Globus hystericus

How do I get rid of the anxiety lump in throat called globus hystericus? Will it ever go away?

[md135]

I have this to, to my knowledge there is no cure, maybe go and see your doctor, i have been put on Lexapro an antidepressant, (i am not depressed.) i have only been on this a week so i will get back to you after more time has past, but i can tell you it is a terrible condition i couldnt leave the house for months without freaking out and chocking. but i am assured you can get better! and i believe them, (my doctor and therapists.) so hang in there your not alone, there are thousands of people with this but little people who seem to understand it unfortunately!

[juliesculpt]

This was my first panic attack symptom and it is still the one that plagues me/terrifies me most.  It is sooooo hard to describe to people because it makes no sense. It's this obsessive feeling of my throat closing or being unable to swallow (even though I intellectually understand that there is no reason I can't)..it just feels like I'm choking until I can somehow make myself swallow, and it repeats over and over and over again, causing other symptoms..racing heart, dizziness,hyperventilation. feeling of unreality/going crazy.  Is this like what you are referring to??  It can happen in the most innocuous, friendly places and social situations and it turns seconds into excrutiating hours. It is the worst thing I fear when making plans or going somewhere... that and the hyperventilation.  A few glasses of wine usually helps, but they say alcohol actually is bad for anxiety and I do realize that if I drink too much one day, it is worse the next , so that is a catch-22.
It ia making me crazy and taking away all the things I used to love about life.

[juliesculpt]

Sorry, Kim, I guess I didn't have any helpful info for you..just my own related rant..we will all come through this though :)

[md135]

hi julie,
Well i have everything you described! i can't even go into shops to buy food or clothes unless its totally empty. And do you get the jerky feeling when you cant swallow in shops or something when you cant swallow you lunge forward to try make yourself swallow? i get that all the time in shops and its so embarrassing my life has been completely destroyed, lost my job lost my ability to do anything! If i think of going somewhere i just start to freak out just thinking of it! i have the most amazing finance who does everything for me, she goes to the shops to get me things stays with me at all times when im out of the house and comforts me when i cant breath i dont no what i would do without her! as far as the alcohol is concerned, yes that really helps, it relaxes the mind and body and usually makes it go away with me, i remember times when i had to go shopping and i got drunk just to do it. Gladly i try not to do that anymore unless its unavoidable. Do you do anything else that helps, i suck on fishermans friend sweets which totally fills me mouth with saliva so i have something to swallow, it helps in small situations and now my doctor put me on lexapro, its only been a week so nothing yet, hope it helps because no one around not even most doctors dont understand me, and trying to explain it to normal people, might as well try tell them your from mars! lol but i have found a very large online community that helps me see im not alone...

[juliesculpt]

Wow, it is so n ice to talk to someone who actually understands what I am talking about because, as much as I try to explain it, you are right...might as well be speaking martian..but how could they understand? It doesn't make any sense!! I used to be on Effexor and that pretty much took care of it except in certain high stress situations like flying, then I took xanax on top of that for break through attacks.  Befor e that I was on Tranxene, a benzodiazepine, and it completely took them away.  The tranxene Dr. retired and  the new one took me off  and put me on the effexor and then about 2 years ago I went off the effexor and have just been taking xanax as needed.  that has worked ok for awhile, though there are a lot of things I just avoid because I can't be popping xanax everyday to get through simple tasks. It has been bad lately, so I have been thinking about going back on a daily med but the anti depressants raise my blood pressure, make me gain weight and give me weird head sensations...the benzos feel much better, but I worry about dependance.  I have never tried lexapro but I know a lot of people say it has really helped them..please keep me updated.  I saw a hypnotist for awhile and that truly helped..if I could afford it I would keep doing that..deep breathing through the nose helps a little, but once it takes off  I can't usually stop it on my own.

