8 replies to this topic

[jimmcg]

I went off Cymbalta in August. On it for 6 years or so, a total of 22 years on various anti-depressants.

 

The anxiety ever since has been horrible.

 

I've had a cough since I went off as well. After varioius meds, chest x-ray, etc., last week my doctor suggested it was irritation in the windpipe from acid reflux. He put me on 150 mg of Zantac twice a day in order to reduce production of stomach acid. Within 2 hours of taking the first dose I was shocked to feel my anxiety reduce by probably 75%. I was astonished at how my stomach was exacerbating my anxious feelings. Sometimes even when I didn't feel particularly anxious about anything, my stomach would well up and I would suddenly feel like I was about to go into the most important job interview on my life. Little, paltry worries would be blown out of proportion. It was wild.

 

Now, with a week on the Zantac, I feel much more in control of these feelings. I may wake up worrying about something in the middle of the night, but, unlike before, I can talk myself through it and go back to sleep. This wasn't possible before. I'd have to get up and distract myself with TV for an hour until I calmed down.

 

I still have lots of anxiety but it's not debilitating the way it was before.

 

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Thanks,

J

[fishinghat]

Yes but not to that degree. Stomach issues, IBS, acid refux, etc have long been correlated to the severity of anxiety. During my own withdrawal I found that relief of heartburn by zantac and antacids would not only relieve my heartburn but also reduce my anxiety levels some. You need to realize that stomach ailments are a source of more stress on the body and would add to your anxiety symptoms. It is also believed that by returning the acid levels in the stomach to normal allows your medicine to be absorbed more efficiently and therefore it does a better job.

[brzghoff]

J,

 

hi!

 

i've had a similar history, 18 years on anti-d's the last 10 were on the C. i did a quick taper and stepped off a 15 mg cliff, basically cold turkey, in may. 

 

i had very bad acid reflux while on the C, disappeared entirely once i quit. one of the first side effects to disappear. i too am struggling with anxiety - in a way i never had prior to taking anti-d's. i have not experienced acid reflux as a symptom of anxiety - but i can understand how it can be for some. anxiety, gurgling stomach full of acid, makes sense to me! for me, the wort part of anxiety is the physical. if acid reflux is part of that physical for you, than i can imagine it creates the feeling that the anxiety has diminished once the acid is settled. the reflux is a symptom and zantac helps deal with it! when i had it i took omeprazole, the generic prilosec that you can get over the counter. it doesn't work right away like zantac, its more for taking on a daily basis regardless of symptoms to prevent them from coming back.

 

do you take anything else for the anxiety? i try and stay away from bringing anymore prescription "head meds" into the mix, but everyone must make their own decisions. i am taking clonidine, an old school blood pressure med that helps to knock down the hormones that trigger high BP and increase pulse rate - which also impacts anxiety levels. i also take a nutraceutical "head med" , kava kava, as needed. it is an effective calming supplement. some controversy surrounding it, so i usually recommend folks researching it on their own, but it is widely available in natural food stores like whole foods. 

 

good luck and stay in touch - this is a great group of people!

[fishinghat]

Hey brzghoff

 

Be careful with the Prilosec as it is not suppose to be used with most ssri and snri. It interferes with the absorption of these medicines.

[Clara]

Jim, Same type of issues with me. Acid reflux, etc. I use omeprazole and it works well. Not much of an appetite, lost a little too much weight, (trying to stabilize the weight loss), still some anxiety issues too! But I am moving forward one day at a time! Thanks to all the good folks here and my God, I am healing..... too slowly for my liking, but healing none the less and I am one grateful old southern gal!! Hugs and prayers y'all!

[Laurahokie]

Have you tried stress arrest?

[FiveNotions]

Prilosec also interferes with the meds we women take for osteopenia and osteoporosis (sp?) ... I switched to zantac because of that ... although the acid reflux pretty much disappeared as soon as I got off the crapalta ...

[FiveNotions]

I learned / experienced something very interesting ... and good ... today ... I was starting out the day with a bad case of the anxiety I get now that manifests just as a sensation in my stomach ... like you get when you're on a roller coaster and it suddenly drops ... it had woken me up during the night several times, and I finally gave up and got up about 5 a.m....

 

Anyway, I remembered this discussion, and I had some Zantac on hand. So, I figured I'd try an experiment to see how it works on anxiety .... I'm having no acid reflux/GERD symptoms of the sort that tell me I need to take it ... and I haven't associated my weird stomach sensation with acid reflux ...

 

Anyway, I took 75 mg...about 7 a.m.... and amazingly, shortly thereafter, the anxiety stuff dropped down several notches ... so, at about 9 a.m. I took another 75 mg tab (can't take more than two in a 24 hr period) ...

 

Well, the anxiety/weird stomach stuff that I call "anxiety" totally cleared up ... I mean totally ....

 

I'm going to test this again tomorrow evening, and take it before bed .... I want to see if it helps me sleep through the night ....

 

I need to read up on Zantac (ranitidine) ... sure wish I'd know about/figured this out waaaay sooner ....

 

FH ... does this mean that what I've been identifying as anxiety is actually acid reflux/GERD, or does it mean that the Zantac genuinely helps me with anxiety?.

[fishinghat]

FM - It is like the old question, which came first the chicken or the egg. Anxiety causes an increase in adrenaline and serotonin activity. Adrenaline affects the heart and serotonin the stomach and intestines. What most people do not realize is that the heart and stomach are controlled by the vagus nerve. So if anxiety increases then the stomach problems increase and vice versa, if stomach problems increase then anxiety increases. Anxiety increases due to feed back from the stomach and the vagus nerve. Old drs use to call this the head/gut connection. Stomach issues are also another stressor for the body and any time you can reduce a source of stress your anxiety will improve. Consider when you have had a bad case of the flu. You are tired and sick but also irritable, agitated, etc. The flu makes you stressed. As the flu subsides your psychological symptoms reduce as well. Chronic long-term stress usually causes IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) because of constant increase in serotonin activity in the GI tract.

 

I have IBS and anytime my anxiety spikes for an unknown reason my first line of defense is an antacid and a half an Imodium (it slows down intestinal activity). I am glad it helped you. It is always worth a try.