Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

How Specifically Does Anxiety Affect Stomach?

Hi, I'm struggling through some fairly severe ongoing stomach issues that are initially triggered by a fairly specific, intense anxious event. Initially, I awaken with heart racing and/or a 'flushing' feeling around my heart, then it goes straight to my stomach where it immediately feels like a burning sensation, then severe pain and nausea.

Unfortunately, even after the anxious event/thoughts are removed, the stomach issues continue on for some time. This latest episode has lasted over 2 months. The last episode I had was in 2002 and lasted over 6 months.

When I'm not going through an 'episode', typical anxieties/fears may creep up on me, but none cause any sort of ongoing physical symptoms as these do. I don't suffer from panic attacks or most of the symptoms of general anxiety disorder.

- So to help me diagnose what is happening with my stomach, I'm curious to know exactly what is happening to the stomach during an extreme episode of anxiety?

- Some process is causing my stomach to become severely inflamed. Is there a scientific explanation?

- Anyone have severe, ongoing stomach issues resulting from an initial bout with anxiety?

Thanks. I understand a bit about adrenalin and how it affects the heart in this situation, but topics about stomach always seem more vague.
47 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Try cayenne pepper or turmeric.. gastritis because of anxiety can mean poor blood flow to the stomach.. spices will heat up the body and give better blood flow.. it's why exercise helps those with anxiety because it creates better blood flow.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
An update on the stomach condition, underwent a antibiotic regime that should of shifted the bacteria, as result came back and showed H. Pylori was present in my lining and causing inflammation and indegestion flare ups. Did  week course and still not right, so done another test and will get results soon. Doctor wants an endoscopy investigation of my stomach, that has caused my anxiety to rise dramatically and much distress. I think doctors really need to be better educated on treating the whole person, so we can cope better and get the help we need, instead of imposing these invasive medical procedure that can be very tramatic. Have watched many online videos and spoke with lots of people via youtube who have undergone this procedure and do not recommend it. But if it has to be done then what else can anyone do, but grin and bear it and hope the results give some form of reassurance and treatment can be orchestrated. Hope thos that are having issues with the lining og their stomaches can find better ways to discharge the stress and not let the onslaught of releasing adrenaline and acid into their system so it brings inflammation and damage to the lining. Get active, get relaxed and have a good life. Take care.
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Hi Gaza260,
Hoping you are much better as I write this, as it has been a while.
I wanted to ask you a question, of which the answer is fairly obvious, but I need some reassurance.
I wake every morning with a nervous/anxious stomach, I go to bed expecting and dreading this awful feeling, that makes me have to dash to the loo.Could this be a rush of adrenaline because of my fear?
Every day I have appetite issues, because my stomach is in a mess I do d it hard to eat, although when I do eat a little, I settle down a bit in the e evenings and feel relatively ok.
My doc also wants to do an endoscopy, and that too has raised my stress levels. Did you get yours done?
Be grateful for any comments you might have for me. And hope this finds you well.
Jennyfwr
As this is a very old post, you might want to post this as a new post and you might get more answers.  You don't say exactly what's going on with your stomach.  An anxious stomach, or what we call butterflies, is one thing.  Having pain is another. Anxiety causes lots of digestive problems -- don't think of it as a stomach problem unless it is one, in which case it wouldn't only bother you when you wake up.  If you're not eating regularly, that can cause acid to build up when the stomach is empty.  It can also leave you depleted of nutrients and some of these are essential to proper digestion, such as magnesium.  This problem is usually addressed by learning relaxation techniques such as meditation, exercising, and using some simple natural remedies such as aloe vera juice, DGL, and peppermint oil enteric coated capsules.  If you're on meds for your anxiety, they also cause aa lot of digestive problems.  The solution to a digestive problem is to fix your diet so you don't have it in the first place.  As to an endoscopy, that depends on what's going on -- whether you have symptoms that indicate a possible ulcer or inflammation.  But if the treatment for what they're likely to find is just to take some medication that long-term causes additional problems, it's still not a solution -- you're still treating symptoms, not the problem.  If the endoscopy does find something serious, then of course it could save your life.  So how serious is the pain, the problem, and how bad is your eating because this is what happens when you don't eat properly and regularly.
Avatar universal
ACUTE ANXIETY your guts are like a spin dryer on full spin
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Very informative and helpful. Never realised at how many people actually suffer with their stomaches. I am to visit with my doctor in the next few days and hope my stomach pain can be diagnosed as anxiety? maybe some bacterial infection. I have suffered with high levels of anxiety most of my life and usually been able to control it so some degree, had the awful panic attacks for years, with the uneasy queasy stomach that is very unsettling. I wish anyone who finds this site all the best and hope you can get on top your symptoms. God bless.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
when severe anxiety becomes an issue, it puts strain on your body. Think of it as extreme stress, which cause your stomach muscles, as well as most other muscles to contract. When you become calm, your muscles have been strained for long enough that your stomach will continue to hurt or be umcomfortable. Try selzer water or ginger ale. That seems to help calm me when I have anxious episodes where my stomach bothers me. Also after a while, acid reflux can also happen. Try taking antacids. Usually your stomach just needs to repair itself after intense stress. Good luck and hang in there!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This has been very relieving to read. I have been a wreck for about a year from anxiety/panic attacks. They just kind of started happening last year, around this time.

