Neurontin
#46351 - 02/24/04 10:26 AM
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tuxedocat
Reged: 02/09/04
Posts: 279
Loc: Ithaca, NY
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My dr. just prescribed Neurontin for anxiety and I was wondering if anybody's taken this before and if it had any effect on your IBS? Thanks!
-------------------- --Julie
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Re: Neurontin
#46705 - 02/26/04 10:13 AM
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Jerryn
Reged: 02/22/04
Posts: 42
Loc: New Brunswick, Canada
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Quote:
My dr. just prescribed Neurontin for anxiety and I was wondering if anybody's taken this before and if it had any effect on your IBS? Thanks!
I am on that too. I take 200 mg at night before bed and it most certainly helps with calming the pain signals and anxiety and allows me to fall asleep. A bit groggy in the am, but not too serious. I like the fact that it at least allows me to sleep peacefully and forget the pain for at least 8 hours.
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thanks! I always have trouble falling asleep, so it's good know this med.helps! I'm a little worried about the sleepiness though...
-------------------- --Julie
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I wondered how many of you with IBS have problems with anxiety and/or panic attacks? (Being that at two different times since I've had IBS I have had a few panic attacks and never had any panic attacks before IBS days.
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I'd guess there was a connection. Apparently another name for IBS used to be "nervous stomach." Lots of people on the board seem to have depression and there's a relationship between that and anxiety, for sure. Let me know if you if you find anything on this. I'd be interested in learning more!
-------------------- --Julie
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Oh Yeah!
#46807 - 02/26/04 05:57 PM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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I've talked about this in these boards so many times -- I don't want to bore everyone again, so I'll just say that yes, I had a very bad panic attack and anxiety so bad I couldn't leave home. I never had any kind of panic or anxiety attacks before my IBS diagnosis. Thankfully I found Heather, these boards, and Michael.
The panic attack occurred up in Canada. I was at a Home Depot in B.C., miles away from home, when it hit. I was sure I was going to die, right there in a foreign country. That attack is what brought on my anxiety and kept me home-bound.
When I contacted Heather, she turned me on to the Boards and the hypnotherapy. I ordered Michael's program and within just a few weeks I was able to leave home, not far from a public bathroom at first, but after Michael's program I can venture out even further and no longer worry about being near a bathroom. And no more panic attacks.
If you're having problems with anxiety, Michael's program is a Godsend; check it out!
Bev
-------------------- <img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Yes, there have been previous discussions on IBS and anxiety/depression disorders. Hit the search button for links.
-------------------- Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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I have had panic attacks due to the IBS symptoms. Also my anxiety has grown through the years due to IBS. I just started taking Klonopin a few months ago to try to control my anxiety.
I wasn't going out too much and could not even have anyone (except my boyfriend) in the car with me when I drive. I wouldn't go anywhere that I didnt know where the bathrooms were. I haven't even taken a trip in 10 years for fear of having an episode on the plane! I have gotten a little better but I still have issues with going to different places. A lot of anxiety!
I hope one day I will be able to overcome this. I just started the hypnosis cd's so I hope that works.
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My anxiety isn't related to IBS, not that I can specifically tell, except that I worry about being limited in ability to work due to my symptoms. Other things in my life terrify me more--which I tell the dr. really only must stem from being a grad student at an ivy league! I once had a panic attack (Holy Cow! I feel for people who have these more often!) and I hope I don't ever have another one--so scary!! Bev, do you think that Michael's hypnotherapy would work for more generalized anxiety?
-------------------- --Julie
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For Julie
#46842 - 02/26/04 07:42 PM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Hi Julie,
I just answered your post, but it disappeared! ????
My anxiety was caused by my IBS; I never had anxiety before. Michael's program is geared towards IBS, so it worked for me. I don't know if it would work for "generalized anxiety." I just posted your query to Marilyn and ShawnEric in the hypnosis board; I know they'll have an answer for you there.
Bev
-------------------- <img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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-------------------- --Julie
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IBS seems to screw around with your serotonin levels somewhat, which could explain why so many of us have suffered anxiety and/or depression. And why SSRIs can be very helpful.
But then, a lot of people get panic attacks cos of worrying about finding a loo etc.
All fun and games, hey?
