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Anxiety symptoms after eating

Posted , 59 users are following.

sue92125
sue92125

Hi.  I was wondering if anyone else has anxiety symptoms after eating.  

I have been diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder but I think more than that I have some sort of digestive disorder.  Often after eating my heart races, my stomach bloats and I sometimes feel a bit breathless.  This is enough to make anyone feel anxious smile  The doctors have always said there is no connection.  I have been experiencing this for many years and keep getting fobbed off by the medical world telling me that it is just anxiety.  

It has affected my life enormously, leading to becoming housebound for days, sometimes weeks on end.

 

8 likes, 94 replies

94 Replies

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  • lily_42058
    lily_42058 sue92125

    Posted

    YES!!! I have the exact same thing . I'm told it has to do with stomach pressure changing rapidly , causing anxiety. I don't believe it because this developed overnight after I was on Seroquil / an unnecessary psych drug that was slowly killing me. Now I can only eat two things out of fear of passing out after eating. Sorry this is happening , I wouldn't wish it on anyone, I can't even exercise ,

    I panic after exerting myself. sad 

  • Ashokyog
    Ashokyog sue92125

    Posted

    I am having exactly similar symptoms from past few years. Believe it developed due to taking VtD( D2 and later D3) in varying dosages. I have stopped all vitamins and taking pre and probiotics with relief. Occasionally I also take digestive enzymes.

    Still I have a long way to go. 

  • jason56996
    jason56996 sue92125

    Posted

    HI everyone, if you are having anxiety and it feels like your heart is pounding please get your blood surgar checked. Track your blood sugars with a blood glucose monitor (they are not expensive). Get tested for hypoglycemia.

    I had 5 severe reactions over the last couple of months. I havent had any reactions until this time so it surprised me.  I had the following symptoms:

    - increased blood pressure (normal is 125/80 and it jumped to 160/90)

    - anxiousness

    - numbness in fingers and lips

    - cold fingers

    - felt like heart was pounding through my chest

    - dizziness

    This all lasted for about 4 hours which is pretty scary. If the symptoms got worse I thought I may not be able to handle it.

    Crazy thing is that I went to emergency the first time.  The symptoms started the day after a night out drinking (about 16 hours later).  The docs did all sorts of tests and didnt know what was happeneing to me. I went to 3 other doctors and they had no idea either. One doc sent me home and said, I am almost positive it wont happen again. By the way Im not slamming the doctors, they were concerned and trying to be helpful. They did a blood test and my triglicerides are higher than normal but not really bad. I told each one of them about my diet and alcohol consumption and they didnt once say that it may be hypo or something to do with blood sugars. Im am really surprised considering diabetes is the biggest killer in most western countries! How would they not consider this as an option? So, I started tracking everything and reading tons. I had my suspicions so I purchased a blood glucose monitor and blood pressure monitor and tracked it daily. I was having major drops in blood sugar after alcohol and major increase in blood pressure. During the rest of the week I was fine. So, I went to a different doctor with all of my information and they confirmed I have reactive hypoglycemia.

    If you are having similar symptoms but not drinking alcohol, it still could be hypoglycemia. Do your reseach and start tracking.

    Im early 40's and pretty healthy. I evercise 3-4 times a week and eat very clean..no sugar EXCEPT alcohol. I like beer..what can I say. Anyway, hypo is not just caused by alcohol but it is in my case. Ive had a few episodes which scared me and now I have to stop drinking. Alcohol can lower blood sugar to very dangerous levels.

    I came on this forum when I was having my 4th reaction. One person mentioend reactive hypoglycemia which sent me on my way researching. I had some fruit juice and the symptoms subsided.

    good luck

  • onejess.
    onejess. sue92125

    Posted

    I use to have this same exact problem. When i was younger, I went to a restaurant &i threw up everywhere & i was so embarrassed. Now everytime someone mentions going out to eat, I get terrified. It happens at school also. Everytime i took a bite of food i'd feel breathless, nauseous & anxious. It's terrible. But ifmts jusy anxiety. It can't kill you. & what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

  • andrew78866
    andrew78866 sue92125

    Posted

    This is what I think is happening. Anxiety makes you hyper sensitive to the feelings of your body. I imagine you are constantly scanning your body to see if something is wrong. As an example when I'm feeling anxious if I jog up the stairs I'll feel my heart beating in my chest...on a day I feel normal I wouldn't even notice this. When you eat your heart rate increases a little bit to help digest the food and your body needs a bit more oxygen to help with digestion. As a result of being hyper sensitive you notice this change similar to how I notice my heart rate jogging up the stairs. It's anxiety playing tricks on you. If the doctor's are saying you are fine and you know you are having a panic attack just try to ride out the anxiety attack as calmly as you can to teach your brain "you're okay, this is normal" eventually once you can accept the feeling you won't panic over it anymore. smile 

    • andrew78866
      andrew78866

      Posted

      Just to add to this...next time this happens try this.

      Step 1: Panic attack starts coming on, heart goes up and breathing gets hard.

      Step 2: Really notice the position of your body, are your shoulders slumped are you curled into a ball...these things are going to make it worse. We do this subconsciously because we are trying to protect ourselves.