Back info

My anxiety comes from a fear of developing a strain of stomach cancer, which my sister and father died of. Considering that my anxiety and panic attacks screw with my stomach really bad, it seems impossible to calm down. Not to mention they said they found something called a transient intussusception (basically a portion of intestines "telescopes", or folds back into itself), then came in 15 minutes later and said it was self-limiting (didnt require surgery). The terrifying thing is? These intussusceptions' are very rare in adults and are mostly only the result of malignancy. So I understandably FREAKED OUT (but later learned that in almost no cases was the intussusception the source of discovery of malignancy, the malignancy that cause intussusception are already documented and being monitored).

My symptoms

I get awful cramps, nausea, constipation, sweaty hands and feet, fast shallow breaths, uncontrollable crying, racing heart, terrible thoughts, complete loss of appetite (2months now), eating anything makes me full and my stomach wont stop making noise. All of my stomach issues, and the sweaty hands, last long after the attack has calmed. I hav ebeen sick for a couple months now, even vomiting at times.

I guess what I'm getting at is, anxiety and panic disorders are devastating to our minds, bodies and if not treated or addressed, can cause major damage to your relationship with loved ones and health care professionals alike. Thank God we have each other. My fear of cancer is debilitating my life more than having some cancers would. This is the power of anxiety and panic disorders.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Same case here , fear of some certain thing and you are done !
11954346 tn?1422393502
I have these very same questions. I have had stomach issues on and off for like the last 5 years apparently due to anxiety. Just in the last 6 months my stomach issues got worse and they include nausea, upset stomach and tightness for about two to three months then it went away, then it came back just in the last couple weeks. Even though I don't feel particularly anxious. I have the same questions if there is a certain type of doctor that I need to see to find out the answers I would love to know what kind of doctor. I have had a colonoscopy and endoscopy all of which were normal. As you can tell I am very frustrated.  In 2009 I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder I see a psychiatrist who would just rather prescribe a pill but the anti anxiety pills that I've tried don't always help my stomach. Before 2009 I never had these sort of stomach issues as a symptom of anxiety. The only time I would ever be sick to my stomach or have an upset stomach would be if I had the stomach flu.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow a plesure to find such wisdom. I respect you already.
Please tell me your coping strategies .
And your symptoms ?
Many thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i have been having the same problem now for 2 months, i have been put on ativan 1mg twice a day.did you ever get free of your stomach anxities
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, I have had stomach problems associated with anxiety followed by panic attacks. It usually always starts when an event such as a painful injection or watching an unpleasant event (a bloody surgical operation, say)when a feeling of nausea and an unwell feeling of panic takes over. Then progresses to dizziness and fainting. I am on anxiety medication which I am going to stop, I think it's more trouble than anything. I have been taking Nexium for months now after having been tested with stomach inflammation. Since taking Nexium, I have not been having upset pain in my stomach as I did nearly every day. I am feeling better.
George, Melbourne, Australia
