What causes gagging or dry heaving?

[Rs2win18]

I seem to suffer from gagging attacks, and sometimes start to dry heave and/or choke and cough. It's not usually accompinied by nausea but maybe once in awhile it can be, it's mostly just on it's on it's own. I usually worry about my breathing when I start to feel it coming and can feel myself very tense. It happens most when I feel pressured or nervous or when I have to go somewhere I'm worried about going. I have had Panic attacks with some OCD symptoms before but did very well with treatment. Now these seem to be more limited symptoms but very intense and I don't seem to be able to stop it. It doesn't feel like a panic attack, but more just something causes me to gag or dry heave. I was wondering are those symptoms of anxiety or should I seek another diagnosis, it doesn't seem to be listed in almost any book or information I've seen on Panic/Anxiety. Also is there something could cause this and if so, is there some type of treatment that could help or stop that gagging? It's very distressing and interfers with me doing things. Thanks in advance for the response.

[Jeff_Kramer]

You fine folks are not alone!  And I am now happy to know that I am not alone!!  I am 40 years old.  I have suffered from the gagging attacks for over 30 years now.  As far back as 2nd grade I can remember having the gagging attacks.  I knew something was terribly wrong, and hard candy always soothed the attacks.  I would literally go to school with pockets full of lemon drops to help me through the day.  As I got older, the gagging attacks became so common and severe at school that I worked myself into an ulcer by the 7th grade.  In high school, the attacks were more severe.  As many of you have already explained, they would happen when I got nervous or excited about something (getting ready to go out, hurrying to get somewhere...)  But the more attacks I had, the more fearful I was, and I would worry about having more attacks.  Soon, I could just worry about having an attack before a certain event, and sure enough, I would have one.  The cycle was vicious.  It became so severe that I was afraid to even leave the house!  By the time I was 16, I was a total wreck.  I knew that the gagging attacks were an acute form of a panic attack and I was worrying so much about them that it was ruining my life.  My family doctor had me go to several psychologists to get over my fears and my new phobia of going out in public.  They were perplexed as to why I would have these attacks way back as a child at 7 yrs. old.  What does a 7 yr. old have to be nervous about or have "panic attacks"?  I realized then that it must be some kind of chemical imbalance which causes them to start, but it was my never ending fear of having them again that brought on the vicious cycle of having them 50 times a day by just worrying about having them!  My family doctor decided to put me on Xanax.  I will tell each and every one of you...XANAX SAVED MY LIFE!!  Almost immediately I began to calm down and not have the constant fear and worrying about my attacks.  I was able to manage them better and gradually lessen the frequency of my attacks.  I still have the gagging attacks to this day, but only on occasions of extreme nervousness or excitedness, or social settings.  I replaced the lemon drops with Life Savers candy.  For 20 years now, I have been on Xanax and Life Savers.  I ALWAYS have Life savers in my pocket at all times.  If I have an attack, it calms me down immediately although temporarily.  But mostly they are a back-up.  Just knowing they are there...just in case, is a tremendous relief.  For my entire life I have never seen or heard of anyone else in the world who has what I have until I found this web page today!  The Xanax works overall.  I still have the gagging attacks but they are few and far between.  I know that they are caused by anxiety because of the situations which bring them on.  Also, if I forget to take a dose or am late in taking a dose, I get fidgety and I have mild attacks...mainly clearing my throat and coughing frequently, until I pop a Life saver in my mouth and all is well again.  I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but this is the first forum I've ever seen on this subject which has affected me for nearly my entire life.  I have accepted the fact that I will always carry Life Savers in my pocket for the rest of my life, and may very well be on Xanax for the rest of my life.  But it is 1000 times better than my life without them.  Your gagging is not an eating disorder, or a physical disorder.  It is your body's reaction to anxiety.  Ask your doctor to try Xanax to help get you over the hump.  It will not make them go away completely, but it will help you better manage the attacks and let you lead a freer life.  I feel like an expert on this condition since I have had it all my life.  If anyone has more questions about this, feel free to email me at ***@****.  I know the feeling of how helpless you may feel and wonder if anyone else has this.  The answer is yes!

