all can make it.... continue to read God's Word over your, your life, your circumstances.  And don't forget to recite the serenity prayer also.  A friend of mine gave me that prayer to recite years ago, and it does help to recite and meditate on it.  Love you and write me back any time at dasvintagerm@yahoo.com.  God Bless and Keep You!!!!!

I have a very, very similar experience. Sometimes I cannot tell what comes first, the chicken or the egg. The GERD wrenches my throat and then neck and shoulders and it is almost unbearable. We recently had a huge family gathering/reunion and I was expected to do a great deal for it. I had company for three weeks and my kids are grown and gone but they were all here with kids and I have a new dog who went into heat. Her appointment was due soon. I must have had ten of these a day and now they come so much easier. Medication just irritates it if I take, for instance, an antacid. May I know what your doctor gives you for these?