[juliesculpt]

oh and yes..I do get the jerking sensation when trying to make myself swallow..very clumsy and embarassing

[md135]

Does xanax have any side effects? i was given that but decided not to take it, seems a bit strong to me?
and yes i get weird sensations in my head on lexapro to, but compared to the swallowing problem id take being dizzy any day.. Only on lexapro for 6 days now so i will keep you updated, not a lot of change so far apart from a bit of nausea and dizzyness then again i am only on 5mg so far, i will do this for a few weeks then up the dose to 10mg if it is not working.

[md135]

still no update, doing well lately though. :)

[juliesculpt]

Hi Md ..xanax always works like a charm for me...though I am very careful to only take it occasionally, because I am terrified of addiction/dependency ad rebound/withdrawal effects.   But it is the only thing that ever gets me on a plane or train or sometimes out in the world or through the night.  My new doc wants to switch me from xanax to klonopin, and I am a little scared because the klonopin doesn't seem to work "as needed" when I am having a panic attack.  I have heard it works best taken everyday, but I kind of want to avoid taking something every day, if I can. For me, the last 3years, the xanax has worked well in combination with some natural supplements, although recently the horrible throat thing has returned too often for my comfort and I find myself re-considering the everyday medication. As you say..anything is better than the throat terror:)

[md135]

i might look into that if i don't get any better, thanks for the reply, i had a great day today for the first time in a month! went into shops and had no attacks or swallowing issues, god i do love these days :)


I hope you sort out your problem, time will make itself none what you should go on i've found. What natural supplements are you on? i have tried Kalms and things of that nature but nothing ever worked, sadly i needed the hard drugs.. lol

[juliesculpt]

Congratulations on today!! that is huge:)  I know exactly what a triumph that is...it's so good to know we can be normal!!
I was on a combo of neuro transmitters for awhile which worked great..neuro-replete and cys-replete, but they were expensive so  a naturopath told me I could get the same effect taking 500m L-tyrosine 3x a day and tryptophan at night, along with good B vitamins..this also seemed to work well for quite awhile until the more frequent/severe attack have resurfaced.  I also think hypnosis/EMDR had helped immensely with the swallowing issue and would definately recommened that.  I have no health insurance, so I am pretty limited in my ability to really hammer at this from all angles...but it can and does get better..

[md135]

Thanks :) :)

ok, i have to google most of your reply haha i don't on what any of those medicines are. i was looking into hypnosis also, i am thinking of giving it a go, maybe when i can leave the house and not panic ill give it a try.. yes i just recently got excellent health insurance so thats why i went on the meds, will get this gone no matter what it takes now!

[juliesculpt]

yeah, google it..the nuero transmitters are all natural supplements.  I had not heard of them before either....they worked for awhile, and I am going to try them again, but  sometimes the "big guns" are needed for me, unfortunately...  whatever helps:)

[md135]

yes, i have decided to ask my doctor about xanax and see what he thinks. have an appointment on Thursday, so will try just enjoy the weekend now... :)

[juliesculpt]

well, xanax works well when used occasionally, just be sure you don't rely on it on a regular basis...I try not to take it  more than once a week, but have occasionally done twice in one week when in desperate sitations. When I'm doing well with the natural supplements, i have gone a month or more in between resorting to a pill. I have done that for quite a few years without a tolerance or addiction issues  If you you need something on a more regular basis, than xanax is not right for you, but there are other drugs like klonopin that work when taken every day, if you decide you want/need to go that route. ( Iam still up in the air on that, myself)  But hopeully your lexapro will work to contain the majority of the anxiety and xanax could be used just occasionally. Good Luck...it will all work out, it just takes perseverance and determination to muddle through all the alleyways:)

[Royboy614]

I've had the lump in the throat since about age 17.  I don't anymore now that I've been taking suboxone, but it's not prescribed to me.  I am on Klonapin and Effexor, also. Klonapin is like Atavan that has a much longer half life. I used to get sore throats trying to swallow the lump and it gave me bad breath.  I don't know what causes the senstation of having a lump in the throat, but I think it has to do with being tense and causes a bulging or cramping of the muscles and throat parts. I've asked a doctor to look in there and they always say there's nothing there, that it's just in my mind, but I swear that I can feel myself swallowing something, but it never goes away.  Just thinking about it kind of giving me one now. Suboxone is used to get off of opiates, but contrary to the Dr's and phamacutical companies it is addictive and I've read some real bad stories about people getting off of it. I'm only taking 4 mg a day, so that's not nearly as bad as some. I'm a real bad alcoholic, I think, due to the anxiety. The alcohol temporarily gets rid of it, but it's just 10 time worse after the booze is gone. While I'm drunk I don't really feel any better unless I'm totally wasted.

