Anxiety issues

[pnggrad79]

I know there is a wealth of support and information out there especially on this forum, but does anyone know anything about anxiety issues? Here's the situation.

My oldest daughter, 19, has some moderate to severe anxiety issues. She is deathly afraid of vomiting.(Sorry if that is gross! I have become desensitized to it, I have heard it so much). Now mind you, she hasn't done it for close to 12 years. But she is morbidly afraid of it. If someone gets sick, she sees it on television, it throws her into a tailspin and she gets nauseous and begins getting very nervous and starts doing obsessive-compulsive stuff to combat the nausea. She has trouble swallowing, and forget about pills. She breathes in so deep that her chest hurts and is sore all the time. She eats Rolaids and GasX like candy.

I first noticed this right after my ex and I divorced and we moved 80 miles away. Her 8th grade year was like this. She mellowed out from 9-12 grade, and now during her first year in college she is back at it. It all started when my youngest got real sick the last week in May. My oldest refused to be around her, see her, talk to her, for fear that she would catch whatever the youngest had.

This phobia is not like the fear of flying, where you can desensitize yourself to it, and get over it. My partner had a fear of flying, went to a therapist and got Zoloft and now she still fears flying, but has learned how to overcome her anxiety about it, and can do it. She even quit taking the Zoloft.


My daughter doesn't want to be free of this fear. She doesn't want to be able to vomit. I told her that I wanted her to be free of the fear of it. No one likes to, but she doesn't need to have this controlling her life.

She has to leave work because she is nauseated. It is affecting her relationship with her boyfriend. She comes home from work, and is rigid, stiff, and she is breathing heavy, biting her nails, refusing to eat, can't sleep.


I don't know if it is she is afraid of choking, or just a fear of the loss of control. It seems that this occurs at every major transition.

If anyone has any advice or knows anything about phobias and how to treat anxiety, please help!!! I feel helpless that I can't do anything to help her.

[keltic63]

While I can't speak to that specifically, I can tell you that your daughter should be able to find some good help at college. My own daughter needed to see a counselor last fall, and we were concerned about her seeing someone from the college. As it turns out, she was able to see a grad student, in the counseling program, and the grad student was closely supervised. It was a good experience for my daughter. Encourage her to use the services at the college; it's one of the reasons you pay high tuition and fees.

[rainbow7]

Good advice, Steve. I agree that this particular phobia is not like a fear of flying or some others, and it's unlikely that desensitization alone will be helpful. A relationship with a therapist she trusts can enable her to explore what this fear means to her and the role it plays in her life, so that she can expand her capacity to deal with anxiety.

Polly

[Zerbie]

I agree that a therapist could help.

But this is quite a specific issue with it's specific set of accompanying problems, so a grad student with general qualifications probably won't cut it. Your daughter needs someone with extensive training in anxiety, phobias, triggers, etc. Not likely to find that on campus. See if the campus folk can give her a referral to someone with extensive training and successful experience dealing with anxiety and phobia. This is too specialized to leave for general counselling.

[pnggrad79]

I am going to make an appt for her to see a psychiatrist on Monday, and hopefully they can get her on some meds to calm her down, so that we can get counseling. I asked her last night if my leaving her dad caused this problem and she said that it was the best thing for all of us. I asked her if my being a lesbian had some adverse effects on her, and she said that my being gay has nothing to do with it.

I really honestly feel that it is a control issue that is underlying in all this. She feels she has no control over much in her life and this phobia is something she can control, and it has turned into an obsessive thing she can't control. She has very poor coping skills and I hope that medication will calm her down enough that a therapist can work on these issues with her.

Please pray for her. Her name is Jaymi.:pray:

[u-dog]

Please pray for her. Her name is Jaymi.:pray:

We're WAY ahead of you on that!! :pray::love: Praying... its what we do.

[keltic63]

I agree that a therapist could help.

But this is quite a specific issue with it's specific set of accompanying problems, so a grad student with general qualifications probably won't cut it. Your daughter needs someone with extensive training in anxiety, phobias, triggers, etc. Not likely to find that on campus. See if the campus folk can give her a referral to someone with extensive training and successful experience dealing with anxiety and phobia. This is too specialized to leave for general counselling.

the beauty of the particular situation I mentioned is that the patient gets the benefit of 2 counselors.

