My mother seems to get diarrhea any time she has a doctor's appt. or is worried about something. She is on anxiety medication and now has macular degeneration along with arthritis issues and being on blood thinners. The dr. didn't seem concerned and doesn't want to do evasive testing because of the blood thinners.
Of course, one would want to make sure there isn't any other causes of chronic diarrhea before attributing it purely to anxiety. Various stool testing can be done that is not invasive, and it is also important to rule out lactose intolerance (which is a common yet sometimes overlooked cause of chronic diarrhea).
The primary management for anxiety-induced diarrhea is treating the anxiety. While pharmacotherapy is one way to treat anxiety, stress relieving exercises (whether breathing exercises, meditation, tai-chi, yoga, or whatever else helps quickly relieve the stress) also helps. Taking extra fiber is generally a good idea if you have diarrhea, although it may not be as effective in anxiety-induced diarrhea. Anti-diarrheal medications (like immodium) may or may not work either.
Talk to your mother's doctor about this all next time, but if you want to get this properly addressed by your doctor, you may want to schedule an appointment specifically for this issue, so he/she will have enough time to properly evaluate it.
Hope this helps you out. If you have further questions, feel free to contact me directly (click on my profile for details).
Best wishes,
Vik Rajan, M.D.
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