I don't know how to get rid of it without drugs, but I wish I knew. Oh, I remember it going away from time to time when I was able to make myself relax enough or at night when I was sleeping. As soon as I woke up and had some stimulus I would get the lump again.
Good luck to you. The lump is terrible and the anxiety is just an awful way to live. I fear that I will need to be drugged the rest of my life, which is fine with me if I can feel half way decent. Lack of sleep causes my anxiety and lump to be worse, but I have insomnia, too.  I think I'm afflicted with just about every mental/ emotional disorder known to man. Well, I'm not sczitzophrenic (sp) that''s a long screwed up word.

I pray that your lump is gone and you get some relief soon.

[md135]

have you ever tried lexapro?

[Royboy614]

I'm not sure if you are addressing me, but I've never tried lexapro for any extended period of time. My girlfriend took it for a while and it made her really nice and happy.  She insisted that she that she could take one here and there, and that it would work this way. I always thought that an ssri needed time to be in your system, for like a month before seeing results.  I find that the effexor works pretty well, but maybe lexapro will work better. Now is lexapro a ssri or snri? I suppose I can look it up.

The klonapin seems to work pretty well for sleep and reduces the anxiety a lot. I suppose I don't need to change anything for now, since it seems to be working alright. I just have pretty bad constipation and need to be on high blood pressure meds from the effexor.

Not too much activity here.  I really like these boards.

Roy

[md135]

lexapro is an ssri, and yes it does take time to build in your system, your girlfriend was probably imagining the placebo effect, taking ssri's randomly at different times doesn't change your mood, it would make you worse as far as i no... or my experience anyway.. im on it 3 weeks now (everyday) and its working great! :)

[juliesculpt]

Is the swallowing problem all gone?

[md135]

well to be honest, not completely! but it has really taken the edge off it! for 3 months i couldn't leave the house, go in cars (i was in a car accident thats where it all started) couldn't go into shops couldn't buy clothes i had to do all my shopping online and get it delivered! BUT NOWWWWWW 2 weeks ago for the first time i went into a shop and i was fine! i was nervous like before, like usual really, but, the swallowing thing didn't even show its head! i have been in 4 shops since then and i feel like im starting to get my life back now im so happy about it, and in those shops again i was nervous still, heart pounding sweating, but when i went to swallow it was just fine like normal, going to do a big shop today for the first time in a big supermarket and see what happens, i'll post how it went tonight, hope it goes well, very nervous now as it is and im not going for 3 hours!
my god i love lexapro! :) i am upping my dose to 10mg next week also, cos the anxiety is still there im still very nervous so hoping i can get ride of that also with a higher dose, how is everyone else doing???

[Royboy614]

I no longer have a lump in my throat. I would have it all the time before I was taking effexor, klonopin and subutex.  I feel much better, but worried about getting back on alcohol if I stop taking any of these meds.  I have to watch out for alcohol and street drugs if I start feeling really anxious.  Alcohol used to work for the anxiety, but then I paid 10 fold for any relief that I got.

Severe anxiety is a complete nightmare, and I feel for anyone having it. It completely incapacitates me.  I had gone on a drinking spree, got a DUI and had to go to jail. In jail they didn't give me the right meds and I was in such miserable horror I could hardly stand it.  I couldn't sleep without horrible visions of death and hidious, horrible thoughts and the deepest darkest fear I could ever imagine. I never thought that the human mind would be capable of producing such awful pictures and visions. Worse than any horror movie.  I think our brain just fills in the blanks to match how we feel.  Jail was bad, but I knew I was getting out and knew I had somewhere to go. So, I didn't have a stimulus bad enough to match the reaction I was having. Even after 4 months I was a complete basket case.