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have a few tips which have helped me to overcome anxiety and panic. Breathing in for 3, hold for 3 and exhale for 5, saying 1 2 3 4 5 relax, this helps regulate breathing, really does help. Also chewing minty gum, the taste seems to help settle stomach and is a distraction if having negative thoughts,  also splash face with cold water, if this not possible cold water across eye brows seems to freshen face and again a distraction.  Try to accept if you are having anxiety attack, breathe steadily and feelings will stop, imagine nice thought s, places, visualization of feeling happy. Really does work. Ive had years on and off feeling anxious but these tips do work, worth a try.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I appreciate your information. I have an ache in my gut like I did 100 sit ups and it is anxiety. I took celexa for years and all of a sudden 3 months prior my body started rejecting my medications like celexa, nefazone, imprimine, no matter what anti-depressant I tried I had devastating side effects. So now Iam down to ativan and xanex and I fear I will get addicted. I have no other choice after 61 years of being alive I still have anxiety and panic  and a terrible pain in my gut.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
First, if it's constant burning, you might want to see a doctor.  You don't necessarily want to do what docs tell you to for treatment, but you do want a diagnosis.  It could be an ulcer, it could be anxiety, but how can we tell?  As for me, for treatment of most stomach problems I find medication is just not very good for long-term treatment, as it causes rebound acidity.  So I treat my problems with natural remedies such as aloe vera juice and DGL, for example, which coat the stomach and help repair the mucosal lining.  But you do want to know what you're dealing with.  Not everything is caused by anxiety, and as to the above post, I don't believe crohn's disease is necessarily caused by anxiety it may be bacterial in nature or a result of forcing wheat and dairy into one's body when they aren't tolerated or the overuse of antibiotics killing off beneficial digestive bacteria.  Again, anxiety isn't responsible for everything.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This was over 20 year's ago. But I deal with crones daily, my anxiety level increases. Then my stomach reacts almost immediately!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was I'll for years with stomach issues. When for the 3rd time in one night. My mother refused to take me home from the er! It ended up a month in the hospital.  12 inches of my intestine, appendix. Removed! Crones disease!  Now older every time I get upset my body aches! Fibrobialgia. So your feelings/rmotions Do contribute so much to your body!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am struggling with a very severe stomach burning pain that is constant.  I just recently went through a bout of severe anxiety and now my stomach is all messed up.  Seems like that is when it happens.  Am trying to self de-stress but don't want this burning to go on for to long.  Do you do anything to relieve your stomach between times for it to heal?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi,ive had your symptoms for so many years now ,mine will start with my heart like skipping a beat and then surges into extreme palpitation and after i struglle to relax myself and the palpitation subsides the pain in my stomach will be unbearable ill have cold sweat and another bout with anxiety until all my strenght is drained and when i fall asleep for just a moment the pain goes away and after all the check up with heart specialist coming back negative i focused on the pyschological side of it and struggled to solve the riddle of my trigger and after all the councilors and seminars finally i faced my trigger and solved it and it becomes clearer and everytime it comes it becomes easier to get by and now my trigger and my symptoms went for a vacation for 2 years , until yesterday when i took pills that would block fats from being absorbed but the side effect would be like having diahrea or stomach pain at first i know that its only the side effect but when it didnt go away fro 12 hours i started to be irritated then worried and in the end having that part of my syptoms haunt me again, like you im also wondering whats happening to my stomach when anxiety hits me and if any specialist is reading this correct me if i say that its like clenching a muscle in your stomach for a long time and having it cramp on you just like when you swim you cant do anything about it at that time but when you let go and believe that it will go away soon it will happen.
    hope this helps because when my first episode happened im in grade 6 and now i have 3 beautiful kids my eldest is 22 and my yougest is turning 18, you have all my prayers with you including all that posted here, there is always hope dont give up on your research to find out what really is the scientific explanation for our symptoms




Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Doctors are made to think your crazy they get money everytime they perscribe you something if they can't find an answer your crazy , I was sick vommiting for 6 months in and out of the hospital stomach felt like I swallowed battery acid cant function think I thought I was going crazy ! So was doing a bunch of research an learned about h pylori , so I asked a doc to check for it and it came back positive ! I wasn't crazy gatritis is a symptom not an illness soo if you have stomach problems before the anxiety there's something going on physically not mentally soo stick too your guns don't listen to these docs all they wanted to do was put me on depressants anxiety pills so on .. Sad the world we live in today
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
OMG this sounds so similar to what happens to me.  The problems are always much more noticeable in the fall and winter.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just stumbled upon this post. I suffer from this upset/anxious stomach too & it's horrible. Last year I went nearly 2 months with it after I experienced an event that caused me severe anxiety. My stomach feels nervous, I have no appetite, bowels are affected,and generally feel crapy. I just went through something last week that caused me significant anxiety & it's back after over about a year relief from it. Along with it, I feel antsy & nervous in general, it *****! I wish I had some scientific explanation for it too. Last time it happened, I was convinced there was something seriously wrong with me. I went to the ER twice & all but drive my doctor crazy. I think she'd prescribed me every anti-nausea medication & nerve calming drug available. Nothing worked, I just wanted to sleep & shut myself away from everyone. It's now upon me again & I have no time or desire to deal with this again. Last time I lost about 10 pounds due to it. Ugh!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am completely in this with you.. Mine started in February. I had a break of some sort and my normal world became this horrific nightmare of fear, worry and impending doom. doctor immediately put me on protonix because of the digestive issues associated with impending doom. the side effects made me feel worse than i did originally( remember, i am crazy now so i naturally get all side affects). BIG MISTAKE!!. i stopped the protonix 5 days ago and now i have a slight burning sensation in my stomach.. hopefully this is as bad as the burning gets .. I definitely wish you well with this socially caused mental affliction..
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello, I'm 28 years old and I've been suffering with Gerd/heartburn/acid reflux for 2 months now after I've had an anxious period in my life with lots of stress/fears/fear of death. I'm trying to get over this with lifestyle changes and less stress but I'm desperate to find the root of all this..Do you think that my anxiety had caused the reflux? The thing is that I hurt at times when I feel relaxed..Maybe it's stress and anxiety built up in my system? Thanks!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
From: Boulder    Mar 29, 2013
To:  Everyone (especially Lindsey23)

Anxiety in the Stomach:  I was born in 1934.  By 1939 to 1943, I had had several operations for osteomyelitis in my left knee.  Penicillin had just been discovered and it saved my life.  However, at this early age, the trauma of the surgeries and the administration of the antibiotics had so hard-wired my brain response mechanisms and my stomach milieu that I had bleeding ulcers at the age of 22.  At the age of 24, I was receiving blood transfusions to save my life.  That was when I realized that the issue of anxiety and stomach pain is a fight for survival.  I resolved to not only survive, but to be successful in the process.  As Clint Eastwood said, “A man (or woman) has got to know his limitations.”  Knowing those limitations, I learned, with the care of a first-class internal medicine physician, how to pace myself and how to limit those stress-producing events that cause me such distress.  After forty years of university teaching and research, I retired some 16 years ago.  During a significant part of this period, I took the medications that became available (Tagamet, Zantac, Nexium, and now Prilosec.)  It has only been recently that I learned of the existence of the hard-wired extreme anxiety syndrome and associated panic attacks (which centered in the middle of my gut.)  Now, I take Xanax to block the anxiety, Celexa to block the panic attacks, and Prilosec to control the acid reflux.  The hard-wired responses are not curable, but by recognizing the downward spiral of the anxiety and the damage inflicted on my stomach, I can control my diet and allow my stomach to begin to heal.  Sleep is essential for the healing process to take place.  This has been a seven-day cycle for sixty years.  But I am still productive in my research and plan to be productive for years to come.  If anyone is interested in my additional symptoms and what my coping mechanisms are, please ask.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I feel for you x
Helpful - 0
2
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Anxiety Community

Top Anxiety Answerers
Avatar universal
Arlington, VA
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out what can trigger a panic attack – and what to do if you have one.
A guide to 10 common phobias.
Take control of tension today.
These simple pick-me-ups squash stress.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
Want to wake up rested and refreshed?