      Step 3: Get into a relaxed position, emphasize your posture...sit up as straight as you can to help expand your lungs but also stay relaxed and calm as you can.

      Step 4: Repeat in your head "This is normal, you're just hyper sensitive right now" If any other ideas come into your head say "No....this is normal, you're just hyper sensitive right now"

      Try this one time and see if it doesn't help you feel better. If you feel better and don't panic as bad or are able to relax yourself quicker...you'll know it's anxiety playing tricks on you. Keep in mind you might feel off for 30 minutes or so after words because that stress needs to work it's self out. You might feel little panics 30 minutes after words but just keep saying "You're fine"

  • theodora_20697
    theodora_20697 sue92125

    Posted

    Hi, I think I have finally found out why I get the same symptoms you get after eating; hope so anyway!

    Foods high in Lecithin may be the reason. I'm trying to find out the best source of low Lecithin foods.

    Try your selv to find out it its that you may be suffering from.

    Hope the best for you. 

  • sheenna28518
    sheenna28518 sue92125

    Posted

    Hi! 

    I just happened to stumble across this feed. I am happy that I did. I have A LOT of anxiety around eating. Some foods are worse than others. It has developed into full phobia symptoms for some foods. This all started in part to feeling so crummy after eating. Almost 9 years ago sad it has only progressed. I have been tested for so many things and no concrete results to fully explain. I will look into high histamine foods and see if that is a possibility. Please let me know if anyone has had progress with ANY type of change. I’m desperate! Thank you! 

  • jason56996
    jason56996 sue92125

    Posted

    Something to consider: I had incredible anxiety, increased blood pressure and heart rate that would jut happen out of no where. I went to emergency becuase I didnt know if it was going to calm down. It lasted for about 4 hours. They did a bunch of tests and nothing weird showed up. The episode happened 5 times over the next couple of months. I went to 3 doctors and a diagnostic specialist. They all couldnt find anything and said it was most likely anxiety. They would have put me on anti-anxiety drugs if I let them. Im a super chill person with no stress so I knew I had to keep digging.

    I went to a functional medical doctor and he did a wider range of blood and pee tests. He discovered that I was becomming insulin resistant...the beginning stages of metabolic syndrome. I was shocked the other docs didnt test for this! seriously...diabetes is one of the biggest problems in western countries. My doc said that most people dont get diagnosed until they have full blown diabetes. Most people just get put on anti-anxiety drugs. So frustrated about this whole thing.

    Anyway, I totally changed my diet and started exercising a lot. My cholesterol dropped over 1 point in 90 days. Other things like uric acid, ferratin, triglycerides dropped 70-100%. All of my levels are now in the optimum range. The doc was shocked at the progress in 3 months...so was I. Also, I havent had 1 episode since I changed my lifestyle. Fear is a good motivator. I hope this helps you if you are experiencing the same symptoms.

    • sheenna28518
      sheenna28518 jason56996

      Posted

      I will look into this further! Ironically I am hypoglycemic usually.. but it never hurts to do your research! Glad to know that you’re feeling so much better! Great for you for not giving up yourself! 

      -Sheenna 

  • tara081393
    tara081393 sue92125

    Posted

    I have this issue too; Just recently (like within the last year and a half) my anxiety is scary. It effects my breathing, gives me chest pains, makes me feel like i'm going to loose it..... and than within the past few weeks; every time i eat, my stomach bloats and i feel like i cant breathe, it goes away after a few hours. It actually makes me afraid to eat; I'm on a no caffeine diet too. I just don't know whats wrong with me.... 

    • Ashokyog
      Ashokyog tara081393

      Posted

      In my case Vitamin D triggered this type of symptom. I was having two cups of tea and on stopping it about 10 days back, I find lot of improvement. Overeating too leads to such symptoms. Hence one should watch out. After I stopped Vitamin D about 14 months back, my BP fluctuations from very high to very low also reduced. Walking regularly has helped in faster recovery. 

    • mariogu99
      mariogu99 Ashokyog

      Posted

      I take 2000 milligrams of vitamin d a day-is that contributing to my anxiety?

      Thanks Mario 

    • Ashokyog
      Ashokyog mariogu99

      Posted

      I am no expert on the subject but in my case sudden deterioration in my health and also calcification in heart valve etc started. Anxiety symptoms were there too with high BP etc. I am from seven generations vegetarian without eggs. Only milk products. 

      Already on a diet and exercise regime for several years. Then I came across an article from some medical journal through google searches for several hours. This article, in reference to calcification issue mentioned about Vit D toxicity. In fact it said in case of several people a good level is 15 to 20 and to compensate the damage from hyper- cholesterol, it can be as low as 10 . The excess calcium deposits in soft tissues like heart, kidneys, liver, joints instead of strengthening bones. For this proper balance of Magnisium, Zinc and copper is needed which are there in a healthy diet. Also it metabolizes in large intestines with the help of Vit K2 and good fat and body ‘s natural Vit D. In a normal healthy person it is not required. So best way is to stop the intake and watch your symptoms. In my case things improved in a few months time and after 18 months my health parameters are still improving despite my age eyesight, hearing, BP all are better. Anxiety symptom has disappeared and I get better hunger. Sun bathing and steam baths once a week are very helpful. 

      Hope the above narration would be of help ful.

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