Stomach issues

For me too when anxiety is high - I use it as a way of realising I am anxious when cognitively it is not obvious to me.  May I suggest that there is symptom management and there is addressing the cause.  If possible address the cause of the anxiety - although I appreciate that is by the nature of being autistic in reality often a very difficult thing to achieve.  In the absence of being able to address the cause for the anxiety then symptom management of anxiety in autistic people could be some moderate level or even short burst physical exercise (I don't think rushing back and forth to the toilet qualifies tho' :-)  it may mean doing the exercise before things get too bad)  This is supported by strong to moderate scientific evidence.  For what it is worth anecdotally, it works for me too although I acknowledge I don't do as much as would really be good for me (doh!).  Then sometimes when the anxiety is lower it is then easier to address the cause of it...   best wishes

I've been having problems in that department, too. It got gradually worse over the past two years to the point where my mental health is really suffering. My current theory is that I've developed a late-in-life (53) lactose intolerance. I cut out dairy and I'm much improved (so far). I never had a problem with milk, cream, yogurt, etc. before (loved the stuff), but apparently it is possible to develop a lactose intolerance at any age.

If you have some sort of intolerance to something, you might try to find it in one of two ways:

• Cut out a particular food for about two weeks and see if you feel better. If not, go back to eating that food and cut out something else. Rinse and repeat. You'll probably have your suspicions, so start with those (though I didn't suspect dairy).
• Try something like the FODMAP diet where you cut out a lot of different foods all at once, see if that helps, and then reintroduce the foods one at a time until you find your kryptonite.

I've been doing it the first way; I haven't got the will-power to do FODMAP and I find the idea impractical for my circumstances.

Anyway, I am not a dietitian, so take the above suggestion with a pinch of salt. Talk to your GP and/or a real dietitian (not a "nutritionist", anyone can claim to be one of those and they are usually just selling something).

Also I don't want you to think that this could only be a diet-related thing. There are lots of other reasons why you might be having issues, such as Crohn's disease. Let the medical professionals check you out and don't necessarily accept that your problems are all down to anxiety. It may be a factor, but it might not be the whole story.

I have suffered with agonizing stomach cramps that have left me lying flat on the floor as it was the only place I could be comfortable. I did a lot of research in to this and brought pro biotics supplements and live yoghurt. I am not giving medical advice here but this is what worked for me. I do get pain but put this down to anxiety but nothing like as often as before. 

I have 1 coffee a day but lots of cups of normal tea. I work from home, so its my short break routine to get away from the screens, so tend to have 8 or more cups in a day

Actually on holiday I dropped to 1 coffee a day and no tea, but mainly drank water (other than a small amount of alcohol each day).  First 3 morning there I got headaches  - this I think it was the drop in caffeine.  So was it lower anxiety due to break from home/work, reduction in caffeine or a combination why I seemed much better? One to think about

May need to give green tea a go

Thank you, I think to be honest it's just so reassuring to know I am not on my own with suffering with this. Thank you for taking the time to reply. 

I'm retired now so rarely get this, but I used to suffer quite often with it.

I found that coffee, mashed potato, onions, spicy foods and raw fruit or veg made things worse. Cutting back on starchy carbs and eating more cheese and eggs helped. I also took CBD capsules if I was very anxious.

This is not medical advice - I would advise speaking to a doctor or pharmacist.

I don't drink coffee but I do love tea. I think green tea might be good to try especially when feeling a little rough.

Thank you so much 

Its so reassuring to know that it's not just me to be honest. Im glad you had a wonderful holiday and it didn't get in the way. 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Its greatly appreciated. 

Do you take coffee? That can sometimes be a trigger. If it applies to you, it may be good to try having green tea for a while.

I have suffered with stomach issues/loose stools for 35 years plus, but never seen a doctor

It's only this year after my late diagnosis that I realise many health symptoms, this being one, is down to my anxiety.

Last week I went abroad with my daughter (likely ND but not yet diagnosed) and I was fine, no pressure of work.

This week back home with rest of family and back to work, and anxiety has gone up and back to usual regular toilet visit

Another thing to perhaps seek some advise on - but I feel there's enough on my plate currently.

Hope someone can advise of anything that helped them - whilst staying in the rules, am sure you will be reminded