[Jeff_Kramer]

You fine folks are not alone!  And I am now happy to know that I am not alone!!  I am 40 years old.  I have suffered from the gagging attacks for over 30 years now.  As far back as 2nd grade I can remember having the gagging attacks.  I knew something was terribly wrong, and hard candy always soothed the attacks.  I would literally go to school with pockets full of lemon drops to help me through the day.  As I got older, the gagging attacks became so common and severe at school that I worked myself into an ulcer by the 7th grade.  In high school, the attacks were more severe.  As many of you have already explained, they would happen when I got nervous or excited about something (getting ready to go out, hurrying to get somewhere...)  But the more attacks I had, the more fearful I was, and I would worry about having more attacks.  Soon, I could just worry about having an attack before a certain event, and sure enough, I would have one.  The cycle was vicious.  It became so severe that I was afraid to even leave the house!  By the time I was 16, I was a total wreck.  I knew that the gagging attacks were an acute form of a panic attack and I was worrying so much about them that it was ruining my life.  My family doctor had me go to several psychologists to get over my fears and my new phobia of going out in public.  They were perplexed as to why I would have these attacks way back as a child at 7 yrs. old.  What does a 7 yr. old have to be nervous about or have "panic attacks"?  I realized then that it must be some kind of chemical imbalance which causes them to start, but it was my never ending fear of having them again that brought on the vicious cycle of having them 50 times a day by just worrying about having them!  My family doctor decided to put me on Xanax.  I will tell each and every one of you...XANAX SAVED MY LIFE!!  Almost immediately I began to calm down and not have the constant fear and worrying about my attacks.  I was able to manage them better and gradually lessen the frequency of my attacks.  I still have the gagging attacks to this day, but only on occasions of extreme nervousness or excitedness, or social settings.  I replaced the lemon drops with Life Savers candy.  For 20 years now, I have been on Xanax and Life Savers.  I ALWAYS have Life savers in my pocket at all times.  If I have an attack, it calms me down immediately although temporarily.  But mostly they are a back-up.  Just knowing they are there...just in case, is a tremendous relief.  For my entire life I have never seen or heard of anyone else in the world who has what I have until I found this web page today!  The Xanax works overall.  I still have the gagging attacks but they are few and far between.  I know that they are caused by anxiety because of the situations which bring them on.  Also, if I forget to take a dose or am late in taking a dose, I get fidgety and I have mild attacks...mainly clearing my throat and coughing frequently, until I pop a Life saver in my mouth and all is well again.  I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but this is the first forum I've ever seen on this subject which has affected me for nearly my entire life.  I have accepted the fact that I will always carry Life Savers in my pocket for the rest of my life, and may very well be on Xanax for the rest of my life.  But it is 1000 times better than my life without them.  Your gagging is not an eating disorder, or a physical disorder.  It is your body's reaction to anxiety.  Ask your doctor to try Xanax to help get you over the hump.  It will not make them go away completely, but it will help you better manage the attacks and let you lead a freer life.  I feel like an expert on this condition since I have had it all my life.  If anyone has more questions about this, feel free to email me at ***@****.  I know the feeling of how helpless you may feel and wonder if anyone else has this.  The answer is yes!

[Garcia0869]

I almost cried realizing I'm not alone in all of this. My symptoms start with a tastless feeling on the back of my tounge when I think too much about the situation. But once I do it I'm fine afterwards. Usually mint gum or candy calms me down but when it's too late I gag and do it a few times. The only way I can help myself is to self inflict some sort of pain(no wrist cutting or anything serious) which causes my brain to focus on it such as butting my knuckle extremely hard or bending my finger to a hyper extensive point. Sometimes it gets so bad I grind my teeth and I have to stop everything I'm doing to gag. I have tried to figure out other ways to stop these attacks my telling myself that I'm weak and worthless and that I should stop letting this anxiety control me.

[coco5355]

I have a problem with my stomach.My stomach starts to hurt realy bad and than I get the dry heaves after I dry heave I fill so much better.It olny last untill I get the dry heaves and then it is gone.(like about 30 mins and it is gone after I dry heave) I had acid reflex  surgery about 8 years ago.Than about 7 years ago I filt this snap above my breast on the left side above my heart and it hurt so bad like some one just stab me in chest .Do you think it came undone the surgey that is.OH and I get sick at least 3 times a week
Please tell me what happend and what it could be please
                                            Thanks Pam

[lordchimp]

My situation is similar to that of KAHUNAx in that I would have the dry-heaving fits while playing hockey.  I was quite confused and more than slightly scared when it commenced so I saw a doctor who felt it was cold induced asthma.  This made little sense to me as I had been skating for two months problem free and then on October 22nd, 2006 it appeared.  Regardless, I was prescribed an inhaler and used the inhaler before I played games (which had no effect).  The problem got worse over the winter and began to flare up while I was walking to the bus in the mornings which made me believe the problem was between my ears rather than with my stomach or with my throat (because I experienced the tight, dry throat as well).  The problem with this is I don't have any anxiety towards work - I truly enjoy my job, I appreciate the people I work with and quite frankly, I really enjoy everything in my life.  I have played hockey since I was 4, love the game, and love coaching it as well.  To be perfectly honest, I'm one happy 25 year old.