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Re: Neurontin
#46915 - 02/27/04 09:25 AM
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Jerryn
Reged: 02/22/04
Posts: 42
Loc: New Brunswick, Canada
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Quote:
thanks! I always have trouble falling asleep, so it's good know this med.helps! I'm a little worried about the sleepiness though...
Hi there. Well, I find the sleepiness only really affects me if I just lay in bed longer than I should. Make sense ? What I mean is if I commit to getting up,moving around, the grogginess or sleepiness seems to wear off sooner. But, I would not recommend swinging my legs out of bed and running a marathon right away if you know what I mean . How long have you been on it?
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It makes sense to me that there would be a connection as both are disorders of the autonomic nervous system. Many people with fibromyalgia (like me), which is an ANS disorder, also have IBS and anxiety.
I recently started a low dose of Xanax for my anxiety and it's amazing! I'm no longer afraid to leave the house or do other things. I feel like a normal person again! (Or as close to normal as a nut like me is gonna get!!)
-------------------- Laura
Keep it simple!
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LauraSue, I too love my Zanax. I was taking low doses and it worked wonders on my IBS.
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Are you a Gut Responder? Hints on Coping with IBS
http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/gutResponder.html
"Increased stress mediators in IBS.There is increasingevidence to support the prominent role of stress in the pathophysiology and in the clinical presentation of IBS symptoms. There are few published reports on alterations in stress mediators, such as catecholamines and cortisol to stress or visceral stimulation in IBS. Several studies have reported increased in catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) and cortisol levels in IBS patients. However, it remains to be determined whether these neuroendocrine alterations play a direct role in gut function and symptom generation. "
"Altered brain-gut communication in IBS.A unifyinghypothesis to explain the functional bowel disorders is that they result from a dysregulation of the brain-gut axis. An evolving theory is that normal gastrointestinal function results from an integration of intestinal motor, sensory, autonomic and CNS activity and GI symptoms may relate to dysregulation of these systems. Brain imaging studies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been performed in IBS patients to measure brain activation patterns to visceral stimuli. These studies suggest that brain activation responses to visceral stimuli are distinctly different in IBS patients compared to healthy individuals. IBS patients may have different emotional and cognitive processing of sensory information from the gut compared to healthy individuals. "
They have observed an increase of mast cells in IBS, they can be actived by stress without a pathogen and in turn release toxins onto the smooth muslce nevers and hence cause pain and symptoms.
There are also problems with the brain in IBS and the singals it receieves from the gut. The prefrontal cortex is "turned up" and that is in part an anxiety center.
"What would be an example of new understanding? Well one example is that we're starting to understand how the brain is responding to the pain in IBS. There have been some studies done where they've artificially created a kind of an irritable bowel by placing a balloon to stretch the bowel, and that produces pain. Then they've compared people with IBS to non-IBS, or "normal" individuals. And what they've found is that when you stretch the bowel-and use PET scans to monitor the response-in normal individuals, certain areas of the brain that register pain respond and release chemicals called neurotransmitters that suppress and lower the pain. But it seems that doesn't happen as well in people with IBS. In fact, in people with IBS another area of the brain responds that is associated with anxiety. So what we find is that people with IBS, aside from having a bowel problem, may have some difficulty in terms of the way their brain is regulating the pain."
Serotonin is very important here for gut function and anxiety, almost all IBS patients seen by gastro docs, effectively demonstrate serotonin dysregulation.
"Neuroimaging has provided evidence of physiological differences between normal individuals and those suffering from IBS in the way a visceral stimulus (ie, rectal distention) is processed in the brain.[14,15] Initial data from positron emission tomography (PET) scans demonstrated increased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) among normal individuals, compared to IBS patients. The ACC is a cerebral cortical area that is rich in opiate receptors and is thought to be a major component of cognitive circuits relating to perception as well as descending spinal pathways involving pain. More recently, fMRI was used to demonstrate increased activity in the ACC, prefrontal (PF), and insular cortex areas, and in the thalamus of IBS patients compared to normal individuals."
There is a ton of information on all this and how it all works.
