Does IBS cause Depression?
#312541 - 08/03/07 02:33 PM
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I get a weird feeling sometimes when I feel I'm having an IBS attack. My stomach bloats way up , start feeling tight all in my mid section and a feeling of doom kinda , almost like an anxiety attack.
I also get depressed. I know that IBS has meds you can take and a lot of them are in the antidepression family and wondering if ibs causes depression?
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IBS doesn't cause depression or anxiety. The symptoms create those feelings in a lot of us. worrying about leaving the house, worrying about what you're going to eat, feeling in pain all the time can lead to depression and anxiety. As stress and lack of sleep are triggers for a lot of people, some doctors will prescribe low doses of antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication to try to control/minimize ibs symptoms. However, if you feel that you are experiencing consistent anxiety/panic attacks and/or depression that lasts more than a few days and keeps coming back, you should consider seeing a psychiatrist and/or therapist. It often helps to not only have meds, but to have someone to talk to. Hope that helps.
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Yea I'd seen about 5 different dr.'s when all this started a few years ago. they all checked for ulcers and nothing was found. They they thought I was going through depression , but I don't come from a family with depression and all that.. NOR did I ever have that prob before.
then after all that I would start to notice when I'd over eat or have dairy I'd get seriously sick . It really makes you feel hopeless! So I got a Allergy test done but I'm not allergic to Milk products as of 2004.
Now I've noticed that I have a wedding that I'm getting married in in a few weeks and need to know what to do about eating properly there , what to drink as far as alcohol , and how to cope.
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IBS doesn't cause depression in the same way that, say, chicken pox causes a rash. However, if you're dealing with IBS symptoms you can become depressed (sad) as a result just as you can when dealing with any chronic illness that disrupts your life.
Anti-depressants (ADs)are often prescribed for IBS because it's believed that one of the causes of IBS is a malfunction in how our guts handle serotonin. Since anti-depressants affect serotonin levels throughout the body (gut as well as brain) the theory is that ADs can help our guts handle serotonin better and relieve the IBS symptoms. In other words, ADs are prescribed for IBS to treat the IBS directly not to treat depression. ADs are usually prescribed for IBS at much lower doses than they would be for clinical depression.
I, too, have felt that horrible hopelessness and anxiety when I had an attack. I don't know if it was a psychological reaction to the attack or if I was suffering from serotonin run amok, but once I began to stabilize on Heather's diet those sensations gradually faded away. Now attacks are rare and the ones I do have are milder as are the emotions that accompany the attacks.
The fact that you're not allergic to dairy doesn't really have anything to do with why it's a bad idea for people with IBS. The proteins in dairy are simply difficult for IBSers to handle. LittleMinnie explained this very well in this recent post. And certainly if you find dairy makes you ill you should avoid it completely.
I've had great success following Heather's guidelines so my advice would be to read what she says about how to eat and follow those guidelines, too. You can take a look at this old post to see the basic reading you need to do.
You should also find a good GI doctor and make sure you get tested for other conditions that might be causing your symptoms.
I hope this helps. Good luck with the wedding.
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