The problems persisted over the winter, and then in late March/early April, it went away.  I play hardball and had no issues on the diamond in high stress situations and had no issues walking to the bus over the course of the summer.  Then a few weeks ago we started skating again and the dry heaving reared its ugly head again.  I said enough and went to a different doctor and he felt that maybe I suffered from a slight vitamin deficiency.  He gave me a Vitamin B13 injection in the shoulder and then suggested that I take some Vitamin D3 pills and said I should consider taking Vitamin A as well.  I've been skating over the past few weeks with no problems and walking to the bus is a lot easier than before.  

Might be an approach some of us might be interested in?

[KAHUNAx]

Please let me know if that works.

[ShellZee]

Please keep us posted on your progress. Thanks.

[McCarter]

My docter just gave me lexipro a med i hope it works....

[ShellZee]

Thanks to whomever created this forum.I've found so much peace at reading that I'm not the only one who suffers from these horrible, intense gagging fits.

I also suffer from sever dry heaving fits when I get super anxious. My doctor explained to me that it's my body's reacting to anxiety. My doc prescribed me Xanax for when things get really bad. I take 40mg of Celexa daily for my panic/anxiety attacks. Knock on wood, I have not had a dry heave fit since the end of June. I've also attend group therapy and learning deep breathing really helps me let go of the gagging feeling. One other thing that helps me is that I carry mints, water, pretzels and soda crackers with me. I find that sucking on a mint usually helps take the gagging sensation away while I drive or am in public.

I would really recommend talking to a doctor about your gagging fits. Mine have gone away since June when I started taking Celexa. I get the feeling that I have to dry heave from time to time but I fight it off with drinking water and a mint or eating starchy foods.

Hope I this is helpful to you. Trust me the gagging fits are HORRIBLE. I hate them.

[McCarter]

thanks man

[KAHUNAx]

I feel your pain i have the same problem and i've had it for like 2 years. Mine though bothers me before hockey games and it pisses me off beyond anything it feels like i can't play at my best. Sometimes though i could make it through games without gagging and usually without throwing up but once in a while i have to throw up becuz the gagging gets to my stomach. I feel so wierd and i ******* hate it. What i ussually do is eat or suck on some hard candy or chips during these gagging urges idk why but it helps me most of the time stop or prevents me from gagging. I am lookin for anything that can help the guy above said XANAX worked for him and it probably did i posted my own question and asked the same thing a guy told me that Paxil or somethin will should help and he said that this happens for a anxiety reason. If you find anything tell me!

[McCarter]

Any smart docters out there get off ur lazy butt and figure this out

[McCarter]

I have these same problems.  Mine happen before football games.  Everytime when we get ready to go 2 a footballgame i start gagging and my throat gets all drie and i turn into a complete idiot.  My minde goes blank and i dont no what the heck im doing.  The gagging turns in to puking for me.  Everyone on my team thinks its totally werid and sick and not commen.  It would be a dream for me to go 2 a football game and not feel like this and just be pump to play. Can somone plz give all of advise and tell us how we can get over this gagging disorder anxioty feeling plzzzzz.  Can someone smart plz fricken type a cure for this because its pissing me off

[Jeff_Kramer]