[KennethJ]

pnggrad79, I think you are right that there are underlying reasons for this phobia and addressing those are what is most important. I'm currently benefitting enormously from psychodynamic psychotherapy. One thing I've discovered is that I sometimes have a strong urge to vomit even though I am not sick. I have learned that this represents a kind of purging from my past that I long for. Of course, I'm not generalizing this to your daughter, I'm just making the point that these types of impulses or fears are very natural and often manifest themselves for other reasons.

[pnggrad79]

pnggrad79, I think you are right that there are underlying reasons for this phobia and addressing those are what is most important. I'm currently benefitting enormously from psychodynamic psychotherapy. One thing I've discovered is that I sometimes have a strong urge to vomit even though I am not sick. I have learned that this represents a kind of purging from my past that I long for. Of course, I'm not generalizing this to your daughter, I'm just making the point that these types of impulses or fears are very natural and often manifest themselves for other reasons.

Wow, I never thought of it that way. Jaymi's problem is she has a strong urge NOT to vomit, and I believe it is a control issue. When she gets nauseous, she automatically works herself up into a nervous trainwreck, because she will not vomit at all costs, even one that harms herself. Part of me wishes that she would throw up and get it over with to show herself that this irrational fear has no basis whatsoever, and so she can move on.

My wife and I talked last night about it, and she feels that Jaymi needs to handle this on her own. She said that I needed to take a step back, realize that I can't just kiss it and make it go away, and that part of Jaymi's problem is that she hasn't had to handle it on her own and figure out for herself how to help herself.

In the past both my wife and I have had anxiety issues. I used to get really angry with my ex husband over things that I could never control. I can't control that he is a lousy schmuck who doesn't care about his children. I can't make him be cooperative and act in their best interest. All of this anger manifested itself in chest pains, palpitations, stomach pain, back and neck pain and one day after several months of this, and a lot of therapy, I just decided I didn't like how being angry with him made me feel. So I began to talk myself down from it everytime he pissed me off. I told myself that I was married to a beautiful woman now who loved me. I told myself that I couldn't control him or anything he did or didn't do. And as I talked to myself, I felt my chest relax, and I felt my stomach knots relax, so I kept talking positive things and it was amazing how good I felt when it was over.

My daughter can't seem to talk herself down, and I don't know if there is just a chemical thing she can't fix or if this is something she can fix and just doesn't know how. My wife thinks I need to back off and let Jaymi stand up and want to get better. I tend to want to jump in there, and comfort and make her feel better, but nothing I have tried has worked so far.

Yikes! I wake up and dread going in there to see what today is going to be like. Pray for us!

[KennethJ]

Is your daughter open to therapy? I think thats a great option, because it will focus on her. She will be in control, and it won't be you doing it for her. You had mentioned before that you think this may be a control issue. If this is the case, I can see your wife's point that you might need to let go and let her handle it. Is it possible she feels a bit smothered? Of course I know nothing about your family dynamics, I'm just throwing it out there :)

[pnggrad79]

I really don't know exactly what her problem is, but I want her to stand on her two feet and deal with this.

I really don't know how to help her, but I hope this is something she will get past and live a happy life. I really want that for her, but she has a bad habit of shooting herself in the foot and I have to just take my hands off and let her deal with it.:rolleyes:

[tymejumper]

If anyone has any advice or knows anything about phobias and how to treat anxiety, please help!!! I feel helpless that I can't do anything to help her.

I personally have Generalized Aniexty Disorder, GAD. It means that I am anxious and stressed all the time. I was getting so bad that I was having panic attacks at work and could not hardly function, could not sleep or anything. I finally got onto Paxil, and that helped a great deal. I also had therapy and that helped.

The difference between an anxiety disorder and anxiety is if it affects the persons life negatively and causes problems in 2 spheres, social, work or home life. She definately has a problem and needs help. It is affecting her job and home at least and she would qualify for a diagnosis.

It WILL not get better, it is not your fault or hers. It is not because she needs control, it is the fault of chemicals in her brain that are not as high as they should be. When there is stress in her life, it will manifest worse. It is not because of you, please know this.