The Neurobiology of Stress and Emotions By: Emeran A. Mayer, M.D., UCLA Mind Body Collaborative Research Center, UCLA School of Medicine, California
"What does this have to do with IBS Converging evidence from different laboratories and research groups are consistent with the concept of an "enhanced stress responsiveness" as a major vulnerability factor in many IBS patients. As outlined above, such an enhanced stress responsiveness may not be obvious to the affected individual, until he or she is exposed to a period of sustained threatening stressors (financial or employment problems, divorce, aftermath of a major disaster with consequences on daily life), repeated mild to moderate stressors, or a one time severe (life threatening) type stressor (robbery or physical assault). Under these circumstances the mechanisms that normally turn off the stress response are overwhelmed, and attempts of the nervous system at adaptation or habituation fail. Many of the vulnerability factors for such enhanced stress responsiveness have been identified and many of them occur in a particular vulnerable period of the developing brain (before age 10). Some of the best-studied factors include loss of the primary care giver, distant mother-child relationship, emotional neglect, and physical and verbal or sexual abuse.
In order to understand how a chronically enhanced stress response can produce the cardinal symptoms of IBS (abdominal pain and discomfort associated with altered bowel habits) we have to go back to the earlier section on the emotional motor system: activation of the stress system will stimulate contractions and secretion in the sigmoid colon and rectum. Depending on the specific emotional context (fear vs. anger), the upper GI tract will be either inhibited (fear) or stimulated (anger). In addition, recent research in animals has demonstrated a phenomenon referred to as stress-induced visceral hyperalgesia. What this means is that in vulnerable animals, exposure to an acute moderate stressor will make the colon more sensitive to distension (and the perception of discomfort or pain).
"Perceptions of pain, muscle tensions, and other somatic symptoms can cause stress levels to spiral upward. Self-regulation strategies that reduce unpleasant symptoms offer both physical and psychological relief." —R. Sovik Why do the symptoms go away after one stressful situation has resolved and persist in another? Amongst many factors, anxiety and fear generated by IBSsymptoms themselves are sufficient in many patients to maintain the stress responsiveness in a chronically enhanced state. Some of the more common symptom related anxieties include: Am I close enough to a bathroom when my symptoms come on? Will I be OK for the rest of the day, unless I completely empty my colon in the morning before leaving the house? "
http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/stress.html
-------------------- My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Re: Neurontin
#47112 - 02/28/04 06:10 PM
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Gisela
Reged: 02/10/04
Posts: 5
Loc: Portland, OR. USA
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I am taking Neurontin for pain, but we both probably should ask the docs whether it can be bad for IBS. I hope not, because I need the stuff to controle pain in my feet. It gives me another idea to check my meds out. Gisela
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I actually had anxiety disorder before IBS. When the anxiety came on stronger, then the IBS came. Which made my anxiety worse since I had ANOTHER thing to worry about.
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I just started taking it Friday night.I waited until the weekend to start so I wouldn't have to worry about being sleepy at uni. I've slept so GREAT the last 2 nights, but I see what you mean about making yourself get out of bed! I also noticed a bit of incoordination right after getting up. I also HAD to take a nap yesterday, even though I'd slept I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore by 2:00.
-------------------- --Julie
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My son was on Neurontin for seizures and a coworker took it for neuropathy. She hated it and quit because she felt like she was in a fog. My son, too. He had a lot of trouble functioning at school.
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With xanax and klonopin, I've read that if you are drowsy during the day, you're just taking too high a dose. That happened to me, and my doctor just cut it back a smidge and now I'm fine. Might be worth a phone call to your doc to see if the same holds true for neurontin.
-------------------- Laura
Keep it simple!
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Re: Neurontin
#47393 - 03/01/04 08:39 PM
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Jerryn
Reged: 02/22/04
Posts: 42
Loc: New Brunswick, Canada
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Quote:
I just started taking it Friday night.I waited until the weekend to start so I wouldn't have to worry about being sleepy at uni. I've slept so GREAT the last 2 nights, but I see what you mean about making yourself get out of bed! I also noticed a bit of incoordination right after getting up. I also HAD to take a nap yesterday, even though I'd slept I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore by 2:00.
If you don't mind my asking, what dose of it are you on? I am on 200 mg and my doc wants to up it to 300 mg's. I don't know about that but my research shows it can be administered up to 1200 mg's. Can you imagine?? I've never taken anything with that high a dosage before. Makes me shudder just thinking about it
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