Anxiety & IBS vicious cycle

Hi. 

I had (what I assume was) a tummy bug a few weeks ago. Not a particularly dreadful one, but my few hours of diarrhoea coincided exactly with the few hours our toilet was out of action due to building work on our house! So I spent a horrendous time dashing in the car to the nearest shop with a toilet, and then knocking on my next door neighbours door as well... Anyway, a couple of days later I started to be anxious that I might have something seriously wrong. The following day anxiety and agitation hit me like a brick wall. Since then, I've had six weeks where most (but not all) days have followed a similar pattern - urgent visits to the loo all morning, accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety. During the day I cannot face much food, but the anxiety and tummy seem to settle during the afternoon, so that most evenings I feel pretty normal. Only for the same cycle to start up again the next day. I should say that I am on antidepressants (Venlafaxine) and since March have also been on Mirtazapine, which I feel have done me more harm than good.  So I have just last week started (with GPs blessing) to wean of the Mirtazapine. Obviously I realise this could also be having an effect on my anxiety. I'm just so fed up of the vicious cycle I'm in, and cannot seem to break it.  

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