The chemicals actually pool in a spot in your brain, (seratonin, dopamine etc)but those of us that have anxiety issues, have a leaky spot so the chemical never builds up in a large enough amount for us to use when we are stressed out and need to use it. Instead, it leaks away and is just not available. The SSRIs, or Paxil, Wellbutrin, Zolof etc, act like a plug and keep the chemicals pooled in that spot so when she gets stressed, the chemicals are there to use.

You need to get her to a Psychiatrist for meds and therapy, this will not get better on its own. It could progress, there are several types of anxiety disorders. OCD(obsessive compulsive disorder)(like Monk on t.v.) Phobias, PTSD(post traumatic stress disorder), Panic Disorder etc.

I hope this helps, if you need tocontact me to talk if you have questions, you can send me a message.(tymejumper@sbcglobal.net)


God Bless, Rebekah

[pnggrad79]

Tyme,
Thanks so much for your help. I hope to make an appt for her tomorrow with a psychiatrist, for meds and therapy. She has a myriad of symptoms: difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, jittery stomach, nausea (chronic), can't get rid of thoughts, and is absolutely scared to death of throwing up. I hope that she can get the help she needs. She has had periods where she displays hardly any symptoms and then it flares up again. Can there be periods of remission? Does stress cause the flare-ups?
Thanks for everything. :)

[scott snedeker]

Tyme,
Thanks so much for your help. I hope to make an appt for her tomorrow with a psychiatrist, for meds and therapy. She has a myriad of symptoms: difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, jittery stomach, nausea (chronic), can't get rid of thoughts, and is absolutely scared to death of throwing up. I hope that she can get the help she needs. She has had periods where she displays hardly any symptoms and then it flares up again. Can there be periods of remission? Does stress cause the flare-ups?
Thanks for everything. :)


If this is anxiety and other disorders ruled-out (thyroid etc) There are definitely triggers. The mechanism is a small region of the primitive brain called the locus ceruleus. This sends a nerve signal to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. Imagine a primitive cave woman responding to a noise outside her cave.

A small release of adrenaline causes flush face, accelerated pulse, sweating, rapid reflex response, anger. This is a preparation to fight and defend against a foe.

A larger amount released causes facial blanching, a sense of doom and need to run away. Like from an overwhelming enemy (like a bear attacking) Again this is a very primitive "cave woman" response by the central nervous system.

More still (the bear catches up and bites) she pukes, poops herslf, and faints. She looks dead, smells decomposed, and the bear leaves her alone. By stimulating this reflex she survives. We all will do this if we are frightened enough.

The problem is that in modern day these responses are not useful. Phobia, OCD, and PTSD are the most severe forms of chronic anxiety. The victim's fight of flight (or faint) mechanism is stuck "on" all the time.

Sedatives like Xanax, Valium, Lorazepam or Klonopin stop the locus ceruleus from stimulating the adrenals. These are effective short term, however the central nervous system usually develops tolerance to these with in weeks with rebound anxiety if stopped (mother's little helpers).

Antidepressants strengthen the inhibiting effect of the highre brain over the primitive brain by increasing deficient neurotransmitter levels back to normal (or closer to normal) blunting the effects of anxiety.

I commonly treated witha sedative and antidepressant simultaneously to start. The sedative is a bridge to get through the first four weeks of treatment with the antidepressant needed for the neurotransmitter levels to be restored. After which the sedative can be discontinued with improved anxiety symptoms with a pharmacologic treatment that is sustainable.

Antidepressant is an inadequate term for the uses of these medicines. They are more effective for chronic anxiety than they are for depression as a matter of fact. I call them mood restorers because patients can't get past the stigma of taking a drug for "mental Illnes"

Cognitive therapy is the long term solution. The antidepressant optimally should be a bridge (typically one to three years) until the patient understands the etiology of the anxiety and ways to use their intellect and thought focus to better compensate.

It should go without saying that alchohol, drugs, abusive situations and ghetto-thinking all worsen the problem.

[pnggrad79]

If this is anxiety and other disorders ruled-out (thyroid etc) There are definitely triggers. The mechanism is a small region of the primitive brain called the locus ceruleus. This sends a nerve signal to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. Imagine a primitive cave woman responding to a noise outside her cave.

A small release of adrenaline causes flush face, accelerated pulse, sweating, rapid reflex response, anger. This is a preparation to fight and defend against a foe.

