ASD and Stomach Problems

Hello All,

I apologise if this is already a thread, however this has been bothering me. I heard a while ago that people with ASD (I have Asperger's) are prone to having stomach trouble, and I was wondering if other people have found this? I myself has always had terrible stomachaches or just a constant pain in my stomach. I didn't think too much of it until I went to university, and for the past four/five years it's getting worse. Doctors tell me I have IBS, which is at least something so I can manage it, but I was wondering if stomach troubles is also a common theme amongst other Aspies and people with Autism?

Thank you :)

  • I have had constant stomach problems which are lessened by quitting dairy and gluten. There seem to be many people on the spectrum with digestive disorders. 

  • Wow this is astonishing with so many GI issues co-occurring.  My daughter is scheduled in for a endoscopy due to the blood test for coeliac disease coming back positive.

  • Thank you @Spotty and @Starbuck

    I just have to get through the next couple of weeks feeling Yukky on the gluten til the biopsy after which I’m hoping changes in diet will help.  As has been said it seems there are many co existing and interrelated conditions and just makes me marvel at what complex things our bodies are. I hope you find the scan useful. No I don’t think all the symptoms are a coincidence but as my Gp said even if I got a diagnosis of ehlers danlos how would that help me? I might pursue again after the celiac but it is our passion for research and trying to piece things together especially after years of struggle and misunderstandings. Yes there are some of the same symptoms within my family but I haven’t asked anyone specifically. Again thank you Spotty and Starbuck sorry for the delay in response xx

  • Hope you are not suffering too badly Misfit61.  Do you have any information on your family medical history?  My family don't really speak and also don't share crucial medical information.  I went on the war path when I was struggling with various things from shutdowns to digestive complaints as I wanted answers and an idea on how to manage things better.  I spoke to most of my family where I could and gathered information on my Uncles, Aunties and Cousins as well as close family.  There was a strong trend of neurological disorders in the females of the family, most members of my dad's side suffer with varying severity of digestive issues, the women all seem to suffer with epilepsy, MS, fibromyalgia, hypermobility, autoimmune disorders, the list goes on.

    I showed this to my doctor and he has requested a MRI scan to rule out further neurological issues.  I am not one for jumping to conclusions easily, but all these symptoms cannot be a coincidence!  It might be worth doing some digging into the medical history of your family if you can, to help show your GP if there could be any patterns or links.

  • Hello. I suffered the same and at uni was diagnosed with IBS. I then cut out gluten and things are so much better. I’m not coeliac. I have since also tested positive for a dairy protein allergy. So now I’m gf and df if I have any gluten or dairy I really notice the stomach pains! Hope this helps. Perhaps do a gf couple of weeks? 

  • I strongly believe the injections that they give you as a child trigger the already weak auto immune system. Hence the stomach problems pcos Nero problems 

  • Yeah I have really bad gastric problems worse when I have the vomiting bug. It is very common in people with asd

  • I think I'm in a similar boat to you and starbuck, ever increasing discomfort that I do my best to ignore and feel far too hypochondriacish to go to a Gp about it.

    I was diagnosed with IBS years ago but that doesn't quite fit completely.

    I read a bit about EDS and it seemed a bit like nailing jelly to a wall, with not even many healthcare professionals having much idea about it. Take care of yourself Misfit. xx

  • Ditto. I’m waiting for celiac biopsy next month. Like you I was looking into ehlers danlos but my Gp wanted me to get the celiac checked out first. I haven’t been on the forum lately because the symptoms have made me feel most uncomfortable and exhausted. All the different connections hasn’t ceased to amaze me. I have started looking at autoimmune conditions.. there is a long list. Like you there is so much ., the ND, EDS, Autoimmune to get to grips with. It’s almost unbelievable until I read on here that others do too . I’m just grateful people share such information because it makes me feel less alone. 

  • Hi Starbucks, I have tried varying my diet over the years.

    nothing has made any difference,

    i now drink goats milk instead of cows milk, I tried cutting out dairy altogether, no help! The goats milk may have made a slight improvement so I continue with it,

    i tried cutting out wheat, again no difference,

    I do not eat foods that are spicy or rich, preferring basic foodstuffs, plain is my game,

    I have been a constant 10 stone since late teens, the last few years I have dropped to a permanent 9 1/2 stone, maybe due to medication for chronic bad back? I take amiprozal to inhibit acid in the gut. The two other tablets actually for my back cause issues so that is used to help stop stomach pain that is associated with them.

  • Yeah I have the same problem.  Diagnosed with IBS as a child which was really bad at points.  I went vegan at 20 and that helped my digestive system a lot, but recently I have been suffering really badly again, to the point I am now being tested for Crohns, IBD and Celiacs disease and general anti-immune disorders.

    I have also noticed I have a lot of symptoms of Ehlers Danlos syndrome, but I don't want to go back to the doctors for fear of being labelled a hypochondriac!  

    There are a lot of co-morbid conditions with ASD it seems, but very little research into their links.

  • Me to!

    I always assumed everyone had continual stomach pain?

    hunger pains followed by no pain after a meal, then quickly followed by pain as if I have eaten to much.

    Also suffered other related issues as a child!

    The issues most don’t talk about through embarrassment, I now know why it was that way for me, 

    Embarrassment as well as being pitied as a young child,

    Seems this is very common but no real big research to understand it, 

  • Yeah this is true for me too. I have flare-ups of IBS quite frequently. Sometimes seems to be certain foods, other times seems to be just stress. It can be really painful and the bloating looks ridiculous. Could be a link of some kind.

  • I've read this too and it certainly applies to me. Despite IBS being mentioned by various doctors it was never actually diagnosed as such, because my symptoms didn't quite fit, and now I know why! (Asperger's apparently, although I don't get how it's linked!)

    I've tried various 'diets' where I've avoided 'trigger foods' etc but nothing made any difference to the random intense pains or the weird one-hour-to-two-day bloating periods where I suddenly look pregnant. I don't get any of the other IBS symptoms though. 

    I wonder if it's somehow linked to the fact that, apparently, PCOS is also a feature of (or somehow linked with) Asperger's?