Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Anxiety can play a huge role in IBS, often when people are feeling anxious their IBS will get worse. Plus, it's like a catch-22 because it could also be the IBS making you anxious.

I myself have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and mild OCD. I've tried a few anti-depressants and none of them worked for me, they actually all exacerbated my symptoms. That being said, I'm not in the majority there...a lot of people have a lot of help with anti-depressants. It has something to do with the serotonin that's secreted in your gut, if you take an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) type anti-depressant it can really help.

I personally have found anti-anxiety drugs to work better for me (like Valium, Xanax etc) but a lot of doctors are hesistant to prescribe those on a regular basis because they can be addictive. It wasn't until my anxiety got so out of control that I could barely function did my doc start giving me them regularily.

One other thing you may want to consider if you think anxiety is a major trigger for you would be the drug Librax. It's a combination of an anti-spasmodic and a benzodiazepen (sp?) which can be helpful for a lot of people.

Hope that helps!

Kelly

P.S.

Whereabouts in Canada are you?

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