A larger amount released causes facial blanching, a sense of doom and need to run away. Like from an overwhelming enemy (like a bear attacking) Again this is a very primitive "cave woman" response by the central nervous system.

More still (the bear catches up and bites) she pukes, poops herslf, and faints. She looks dead, smells decomposed, and the bear leaves her alone. By stimulating this reflex she survives. We all will do this if we are frightened enough.

The problem is that in modern day these responses are not useful. Phobia, OCD, and PTSD are the most severe forms of chronic anxiety. The victim's fight of flight (or faint) mechanism is stuck "on" all the time.

Sedatives like Xanax, Valium, Lorazepam or Klonopin stop the locus ceruleus from stimulating the adrenals. These are effective short term, however the central nervous system usually develops tolerance to these with in weeks with rebound anxiety if stopped (mother's little helpers).

Antidepressants strengthen the inhibiting effect of the highre brain over the primitive brain by increasing deficient neurotransmitter levels back to normal (or closer to normal) blunting the effects of anxiety.

I commonly treated witha sedative and antidepressant simultaneously to start. The sedative is a bridge to get through the first four weeks of treatment with the antidepressant needed for the neurotransmitter levels to be restored. After which the sedative can be discontinued with improved anxiety symptoms with a pharmacologic treatment that is sustainable.

Antidepressant is an inadequate term for the uses of these medicines. They are more effective for chronic anxiety than they are for depression as a matter of fact. I call them mood restorers because patients can't get past the stigma of taking a drug for "mental Illnes"

Cognitive therapy is the long term solution. The antidepressant optimally should be a bridge (typically one to three years) until the patient understands the etiology of the anxiety and ways to use their intellect and thought focus to better compensate.

It should go without saying that alchohol, drugs, abusive situations and ghetto-thinking all worsen the problem.

Thank you Scotty! Like I said, I know there is a wealth of information from you guys and I need help. She was a basket case all weekend, and I need to get her out of this mode of thinking. BTW, what is ghetto thinking?

[scott snedeker]

Thank you Scotty! Like I said, I know there is a wealth of information from you guys and I need help. She was a basket case all weekend, and I need to get her out of this mode of thinking. BTW, what is ghetto thinking?

Ghetto thinking is:

"I deserve this because it is my lot in life and I am not entitled to every resource and comfort available to me. That unlike everyone else I can wait and not drop everything right this minute to start changing it."


I very strongly suspect the time is now to get her to a mental health fascility. I would take her to a crisis center now! The minute you read this post!

If you don't and she harms herself you will not forgive yourself! The situation is ripe for her to harm herself, try a potent street drug or engage in risky behavior! At some point she will do anything to stop the torture that she cannot escape!

Occaisionally I adopt an authoritarian posture in my practice when I judge that it is essential. I say this because I have read in the newspaper the obiturary of patients with similar presentations that I saw the day before!

Everyone has a breaking point. Don't let her get any closer. The margin of safety is already too narrow! Take off work! Cancel any engagements! This is priority number one! Everything else can be rearranged or fixed later. Death is irreversible, and street drug addiction virtually so in someone with an emotional disorder.

This is not a drill!

Good luck! and my heart goes with you!

[pnggrad79]

Ghetto thinking is:

"I deserve this because it is my lot in life and I am not entitled to every resource and comfort available to me. That unlike everyone else I can wait and not drop everything right this minute to start changing it."


I very strongly suspect the time is now to get her to a mental health fascility. I would take her to a crisis center now! The minute you read this post!

If you don't and she harms herself you will not forgive yourself! The situation is ripe for her to harm herself, try a potent street drug or engage in risky behavior! At some point she will do anything to stop the torture that she cannot escape!

Occaisionally I adopt an authoritarian posture in my practice when I judge that it is essential. I say this because I have read in the newspaper the obiturary of patients with similar presentations that I saw the day before!

Everyone has a breaking point. Don't let her get any closer. The margin of safety is already too narrow! Take off work! Cancel any engagements! This is priority number one! Everything else can be rearranged or fixed later. Death is irreversible, and street drug addiction virtually so in someone with an emotional disorder.

This is not a drill!

Good luck! and my heart goes with you!