You fine folks are not alone!  And I am now happy to know that I am not alone!!  I am 40 years old.  I have suffered from the gagging attacks for over 30 years now.  As far back as 2nd grade I can remember having the gagging attacks.  I knew something was terribly wrong, and hard candy always soothed the attacks.  I would literally go to school with pockets full of lemon drops to help me through the day.  As I got older, the gagging attacks became so common and severe at school that I worked myself into an ulcer by the 7th grade.  In high school, the attacks were more severe.  As many of you have already explained, they would happen when I got nervous or excited about something (getting ready to go out, hurrying to get somewhere...)  But the more attacks I had, the more fearful I was, and I would worry about having more attacks.  Soon, I could just worry about having an attack before a certain event, and sure enough, I would have one.  The cycle was vicious.  It became so severe that I was afraid to even leave the house!  By the time I was 16, I was a total wreck.  I knew that the gagging attacks were an acute form of a panic attack and I was worrying so much about them that it was ruining my life.  My family doctor had me go to several psychologists to get over my fears and my new phobia of going out in public.  They were perplexed as to why I would have these attacks way back as a child at 7 yrs. old.  What does a 7 yr. old have to be nervous about or have "panic attacks"?  I realized then that it must be some kind of chemical imbalance which causes them to start, but it was my never ending fear of having them again that brought on the vicious cycle of having them 50 times a day by just worrying about having them!  My family doctor decided to put me on Xanax.  I will tell each and every one of you...XANAX SAVED MY LIFE!!  Almost immediately I began to calm down and not have the constant fear and worrying about my attacks.  I was able to manage them better and gradually lessen the frequency of my attacks.  I still have the gagging attacks to this day, but only on occasions of extreme nervousness or excitedness, or social settings.  I replaced the lemon drops with Life Savers candy.  For 20 years now, I have been on Xanax and Life Savers.  I ALWAYS have Life savers in my pocket at all times.  If I have an attack, it calms me down immediately although temporarily.  But mostly they are a back-up.  Just knowing they are there...just in case, is a tremendous relief.  For my entire life I have never seen or heard of anyone else in the world who has what I have until I found this web page today!  The Xanax works overall.  I still have the gagging attacks but they are few and far between.  I know that they are caused by anxiety because of the situations which bring them on.  Also, if I forget to take a dose or am late in taking a dose, I get fidgety and I have mild attacks...mainly clearing my throat and coughing frequently, until I pop a Life saver in my mouth and all is well again.  I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but this is the first forum I've ever seen on this subject which has affected me for nearly my entire life.  I have accepted the fact that I will always carry Life Savers in my pocket for the rest of my life, and may very well be on Xanax for the rest of my life.  But it is 1000 times better than my life without them.  Your gagging is not an eating disorder, or a physical disorder.  It is your body's reaction to anxiety.  Ask your doctor to try Xanax to help get you over the hump.  It will not make them go away completely, but it will help you better manage the attacks and let you lead a freer life.  I feel like an expert on this condition since I have had it all my life.  If anyone has more questions about this, feel free to email me at ***@****.  I know the feeling of how helpless you may feel and wonder if anyone else has this.  The answer is yes!

[click]

I was doing some research on gagging and read comments from July. There is a website on gagging that talks about stimulation of an acupuncture point in the ear. It was used on several dental patients who couldn't have dental work done because of severe gagging reflex. After the stimulation, 100% of them could have the procedures without gagging.
I am an EFT practitioner and it uses acupuncture points for tapping points. So, you could conceiveably just finger tap on these points.

[Mr ED]

Hi

I am ALWAYS stressed, due to my rubbish job, and I feel this is a big part of the reason that I gag every morning when I brush my tongue with my toothbrush. I do drink quite a lot too, so my mouth does feel quite furry some mornings.

But stress is also a part of it, I reckon.

[C4matted]

Yeah well I think I can relate to everyone typing on here. I first started having panic attacks when I was about 18 years old. It got really bad where I couldnt even be in a car with someone else driving! I couldnt really do anything social so I learned todo things that required only one person so I could do it by myself. My Anxiety was only getting worse. I saw a shrink for a little while but it didnt seem to help. Im almost sure this is a mental issue cause I used to think in my head when going to dinner or doing social things that If I was alone would I still feel the same? When Im sitting at a dinner table with 10 people and im feeling sick and nervous I picture in my head taking the same food and bringing it to a place where no one else is and I would be able to eat and feel alittle better. Anyways as I got alittle older I started dry heaving and gagging when I get nervous or Anxiety. Now it has become an everyday thing. Everytime I get up to go to work before I eat breakfast I may gagg 5-10 times! Im really trying to figure it whether it has something todo with food?? Im really weird about food and alot of times I cannot eat around people cause I have fear of getting sick! Strange to say the least but it anyone has any suggestions I would be ready to listen in a heart Beat! Thanks

[Sean Powers]

well it's great to hear other people have this too..though I don't wish this on anyone.

i just started doing this about a month ago. After an intense year of college where I had to wait for 3 months to know if I was accepted into a prestigeous program I started having these "gagging" attacks. Not so much the dry spot on the throat though I've had that on occassion, this is all out gagging. It is almost like clock work, when I brush my teeth I can't touch my tongue, after that when I'm just chilling around the hosue i'm fine. But the minute I have to go do something, as in go to work, walk the dog, etc. I start "gagging". by gagging i mean throwing up without actually puking. I have to lock my jaw and they usually go away after I just let a gag take place. No puking but as close to throwing up as you can get without throwing up.

