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Acid reflux and anxiety

Posted , 6 users are following.

leahandrea
leahandrea

Hi,

Has anyone had severe acid reflux after going through an extreme bout of anxiety?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Anxietysufferer
    Anxietysufferer leahandrea

    Edited

    Oh my gosh yes! Whenever i would have extreme panic attacks my acid reflux could get very bad. My symptoms involve

    -sharp pain on left side of the chest (rarely)

    -burning pain in the center of the chest or upper abdomen

    -shortness of breath

    -sometimes a bit of vomiting

    -sour taste in the back of the throat

    -strangely i would get heart palpitations but not that often

    -and when really severe it triggers a panic attack.

    Ive had acid reflux since i was a little kid. But it wasnt as severe back then because i didnt have such health anxiety. Sometimes it so severe i think its like a heart attack. I took prilosec for a while but stopped taking it because i heard it could cause dementia ( much later in life ).

    • leahandrea
      leahandrea Anxietysufferer

      Posted

      Ugh, it's the worst! I have pain in my upper back between my shoulder blades, left arm pain, sore throat, cold feeling in my stomach and throat. I went to my gp today and she did an ekg to rule out heart attack. She did say I have a slight sinus arrhythmia so she referred me to the cardiologist. She wasn't really concerned, but she wants to be safe. Hopefully that goes well. Either way, the acid reflux is a pain literally!!!

    • Anxietysufferer
      Anxietysufferer leahandrea

      Posted

      Yea, i had actually had numerous ecgs over the summer and they all came back normal except for sinus tachycardia. I also went to a cardiologist because of my fear of sudden cardiac arrest. He did an echo and another ecg and said everything was perfect! I also get some pvcs here and there but he said not to worry about those. I heard that sinus arrythmmias are common, but its good that you're seeing a cardiologist anyway just to be safe! Im pretty sure your heart is ok though!

      As for acid reflux, i would try to avoid spicy food and all that, and drink a lot of water. But sometimes it could happen out of nowhere which really sucks.. sad and i love spicy food which makes it harder to cope with.

    • leahandrea
      leahandrea Anxietysufferer

      Posted

      Well that makes me feel better. Hopefully my tests come back perfect yoo! :-)

      I'm definitely going to change my diet for the acid reflux. I seem to have it even if I haven't eaten anything. I've been under a lot of stress and dealing with health anxiety so maybe that's why.

      Either way, thanks for replying!

  • calab22270
    calab22270 leahandrea

    Edited

    All the time. Don't worry, it's perfectly normal, because the anxiety stirs up the mind and stomach it causes the reflux. Anxiety and gerd go hand in hand

    • leahandrea
      leahandrea calab22270

      Edited

      That's what I was thinking. I've been really stressed and dealing with my health anxiety lately. Ugh, it's so exhausting.

  • jenni101183
    jenni101183 leahandrea

    Edited

    Yes omgggggg it is the worst , yes I have it , I get pains everywhere , especially in my upper back between my shoulders ugh and it gets tight makes me think I'm having a heart attack I get sharp pains in my side and chest , it gets intense , and as soon as I belch I feel the relief or pass gas , its horrible , I never new gas could be so brutal

    • leahandrea
      leahandrea jenni101183

      Posted

      It really is! Can be very scary too as far as the pains go! I'm trying to change my diet so we'll see how that goes. I think my anxiety is causing it to be worse honestly. sad

  • jenni101183
    jenni101183 leahandrea

    Posted

    Its like food just sits in my chest for a long period of time I have to like walk my food down ,it takes me so long to burp , its horrible
  • phil76209
    phil76209 leahandrea

    Posted

    Hi

    Yes I'm on omeprozole for it which works a treat. I don't know whether it's caused by the anxiety or whether it's diet. My diet isn't the best tbf.

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