Thanks Scotty,
Jaymi is not suicidal or at least she has admitted to me several times that she is not, but she is definitely tired of feeling like this, because she doesn't understand it and her fatalistic thinking has her jumping to the most extreme conclusions. (I have a brain tumor, I have stomach cancer, I have colon cancer, etc.)
I went today to a health food place and got her some natural anxiety reducing formulas, so I got her Valerian and Passion Flower and L-Tryptophan. After she took it, she finally sounded normal again and for that I am extremely relieved. But thanks for your advice. We go see the doctor tomorrow.

[tymejumper]

Tyme,
Thanks so much for your help. I hope to make an appt for her tomorrow with a psychiatrist, for meds and therapy. She has a myriad of symptoms: difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, jittery stomach, nausea (chronic), can't get rid of thoughts, and is absolutely scared to death of throwing up. I hope that she can get the help she needs. She has had periods where she displays hardly any symptoms and then it flares up again. Can there be periods of remission? Does stress cause the flare-ups?
Thanks for everything. :)



Yes, stress does cause anxiety disorders to flair up. When things go good, then you don't have the anxiety as much, you can cope better and use less chemical from your brain to cope, there is enough of it. If you are stressed out, then you quickly use up what you have and are at a deficit. I have found being aware of highly stressful situations can help me to avoid and prepare for them. I have found that extra sleep and taking care of mysel, not doing to much, rest at home and taking care of myself helps a little bit when I am feeling anxious. The feelings are still there, and I can't make them go away, but I use my "toolbox" as I call it of tharpy tricks I have been taught to relax and handle it better. The medicine does the rest.

Also, if you have other childred, I think you said you did, then it does tend to run in families.

Glad I could help, keep us posted and if you have questions, I will try my best to help

Much Metta,

Rebekah

[tymejumper]

[quote] I call them mood restorers because patients can't get past the stigma of taking a drug for "mental Illnes"[quote]



Scott I am so glad you said that. A lot of people do indeed have that stigma attached to so called "mental Illness" aside form the attitiude of "you can control it, you can handle it, be a man/woman and bite the bullet" I even have to admit it was very difficult for me to go onto a drug I, as an Occupational Therapist, KNEW would help and KNEW I had to stay on. I went through several other options and finally was forced to admit that I needed something to help with all my anxiety. I am of course much happier now. The worse part is guess what my background and internships were in? You got it, Mental health! ( Maybe us medical people are worse? LOL)

Rebekah

[pnggrad79]

Tyme,
Thanks for sharing your pearls of wisdom. I am taking her to a doctor tomorrow and hopefully I can get her an appt with a psychiatrist here soon. They are incredibly difficult to get ahold of at least here. She has tried 4 times to make an appt but when she calls on her breaks she has to leave a message and when they call her back and she can't answer while she is working. They don't want me to call. Anyway, I hope they test her thyroid, and other metabolic issues to see if that could be a contributor to her symptoms. Keep praying for her and I will keep ya'll posted. Thanks again.:):)

[pnggrad79]

Tyme,
Yes I do have one more daughter, Kyrie. She is 16 and so far does not display any type of anxiety issues. I don't know if I could handle two of them!! She has her stuff to deal with, too, however. I have migraines and she does, too. She has had migraines since she was 3. She also has psoriasis. But whereas Kyrie deals with her stuff and moves on, Jaymi stays stuck in her own brain and becomes rather self centered. It is all about her. I know this is hard on Jaymi, and I know part of her anxiety is that she just can't figure out why this is happening to her.
If I have something strange happen to me, I do a lot of reading about it, or go see a doctor, and when I get information about it, it makes me take an objective look at it and I feel better because in my mind, I have worked it out, or at least de-mystified it. Jaymi can't step back. She seems to be so focused on this, she can't see it objectively. I am hoping that medication can help her de-mystify this thing and look at it clinically, and not some hairy monster that is going to devour her.
I keep telling her that she just needs a little help bridging the gap, but she can't quit life. She has bills to pay, a boyfriend, a job she must keep, a car to maintain, and a life to live. If I let her, she would stay on the couch, complaining loudly of how her stomach is nauseous and how jittery she feels. This is all she talks about, how she feels that day. In my mind, she is NOT sick. She is not sick in the sense that she has to stay homebound and near a bathroom. She can move around, she can go to work.
I am trying to understand this, but we all have our stuff to deal with. We need to deal with it and move on, keep going, don't quit life just because you have stuff. She is 19 , not 75. Sometimes she acts older than I am.
Anyway, we are going to see her GP today and hopefully they can do some tests on her thyroid and hormone levels. Maybe even prescribe something to chill her out a little so she can function. All they gave her at the Urgent Care Clinic was Phenergan. It got rid of the nausea, but she was still jittery and unable to swallow.:rolleyes:

[pnggrad79]

Well here is an update:

1. Jaymi is feeling better. She is almost back to normal.

2. She made an appt with a psychiatrist for next Thursday. Keep her in prayer that the doctor can accurately assess her problem and give her the proper medication to help her.

Thanks for your prayers and support through this. I really do appreciate the kinddness. You are really a family to me, since my own has thrown me out. Her own father is too busy kissing his new wife's ass to even care about his own daughter and how she is doing. I told him about it and all he did was give me numbers to call. Have not heard anything else from him. Doesn't surprise me though.

[keltic63]

wow! she made the appt??? that's great, because it means she's willing to take the first step to getting some help! This is good news!

[tymejumper]

Well here is an update:

1. Jaymi is feeling better. She is almost back to normal.

2. She made an appt with a psychiatrist for next Thursday. Keep her in prayer that the doctor can accurately assess her problem and give her the proper medication to help her.

Thanks for your prayers and support through this. I really do appreciate the kinddness. You are really a family to me, since my own has thrown me out. Her own father is too busy kissing his new wife's ass to even care about his own daughter and how she is doing. I told him about it and all he did was give me numbers to call. Have not heard anything else from him. Doesn't surprise me though.


Sorry, sounds like her father is like my ex husband. I am glad that she is feeling better, Phenergren stops nausea and also calms you down, it can make you sleepy, it is probably taking the edge off her anxiety. It also sounds like she would really benefit from Psychotherapy and having her own tool box. Eveyone deals with stress different and it may be that your other daughter is more resiliant, your anxiety ridden one could be highly sensitive and reacting accordingly. I have three and my middle, is a boy that is very OCD. He stresses out and he gets all freaked out on things that don't bothere the girls. I try to keep things very calm and schedualed for him which does help. Therapy is ongong with all my kids and that has helped immensly.

Much Metta,
Rebekah


P.S. Scott would have more info on Phenergine and the effects.

[scott snedeker]

Tyme,
All they gave her at the Urgent Care Clinic was Phenergan. It got rid of the nausea, but she was still jittery and unable to swallow.:rolleyes:

Phenergan is an antiemetic that has some sedating effects. This is because it is distantly pharmacologically related to thorazine.

This is the most superficial of bandaid treatments for her condition, but it has a low potential for addiction. The walk-in physician is likely being very cautious not to start a dependency on sedatives for which patients with this condition are at high risk.

Inability to swallow is called a globus sensation (Glow-bus). In is caused by the constriction of muscles in the larynx (lair-rinks) or voice box. It is a response designed to make the person pass-out and "play dead" for the bear.

This is a measure or how severe the level of anxiety is. I would have liked to have seem the doc prescribe paxil (generic paroxetene) to start making headway (takes 3 weeks to work). Paxil is also very effective at treating anxiety in people who can't eat sufficiently as one of the symptoms.

Hold on sweetie! Our thoughts are with you!

[pnggrad79]

I have been wondering if her difficulty in swallowing is a result of her anxiety, as well as the nausea, or if it was something separate contributing to the problem.

The Phenergan seemed to get her over the hump last week, and the GP she saw on Monday said that she would order more for Jaymi if she needed it. Jaymi is also taking Passion Flower and Valerian, herbs designed to reduce anxiety. She had a pretty good week, and we are looking forward to seeing the psych on Thursday.

She can't swallow pills, and so far as I know, only Paxil and Zoloft come in liquid form. Is there any kind of therapy she can get for difficulty swallowing?

[scott snedeker]

Though any type of cancer is extremely rare in folks this young, a barium esophagram might be recommended.