I have no history of anxiety, or eating disorders. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to get the answer that I already know. It has to be an anxiety type attack. Nothing else makes sense. No matter what I eat, what I do it happens until I 'settle down". I've never been as stressed as I was this year (never been one to make a deal of it either) but it was a hard year, and the minute the waiting period started I started having these gag attacks. Gotta be anxiety, but if I find something out i'll let you know.

[spidermonkey]

ive had the same problem for at least 8-9 years.  i had the most problems at the dentist and sometimes in sports.  i found that sucking on a tic tac or any candy made it go away but only for a short time.  I have no idea why this happens and it doesnt have to do with what i eat or when i eat.  My best guess is that its stress/anxiety.  I also notice i can work myself into it like others have said.  For me it doesnt happen all the time, but is random.  When i gag it doesnt happen again and goes away, for instance if i run a long distance and gag i dont have the problem for the rest if the day.
I plan on seeing a doctor about it soon, but if anyone finds anything else that helps let me know.

[frogfucious]

Im relieved to see that im not the only one with this problem. The gagging feeling usually comes when I am about to do something stressful or something social. First I will feel the gaggingness in my throat and the more i think about it the worst it gets, a vicious cycle. When I give in to it and gag nothing comes out and I will feel better for a bit but then i begin to worry about it coming again and sure enough it does and then i gag, then I worry about gagging non-stop and get more nervous and gag some more. I've had this problem once every few years, lasting from a week to a month but this time its been going on for almost a year. It harsh effects all aspects of my life. Man it sucks...

[frogfucious]

Im relieved to see that im not the only one with this problem. The gagging feeling usually comes when I am about to do something stressful or something social. First I will feel the gaggingness in my throat and the more i think about it the worst it gets, a vicious cycle. When I give in to it and gag nothing comes out and I will feel better for a bit but then i begin to worry about it coming again and sure enough it does and then i gag, then I worry about gagging non-stop and get more nervous and gag some more. I've had this problem once every few years, lasting from a week to a month but this time its been going on for almost a year. It harsh effects all aspects of my life. Man it sucks...

[Luckypozzo]

Since I was 5 or 6 I remember everytime my family would go somewhere for vaction I would have these gagging attacks. Then when I was 14 I had to dropout of school because of these attacks started to happen almost daily. Now I am 23 and still have these attack. No doctor, I have seen about 30, had any good thing to say about it. They would say just dont eat and u wont throw up, needless to say that didnt work. The only thing that has ever worked is Vicodin. When i was hit by a car, the dr. put me on vicodin, and it was short of a miracle. When I was having an attack i would take a pill, and it would stop within seconds. I have started Zoloft, 3 days ago, I hope it works because I am thinking of stopping college because of this.

[Blue bossa]

I cannot explain in an email how happy I am to know that I am not the only one out there.  I have just turned 16 years old and for a year now have suffered constant gagging attacks every time I do something social or am very nervous.  A lot of times it even leads to vomitting due to a repeated gagging attack.  It has greatly affected my life and the people around me. I now dont want to do anything I usually do to constant gagging.  But I have a limited control on it.  A peppermint sometimes stalls my gagging and calms me down. Also chewing gum or swishing listerine.  I know its a mental problem because I think myself into it.  If there is any cure for my gagging problem please let me know because it is ruining my life

[boyzrtoys]

Well.. My mom was given Zoloft, but i dunno why b/c she's not like really depressed or anything. At times she could be but that is seldom. She never took them and she is ok. Me on the other hand could use some. Well i'm not really sure. What if i were to take the Zoloft? If i were to need it then i would feel better right? And if I felt funny then it means i dont need it? I am scared to go to the doctor and talk about myself b/c what if i get institutionalized? So i'd rather just test the drug. If you really aren't supposed to take it or if there is no chemical imbalance and you take zoloft.. would you feel a high? and if you did need it then would you feel normal? I know what normal feels like b/c that is when I Am the happiest. So, is it ok to take Zoloft to see if i were to really need it? Like to find out for sure if i suffer from depression?