Head problems run in my family, so I know where it comes from and believe in the heredity part of it. I just wish I knew exactly what caused it. I know scientists speculate that it's seratonin and dopamine, but then say they're not 100 % sure, but seem to have gotten relief from SSRIs and SNRIs. The SNRIs work best for me, but I can still get some mania with them. That's why I think the Klonapin is such a good addition to the mix.  I've felt more normal than I've felt my whole life. Even as a kid I was nervous and I also started pulling out my eyelashes when I was about 5 years old.  Medication never helped with that.

I'm just writing my experience with this stuff, so I hope that someone will find it helpful. I've been battling this my entire life, so I've become kind of an expert on some of this stuff.  I don't think half of the doctors know what thier doing with the meds, from my experience.  I do give them more of a chance now that I'm older.

[md135]

hi all, went to the big shop and i had the swallowing thing a little, i had to leave after a while.. :( felt bad, but it was still a big thing for me... lets hope next time it will be better!

[md135]

how is everyone doing? been a bit better lately, hope it keeps up... just upped my lexapro today... nervous... :)

[juliesculpt]

Congrats on the shop thing..I think even going is a huge step, and they do say that acceptance and exposure are neccessary to learning how to decrease our symptoms ultimately...so keep trying and doing things.  I'm doing ok...still going back and forth in my head about going on a daily med like klonopin or trying to tough it out with the occasional xanax...I started taking a tai chi class and i usually have some anxiety for the first10 or 15 minutes in class, but then it seems to go away and the practice seems to be very calming..the hour and a half  winds up going  by very quickly. I am also trying to cut out alcohol to see if that will help get rid of the anxiety...this is a tough one, because I have used the alcohol to help manage the anxiety for a long time, but I know it is bad for it in the long run.  It's just that it also seems to be the most immediate relief, kind of a wicked catch 22..I didn't drink all week and then wound up having some wine on Sunday night and I do notice that my anxiety level is definately up today. Royboy..did you quit booze altogether?

[Royboy614]

Julie, I did quit totally for about 9 months then got drinking again about two to three times a week, but it's progressively notching up. I have decided that since I'm doing alright without it, (not like I was with it) I will stop all together.  I do notice that my anxiety is much higher after drinking.  Depression is much worse, too.  I had a severe alcohol problem before I got on all the meds I'm on now: Effexor, Metoprolol (blood pressure) Klonapin 1mg a day. The Effexor caused my blood pressure to be much higher than it normally is, which was pretty high. Alcohol makes my blood pressure to skyrocket.

Feel free to ask anything you'd like.

[juliesculpt]

Yeah, i actually took effexor for 4 years or so and it did work pretty well, but it wredcked my blood presssure and weight, so I got off it, and have been trying to go it alone. However, I know i use the booze to manage a lot of times, which I understand is not good.  I am reluctant to go on daily klonopin though, but I think I am headed that way. So have you drank while on the klonopin and has that been probelematic  I realize it is not a great combo, but wonder if a few drinks for a daily klonopin user can be ok?

[md135]

I also drank ALOT to control my anxiety and swallowing problems, so much so, to do the weekly grocery shopping i got very drunk, which meant i ended up buying **** i didn't even need haha oh well, but after been put on lexapro i read a lot about how dangerous alcohol is with these kind of meds, so i cut it out almost totally, doctors seem to say no more than 350ml drink when your on then, which is 1 bottle of beer, so for me that really sux cos to be honest if i could have the two it would be like xanax for me :) lol but i had to cut out the alcohol. A few sips is fine or half a glass on a saturday night i guess...

