Psychological Symptoms – Any Advice?
Question:
Warmsky: Can you provide us with some background information? I would like to know if you are male or female, age and other characteristics so I can judge if Paxil might be the solution for me. What kind of symptoms did you have? Do you suffer from any known side effects from Paxil? Gary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -WarmSky wrote: > Paxil. 10mg a day. It’s a winner for anxiety!
Response:
Andrew, I could have written what you did. The urgency and the fear of the urgency can definitely trigger panic attacks. It got to a point with me where I started avoiding everywhere I’d gotten sick/had a panic attack and couldn’t leave my house. I’m working on it partly due to finding a both a good gastroenterologist (who can help with the IBS end *pun sorta intended* 
) and a good therapist to help me unlearn all the bad patterns I’ve gotten into because of the stomach problems. I’m close to 30 and have been having problems since I was 13 or 14 years old with this. Something that has really seemed to help me is finding out more about what I was eating – really examing it. (My typical way of dealing with this was not to eat all day because I needed to get things done and couldn’t risk getting sick – I have/had the D part of IBS.) I found after a while that I am lactose intolerant. After winding up in the hospital around Thanksgiving time and having every test imaginable to figure out why I was in so much pain, I was terrified to eat anything (I still am sort of in that mode). I had asked about a suppliment sort of drink and my GI mentioned it couldn’t hurt and was both lactose and gluten free. That has been my main key – I am being tested Monday to see if I am just gluten intolerant or if I have Celiac Disease. I looked at what I was eating and as a vegetarian, all my meat substitutes were pure gluten – no wonder I was so violently ill afterwards! Pizza.. not just the Lactaid to deal with the dairy, but the crust that was the problem! It’s a hard diet to start with, but I’m slowly getting used to it (not completely yet, it’s not easy). However – I don’t feel sick anymore – I can walk out of my door after I eat (something I haven’t been able to do in a decade). So lots of people will offer different ideas for what might help – take what you think from it all that might help you. Also.. learn some stress reducing techniques (I have some techniques if you’d like me to send them your way) to help your mind not trigger your stomach as well. Good luck 
I hope you feel better soon. Aviva — To respond privately, please remove the "nospam" from the end of my email address.
Response:
What has helped me is a OTC calcium supplement called Caltrate Plus with Vitamin D and Minerals. It comes in a purple and white box. I have been taking it since July 1998. I take one tablet with each meal. When you first start it you may get some gas and indigestion but this goes away as your body gets used to the added calcium. If it becomes a problem you can’t deal with then take 1/2 tablet with each meal for a few days then if you are still having diarrhea increase it to 1 tablet with each meal. It is very important to remain consistent with the dose. If you stop the diarrhea comes right back. Linda
Response:
Paxil is usually good for anxiety, so is Buspar (both can be used to help control ) Paxil is more likely to cause sexual side effects, but in some studies Buspar can be given concurrently to help minimize those. Buspar is more likely to make people really lightheaded til they get used to it. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is also useful for minimizing anxiety and also for IBS (I was part of a clinical trial on CBT and found that after about 6 weeks of the CBT I greatly reduced my reliance on medications to control the IBS) K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com
Response:
I am a 29 year old male who has been suffering from IBS for 13 years. In fact I, I suspect like many others can pinpoint the exact situation that first triggered i; a four hour exam from which we were not allowed to move. I doubt I need to say more. I am new to the newsgroup and only recently trying to find out as much helpful info as possible ( Knowledge is power….).My most problematic symptom is sheer urgency without warning, and the embarrassment it provides. It is incredibly relieving to read the statements of other sufferers and to find that I’m not the only one. My main problem is the courage to enter stressful situations that could potentially cause me a problem, mainly going for a haircut, or to the dentist, or any other situation when I cannot control the time that I get up and leave. For the same reason I struggle to enter a car that someone else is driving, even for very short journeys. I know deep down that 9 times out of ten I’ll be OK ( especially when I’m Imodiumed up to the eyeballs ), but my brain and anxiety reflexes don’t seem to know it yet. This feeling of phobia and lack of freedom is getting me down but I am determined to beat it, so could anyone offer advice as to how to beat the panic. Andy
Response:
Paxil. 10mg a day. It’s a winner for anxiety!
Response:
From: "Andrew" And…@mugliston.freeserve.co.uk Date: Thu, Jan 27, 2000 11:04 AM I am a 29 year old male who has been suffering from IBS for 13 years. In fact I, I suspect like many others can pinpoint the exact situation that first triggered i; a four hour exam from which we were not allowed to move. I doubt I need to say more. <snip> My main problem is the courage to enter stressful situations that could potentially cause me a problem, mainly going for a haircut, or to the dentist, or any other situation when I cannot control the time that I get up and leave. <snip> This feeling of phobia and lack of freedom is getting me down but I am determined to beat it, so could anyone offer advice as to how to beat the panic. Andy, I can understand you situation. I trace my IBS back to first grade when my teacher would only allow the children to use the bathroom during the regularly scheduled times. As I look back as an adult, I realize how cruel that was for children to deal with. No wonder I have a problem! I, too, feel that this is a control issue for me and find that when I feel "out of control" about something else in my life, I have the IBS-D crop back up. I went to a therapist who suggested that I do some realization exercises that allowed me to feel like that first grader again. I was told to "tell "the teacher how cruel her rule was and that children that age should be allowed to use the bathroom whenever they need to. I gave her a real dressing down in my mind and told her how it affected me. Just going back and reliving those situations helped me to understand at all levels that I am not a helpless child anymore. I can take care of my body’s functions whenever I need to. And so can you. Truly there are really very few situations that it would be impossible to use the bathroom. At the barbershop, etc., you could excuse yourself explaining that you were not feeling well and may you please use their facilities. Most people are kind and wouldn’t think anything of such a request. Once you make yourself more comfortable about your ability to control the situation, things should improve for you. This has been my experience and I offer it for examination. I, too, am new here and am wondering about a legal issue for my daughter who has inherited my IBS-D. During an exam last year during her first year at college, she needed to use the bathroom. The exam was an in class essay which could not have involved cheating. My daughter waited until the professor finished the lecture part, left to use the bathroom, was gone a total of five minutes and returned to compose her essay. At the end of class, the professor called to her and asked her why she left. My daughter explained that she needed to use that bathroom, waited until lecture was over to be polite, and then left as she does in other classes without any problems. Well, this professor told her that students were not allowed to leave for any reason and her essay was lowered one grade level. I advised my distraught daughter to explain to her that she had a stomach problem called IBS that made it imperative to use the bathroom promptly as soon as she felt the need. This woman said basically, sorry. I am wondering if the office of disability at her university could have intervened for her as IBS is certainly a disability. Her IBS is not documented by tests, just a mother’s "diagnosis" based on family history. Does anyone have any ideas for her so that she is not put in this situation again. BTW, I have started her on citrate plus this Monday and am eager to see if it is helping her. Thanks in advance to all of you kind folks.
