anxiety cause gas??

[anxiousgrrrl]

I'll try to keep this short, I tend to over detail.
I have dealt with anxiety for 7 years now, started when I was 19. Main fear is social performance, afraid of being rejected or laughed at. It was very intense and only a social fear at 19, I could not do anything without a "safe" person. By 20 it was not as bad, still had anxiety but was dealing with it, using avoidance behavior when I could or pushing through it when I had to. Now it is back in full effect and more than a general social phobia. It is specifically a fear of smelling bad and/or passing gas and unable to tell if I am in fact doing so. How embarrassing is that?!? I know it all has to be in my head but can't get away from the insecurity I feel. I need to have an arm's legenth distance with anybody, the closer people get to me physically the more my anxiety kicks in. I have the "out of body" experience, feel detached from myself. I am too busy trying to figure out if I am being laughed at because I smell or if I am passing gas. When I'm with someone I trust I'll ask them if they smell anything or heard anything. Hahaha, it so ridiculous yet what my life revolves around, for now, I hope. One thing I am aware of is the effect of stress and grief on my gut. My emotions are tied into my digestive system, no doubt about that. Is this the physical result of 7 years of anxiety? I'm involved in counseling and giving 110%, feel good after the session but that's about it. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. My entire life is suffering from me not being able to relax around other people. It is constant fight or flight mode. I have read everything I can get my hands on about anxiety and have not found anything close to what I experience other than burping, and I WISH that was my problem. I am waiting for celiac test results, have cut out caffeine and fast food, also eat as little processed food as possible. Has anybody ever heard of this???  

[idk1000]

i suffer from the exact same thing as you guys & i heard that anxiety can sometimes put stress on your digestive system & cause gas.  i've tried changing my diet as well with no luck but i started running for stress relief & it helps get rid of some of it , but not for long idk what else to do help please

[probs2015]

i have the exact problem u r facing with right now ....and i dont know how to deal with this problem .... this is ruining my social life ..please tell me if u have got any solution for this.

[anxiousgrrrl]

Nice to know someone else out there knows what I am talking about. Haha and I do the same thing with perfume......can't wait till this phase is over with!!

[anxiousgrrrl]

Yes, I am in therapy, going on a month now.  Usually feel good the day of my session but the old anxiety feelings still happen. I practice grounding meditation and different muscle relaxation techs to get back in touch with my body. Seems to be working, time will tell. The weird thing about my phobia is I can’t tell if I am in fact passing gas and/or smelling. I know how strange this sounds, how can I not tell physically if this happening?? It is bizarre, the anxiety starts and I feel a total disconnect from my body. As if I am on autopilot. When this happens I try to look normal and carry on with whatever I am doing but my brain is completely focused on figuring out if the people around me are talking about or laughing at me. Try to hear their conversation and read their body language. At the same time take deep breaths to see if I smell anything. Often feel like the loner, sort of like I am on the outside of their inside joke. Make sense? Then I almost convince myself they probably are laughing at me, I must smell or maybe I farted and didn’t realize it. I know it’s normal to have gas, hahaha, I am aware that I do them all, loud to sbd such as the ones you described, haha. I used to not care about passing gas, would do it when I had to and it was funny. But after my anxiety started I think to make up for the fear I now feel I want to seem or be perfect to avoid looking weak. Pre anxiety, in my opinion, I was kind of an *******, spoke blunt and thought I was untouchable. I have been humbled, not nearly as aggressive as I used to be, and it’s uncomfortable for me.  I’ll stop rambling and save it for counseling. Thanks for responding!

[Jassiji]

Hi I have anxiety problem and too much gas in stomach which cause me burp a lot from last few month I check with doctor he did endoscopy and found I have ulcer that's why I have anxiety. If I have to wake up early morning  like 5am I can't sleep at night which cause next day tiredness and sleepy.few times I had heart beat fast.

[CSimpson000021]

hello i to suffer from anxity and i have talked to my reg. doc and i have stomach ulcers, and they were cuased from the anxity so my doc says. if also done some wild things with durgs, been clean for 9 months. i did coke for about 3 years and i do the same thing about the gas see i over use collogne to prevent me from stinking and deordante. i think we adventually learn the turth with our body and then we turly know how much to use and if we really are passing gas.

[Paxiled]

People who never used a drug in their lives suffer anxiety, so whether or not the drugs had anything to do with it, and they probably didn't, you have anxiety now.  You're describing what all of us feel about different things, the obsessive thinking that defines the disorder.  You don't mention if you're in therapy and you also don't make clear whether you actually have gas or just think you do.  It sounds like you just think you're passing gas.  We all do, you know, some are open about it and some are the silent and deadly types.  (The latter are the most dangerous, of course, since they give no warning.  Either way, real or imagined, this is just part of your anxiety, and therapy seems in order to deal with it.  

[anxiousgrrrl]

I did not want to include this, but think it may help me find some answers. At age 19 I had a miscarriage. The anxiety started the moment I found out I was pregnant and got worse after miscarrying. I was using drugs cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, and alcohol. Not proud of any of it and wish I never did drugs to begin with. I quit everything the moment I found out I was pregnant. I stayed with my then bf, not that I blame him my choices are my own, but he was an addict, always on something, and I continued to smoke marijuana with him until I was 25. Go to work come home get high everyday for years. I know the cocaine made me anxious also. I would have the fear of smelling and not sure if I was passing gas and not want anyone around me when I was high. I have not done any cocaine or ecstasy for 6 years. Why do I have the same paranoid feelings? I broke up with the bf, not smoked marijuana, drank alcohol or even caffeine for 6 months now. It should all be out of my system yet I still feel insane. I am at a total loss. I blamed my anxiety on my unhealthy relationship, pot and job for years and now that I changed all of it my anxiety is the worst it's ever been. I am very clean, never go any where without taking a shower first, keep a clean house, clean car. I am mortified if I hear someone talking about farts or a bad odor around me for fear they are talking about me. It is totally absurd to feel this way. Nobody has directly said anything to me or accused me of it. When I ask people I trust if they notice anything and they tell me no I secretly think they are lying to be nice or protect me so I'll get over it. I even had a colonscopy to see if anything is wrong, and I am 26! I get the results in a couple weeks. It has become a total nightmare and I'm running out of ideas. I have no social life and losing friends because I come off as a ***** who doesn't care when really I dying inside. Could I have damaged my brain from past drug use???? Prior to all of this I was fine, never had an issues with self confidence at all. And really how is it possible to not be able to tell if you are farting? Any help or ideas please share with me, I'm hangin by thread here!