i justed upped my dose of lexapro yesterday and i had probably the worst night in a long time, i feel so sick all night and still now! i have a real bad headache, and my body feels really numb and sore, don't no what it is or even if it is the drugs but hope it goes away, i am sooooo tired, had 3 hours sleep and now i feel to sick with acid indigestion to sleep again... :(

[Royboy614]

I have quite a high tolerance for pills and booze mixed because I've done it so much, but I would not recommend it to anyone.  Of course I'd be a lot more unstable when I drank on Klonapin, just really unbalanced (physically).  I noticed that the medications didn't work as well the next day after drinking and I would feel anxious and depressed.  I feel much better today since I haven't had a drink in a few days, but I usually start wanting one (a bunch) in a few more days.  I can't function at all when drinking a lot and I can't sleep after drinking. I might pass out, but I don't get any real sleep. I was trying to work and drink at the same time, but couldn't. I couldn't sleep and that in itself would make me really nuts.  Lack of sleep is very, very bad for my moods. I can get manic, paranoid, depressed or all at the same time without enough sleep. I seem to sleep pretty well without the booze.  My life has been totally dominated by drinking and quitting drinking. This last year without has been pretty good and the few times I've been drinking I've been fortunate enough to not start up again in the morning, but that's just a matter of time.  Klonapin seems to help with sleep and the anxiety. Effexor seems to work for depression, but there's a new SNRI out that's suppose to be much better than effexor without the high blood pressure and weight gain. I can't remember the name.  I think it's a gamble with SSRIs & SNRIs with the weight gain.  I haven't gained too much on the
Effexor, but I had a long time with prostate problems. It's pretty much gone now, but I can still tell, I know this doesn't help for the females out there.  Constipation is a not so pleasent problem as well. They all say that this is a possible side effect, so Im not sure which one it is.  I'm suppose to go to bed now and it's 1/4 to 3 am and i'm not tired at all and worried about not sleeping.  I have my girlfriend and puppies to sleep with , so that's nice.  I hope that you get to feeling better MD135 and you too, juliesc.  This is a very difficult road and folks don't understand it and how bad it makes you feel.  When I'm on the verge of sleep I have horrible visions and bad dreams in the morning. I wake up crying half the time, but this seems to be getting better.  Waking hours are filled with fears and regrets.  Aren't we all so lucky.  I hope that we can all find some peace in life and not feel bad about being medicated some to get through this stuff.  In addition to the lump in my throat I get wicked heart palpatations.  It's very annoying and the doctor says don't worry about it.  I'm alright now, but the slightest amount of stress can set things off.  

God bless all of you.

[juliesculpt]

md135...it  sounds like the increased dose may not have agreed with you,  i would definately check that with your doc if it continues...unfortunately, all these meds have side effects, and it's different for everyone...I know it can take awhile to sort meds and doses out, so hang in there:) This swallowing thing is driving me crazy the last couple of days, I really can't even eat, because I am so neurotic about choking because it feels like my throat/swallowing mechanisms won't work right..this symptom is just so wierd, because it's NOTHING, there's nothing there, and I know that, but it still feels like I'm about to die a million times a day. Yesterday, even the xanax didn't help, which scares the #$*& out of me, because I have always been able to depend on that. I am really hoping that I can get rid of the alcohol and that that that will make a big difference, given enough time. Let me know if you remember the name of that new SNRI, though, Royboy, I would be curious to know more about it.

[md135]

actally after about two hours watching day time tv this morning i got so tired i just curled up with me partner and fell asleep for 3 hours, felt bloody great after it.. lol :) but ye i think the up in dose has had an impact, tonight now i feel very nauseous again so drinking peppermint tea and taking gavisgon, hope it helps, and have bad headache, but when i first went on lexapro i got all this then to, so i think i will stick it out for a few weeks and see how it goes, hopefully it will kick in in a week or so like the 5mg i was on.. been very twitchy today to, like i have a tick or something, i kind of find that funny though,(i no weird thing to say, but i was the laziest guy ever, and now i cant stop moving, i cleaned the whole house yesterday and washed everything! my partner was asking what the hell was wrong with me!! and its the best symptom she ever saw! haha :))