The difficulty is overcoming a phobia of swallowing pills. She certainly swallows solid food in pieces far larger than a paxil tablet (Approx 8 mm long and 3mm wide). But as paxil is likely the best parmacologic agent, it is a bonus that it is available in liquid form. There is the old crushing in applesauce trick to fall back on (I think the liquid form is brand name only).

one technique is to place the tablet on the tongue and the take a swig from a coke bottle. the pill usually pops down dancing in bubbles completely unsensed by the throat.

A speech therapist might be able to train her to use her swallowing muscles better.

[pnggrad79]

Scotty,

Back in 8th grade when she began having these problems, I did take her to have the barium swallow, and she did see a speech therapist for swallowing maladies. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to do it again, but nothing showed up the first time. I don't think it is something wrong with her throat, I think it is all related to her fear of choking/throwing up. It is totally illogical and irrational, because she does swallow food a lot bigger.

She did swallow a Vicoprophen which is very small when she had dental work done to get braces when she was 14. That was the last pill she swallowed.

My hope is that therapy will help her overcome these fears, so that she can swallow a pill, and able to get a handle on her anxiety. I am afraid she will worry herself into an ulcer.

[tymejumper]

A speech therapist might be able to train her to use her swallowing muscles better.



that would be my suggestion as a therapist also, Scott.

[pnggrad79]

Everyone,

She went to see the psychiatrist today and just like I figured, she was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and prescribed Lexapro. She has to swallow a pill, which up till now has been such a problem, since part of her phobia is choking while trying to swallow a pill and therefore throwing up.

So if anyone has any special tricks or knows how to overcome not being able to swallow pills, I would be very interested.

[tymejumper]

Everyone,

She went to see the psychiatrist today and just like I figured, she was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and prescribed Lexapro. She has to swallow a pill, which up till now has been such a problem, since part of her phobia is choking while trying to swallow a pill and therefore throwing up.

So if anyone has any special tricks or knows how to overcome not being able to swallow pills, I would be very interested.



I taught my son, who has a very hypersensitive gag reflex, and hates new textures, to swallow pills by starting with mini m&ms. I rubbed them with cooking oil and put one far back on his tongue, and gave him a drink. Over time I got regular m&ms and did the same thing, moving up to larger items, candies etc. Now he is great with it.

You need to have a quicker solution, so why not crush it and put it into apple sauce for her to eat? Take about a tablespoon of apple sauce and crush the pill, with a glass or rolling pin(you can put it into a baggie first or get a cheap pill grinder/morter and pestle from the drug store)and mix it with the apple sauce. Also, pudding works cause it can mask the taste better. Have her drink with lots of water to get rid of the taste, it will probably be nasty! Those are the most common tricks I can think of, and that we use for our elderly 'can't swallow' patients. It works pretty well. Just crush the pill as much as you can.

I would also work on the swallowing with the m&m trick. Also, did you know if you take a drink, pop in the pill and look DOWN to the floor, the pill will float to the back of your mouth and be easier to swallow?

I am glad she has a diagnosis and is seeing someone, there are lots of books out there and info online. Good luck and Much Metta,

Rebekah

[u-dog]

I taught my son, who has a very hypersensitive gag reflex, and hates new textures, to swallow pills by starting with mini m&ms. I rubbed them with cooking oil and put one far back on his tongue, and gave him a drink. Over time I got regular m&ms and did the same thing, moving up to larger items, candies etc. Now he is great with it.

You need to have a quicker solution, so why not crush it and put it into apple sauce for her to eat? Take about a tablespoon of apple sauce and crush the pill, with a glass or rolling pin(you can put it into a baggie first or get a cheap pill grinder/morter and pestle from the drug store)and mix it with the apple sauce. Also, pudding works cause it can mask the taste better. Have her drink with lots of water to get rid of the taste, it will probably be nasty! Those are the most common tricks I can think of, and that we use for our elderly 'can't swallow' patients. It works pretty well. Just crush the pill as much as you can.

I would also work on the swallowing with the m&m trick. Also, did you know if you take a drink, pop in the pill and look DOWN to the floor, the pill will float to the back of your mouth and be easier to swallow?

I am glad she has a diagnosis and is seeing someone, there are lots of books out there and info online. Good luck and Much Metta,

Rebekah

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before crushing the pills (or emptying the capsules). Sometimes those pills are time release and designed to disolve at a specific rate in your stomach.