# ulcers??



## nervous (Nov 30, 2006)

can anxiety cause ulcers? my stomach burns really bad all the time. its been doing it for years, and seems worse when im really anxious. i told my doctor a couple years ago. he pretty much lauged it off and gave me some acid reflux samples, which clearly isnt the problem.


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## MouseWithoutKeyboard (Oct 18, 2007)

Ulcers are caused by bacteria, not the acidity of the stomach.


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## mcnabj (May 21, 2005)

Stress does cause ulcers. I was checked for the h pyloria bacteria and came up negative. When I'm stressed I get indigestion. There is a link between the two. MY stomach problems reduced around my late 20's. I'm not sure why??


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## smalltowngirl (Feb 17, 2006)

Yes, anxiety can cause ulcers. I've never had them myself, but I used to have a friend in grade school who developed ulcers because a particular teacher made her anxious. She switched schools and they went away. Did you tell your doctor last time that you suspected the burning might be an ulcer? Maybe you should talk to him again because clearly something isn't right.


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

I think how it works is if you have the bacteria then anxiety and stress can make it flair up. Drs have never taken me seriously even though I've had problems almost continuously since I started highschool. When it gets real bad I can't eat anything for days on end unless I want to be doubled over with pain for a few hours. Still all I get is acid reducers that don't help :roll


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## MouseWithoutKeyboard (Oct 18, 2007)

No acid can penetrate the mucus lining of the stomach, however, the bacteria that causes ulcers (h.pylori) thrive in acidic environments....if your stomach is especially very acidic, the bacteria might grow and cause ulcers.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

h pyloria bacteria is the ONLY cause of stomach ulcers. Stress can make symptoms worse but CANNOT cause ulcers.


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## Broshious (Dec 23, 2006)

nervous said:


> can anxiety cause ulcers? my stomach burns really bad all the time. its been doing it for years, and seems worse when im really anxious. i told my doctor a couple years ago. he pretty much lauged it off and gave me some acid reflux samples, which clearly isnt the problem.


I used to get these super intense burning stomach pains from time to time. It was so bad that even standing up straight was hard. Antacids never did a damn thing to ease the pain. I just had to wait them out. They never did figure out what was causing them. It would also usually be somewhat uncomfortable to urinate when I had these attacks. I don't know if what you're experiencing is similar or not.


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## ignisfatuus (May 24, 2004)

Noca said:


> h pyloria bacteria is the ONLY cause of stomach ulcers. Stress can make symptoms worse but CANNOT cause ulcers.


That's like saying drinking does not cause accidents while driving. Cause and effect. What you are citing is basically verbatim from the scientific literature, but it is parsing hairs. Yes, the condition has to be there, but stress aggravates it. Without stress, it likely wouldn't cause a problem.


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## puppyluv (Nov 24, 2007)

Could be acid reflux. I was diagnosed about 15 years ago with an ulcer back before they knew about the bacteria that caused it. I took acid reducers(pepcid) and they helped. It eventually went away years later. Not sure if I took an antibiotic for something else that cleared it up or if it was acid reflux all along. Eventually that horrible burning sensation at around the top of my stomach/sternum area came back when I was under stress. Went to a Gastroenterologists aka GI docktor(stomach doctor) was diagnosed with gastritis. Stress related in my case. Given different kind of acid reducer(aciphex) prn(as needed). Mostly was treatable. After a few years aciphex stopped working. I was working at a really stressful job and had that bend you over stomach pain again and aciphex no longer worked. Went back to GI doc and had endoscopy done. I had acid relflux disease and hiatel hernia. I had erosion of my esophogus because of it. He gave me some liquid chalky meds I had to take for a couple of months to heal it along with prevacid. Started to feel much better. I say all this to say maybe you need to go see an GI doctor and have some tests run. Don't continue to suffer because you think there is no help. You just have to keep looking. If one doc laughs it off, go get a second opinion or third. Doctors can be very intimidating but they aren't all right. If you are too scared to go alone take a friend or parent.


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## SilentLoner (Jan 30, 2006)

I have had ulcerative colitis for years, and I can say for a fact that stress does influence ulcers. I think it can cause ulcers if its bad enough over a long period of time, but thats usually not the case.

It will likely get worse over time if untreated. See another doctor if you can.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

ignisfatuus said:


> Noca said:
> 
> 
> > h pyloria bacteria is the ONLY cause of stomach ulcers. Stress can make symptoms worse but CANNOT cause ulcers.
> ...


I wasnt aware that an ulcer without stress wouldnt cause a problem? Think before you insult me.


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## Kiwi88 (Jun 5, 2011)

H. Pylori is NOT the only thing that causes ulcers. I have one from taking too much midol. NSAIDS cause them too. The 1st sign of mine was severe nervousness and anxiety. I had no idea I had an ulcer for a few months then it got worse and my dr. figured it out. I have been studying anxiety for years and I am also a nutritionist for 20 years. You can have social anxiety or GAD and not have an ulcer but a "pre ulcer" or inflammation in your stomach and or too much acid will cause anxiety.
*It's a myth that stress causes anxiety and ulcers. Anxiety and panic attacks are caused by your digestive system. Anxiety is NOT psychological! *Tumms takes away my panic/anxiety. But you must stay away from all coffee, even decaf, tomatoes, citrus , chilies and anything else that causes or has a lot of acid. I have to stay on a low acid diet for ever to keep my stomach acid in check and it keeps my anxiety away. You need to control anxiety & ulcers with your food. No MSG or sodium benzoate either. Better to eat foods with no chemicals in them including food coloring, as they cause anxiety too. Ulcers will also cause weird dreams and nightmares, memory problems and even vision changes. 
ANXIETY IS CAUSED BY ULCERS not the other way around. Studies by numerous people like Columbia and San Diego U even confirm this fact. I have been studying this for years as I have had a problem with anxiety. Any Dr. that stills tells people that anxiety is stress needs to go back to school and should not be practicing. It is outdated thinking. Get another dr if yours tells you this and tries to get you to take antidepressants. Usually younger doctors are better because they're more likely to be up on the latest research. Older doctors tend to get complacent and do not study or read once out of school.

Ulcers are worse at night and in the morning. *I tried prilosec and those but the side effects are so bad I couldn't handle it (horrible nightmares, yeast infections, more anxiety). Also you can not take them for ever just a few weeks. Also food allergies can cause anxiety so you might need to rule those out too. Eggs give me horrible anxiety even though I had a skin test to see if I was allergic and it said I was not but I obviously am. I did the test by eliminating them from my diet and anxiety went away. I did that 5 times and every time I ate eggs anxiety came back. You should pay attention to when you get anxiety and what you ate before. You will notice a pattern emerge.*
Good luck. You can beat it if you really try and change your diet.


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