I really hope you get better, i have had "those days" that nothing helps you do everything you learned, everything that used to help and nothing! it just takes over and you got to go for the ride till it decides to stop! its very bad, so you took a xanax? does that mean your not on anything now, as in, daily med? maybe that would help if its getting bad again? maybe try take some time out for you, and calm your world down a bit? i was in the garden all day and felt a lot better, for a while..
can i ask you, what does xanax feel like? is it like being drunk or what? i want to get some if i have to go on holiday but very afraid of the unknown effect it would have on me.... thanks! hope you feel better!

[juliesculpt]

I am not on a daily med right now, I went off of effexor almost two years ago and maintained fairly well on natural supplements and the occasional xanax,(also quite a bit of alcohol maintenance), but now for some reason it is bad again. I did a lot of work and thought maybe I had made some progress away from the worst of it  without daily meds, but lately, I am back at square one....xanax could definately make you feel drunk if you took enough, I guess, but I never take more than .5 at a time and  usually that just takes the anxiety away so I feel normal.  sometimes it will make me slightly floaty, sleepy, mellow,as well, but usually it just normalizes the panic and gets rid of the symptoms. I am thinking now, though, that maybe going on daily klonopin is in my future, since i can't really tolerate the anti-depressants, though the effexor also controlled my symptoms fairly well. I would say if your doc gives them to you for holiday, just take a small dose at home to see how it affects you while you are in a safe environment. Make sure to ask the doc about interactions with anything else you are taking.  I've never had a bad response of any kind, and if you stick with an occasional low dose, you should be fine...

[md135]

thanks for that, ye i wanted to try it at home first, i sould feel better about it then.. ill try maybe .5 mg.. a lot of people on here seem to take xanax with lexapro so should be fine but i will ask my doctor to... :)

[shell1925]

I also get the lump in my throat, but unlike you guys mine comes and goes throughout the day and somedays I don't have it at all.  I do though have constant chest pressure that is with me pretty much from the time I wake up to the time that I go to bed.  I have a hiatal hernia and GERD so I was told that those 2 things could give me the globus sensation.  I hate the gobus sensation, sometimes it even causes me to have pain on the left side of my neck.  I was just prescribed Celexa and Ativan but I haven't started taking them yet.  I hoping these episodes will subside on their own.  I go months with feeling great and then BAM, they all hit me again.  I'm giving myself another few days and then I will probably start taking them.  These latest episodes have been around for about 3-4 weeks.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't want to go to the ER thinking I'm having a heart attack, but it is so embarassing to be sent home everytime I go.  It's been over a year since I've had to go so I guess that's a good thing.  Hope everyone is well....

Shell

[md135]

hi, do those meds work good for you? how much where you taking? hope you feel better soon...

[jeslats]

just started having the problem swallowing, just slaiva.  But could drink my beer and eat.  Alchohol and cigarettes go hand and  hand with anxiety... both cause anxiety to be worse but your mind says it feel better.  Got  hole of my Dr. tonight and he said the swallowing was due to globus ( sounds like something you get from the jungles) It is probably due to the fact I have to se  a Dr. in  a few days for hernias.  Whenever I have a Dr. appt. My hiatal hernia goes nuts.  So now I guess we have globus to go along with it.  Accupucture is  a great help for anxiety.  If the needles are placed in the right places, you will feel like you on  a cheap drunk, when your done.  that goes away in a few hours, and puts a real dent in the anxiety.  It's not a cure all, you will probably have to go back until you start to feel better.  It does not take the place of meds, but it really helps.   The  globus goes away with a few drops of tincture. (  a marijuana based liquid)  Since i can't smoke the marijuana the tincture  does the trick. When I was able to smoke the marijuana the anxiety dissappered in seconds.   so there are some ideas and the pills only work as long as you take them.  Taking them whenever you feel like it doesn't do it.  they have to build up in your system to work  and some take quite a while.  So take care all.