Autism and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders

Hello Nemo. I've only had it about 5 years but it has added to my problems exponentially.  I had severe problems before all this ,of course.

I've heard you can drink Wine with it.  Red wine only isn't it?  I'm a recovering alcoholic so I best not do that.

Very interested to hear that so many people here also have reflux problems. I developed a hiatus hernia at 30 (12 years ago) and been on medication ever since. I didn’t know I was autistic back then and all I could find about it was that it generally affected people over 60 or overweight, neither of which I was so it’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. Had no idea it may have a connection with autism - perhaps brought on by the constant anxiety or something

me too , i was diagnosed with aspergers back in 2018 and have had reoccuring stomach issues since 2017 , been back and fourth with doctors  reflux issues and stomach pains which have lead to multiple a&e visits , tests and and even a camera showed  no signs of anything severe  . 
i have noticed when im stressed my symptoms flare up and vice versa

I’m autistic and both of my adult children are autistic. My eldest has had long standing and quite serious GI problems - to the extent that he gets seriously underweight and has iron deficiency etc. it’s been a huge problem for him. He has a very healthy and varied diet. My youngest has a very limited and unhealthy diet due to issues with food relating to his autism - and that affects him. But he doesn’t have the same serious issues as my eldest. I get very affected by stress - it upsets my stomach. My eldest’s Consultant talked him about the ‘gut/brain axis’ - which seems to be a key aspect of all of this. It definitely seems to be a common problem for autistic people. Hopefully one day they’ll be more research and support for this. 

I have  Coeliac's Disease too, The food is so much more expensive,  I do missed drinking lager I've had to change to drinking wine lol

Another up-vote here for the stress theory. When I’m settled, calm and not triggered or obsessing negatively about things - essentially ‘well’ from a mental viewpoint - I notice a very happy and settled digestion. When my mental state is not good it’s the opposite either with reflux or let’s just call them “challenges” at the other end of my digestive tract. I have been tested for the various digestive conditions and the very serious illness that can develop and thankfully I am negative. I believe this is all stress related. And as an autistic, I do get stressed or make myself stressed more than I should. For me the best treatment is to try to avoid all the stressors. To me the link is now so obvious that I can use my digestion as an early warning system of stress levels rising. 

I have extremely fast digestion since birth and so does my autistic father. No cause has been found. I can control it a little by eating a very bland limited fiber diet and avoiding stimulants like caffeine but it never slows down to the extent of a normal person. It is difficult to keep weight on.

've tested negative for celiac multiple times and ruled out specific food allergies by cutting back to just white rice and water and then testing ingredients one at a time over about s year.

I apparently have no inflammation.

As a fellow Coeliac, I agree 100%.

That sounds similar to my state.  You have my sympathies.

I suffer from a lack of energy too. I am anaemic and some of the medication I take deprives me of other things like B12 among other things that also make me very tired all the time.

I have Coeliac's Disease also.  I despise it.   It's robbed me of all energy and ambition.

Co-occurring conditions like GI issues or other medical issues potentially do mask autism so, I believe that this is likely to be correct. It's very interesting!

Your spaniel and my beagle would potentially get on very well because you've just described his personality to a tee!

I am sorry that it makes you sad. However, you aren't on your own as this thread shows. There are plenty of autistic people out there who have had or currently have similar experiences and medical issues as you. If it is ever getting you down then please reach out or just reach out anyway, even if you're sad about something else. 

Well, if you do try it and it works for you, then it seems like there are a number of people in this thread who would benefit from hearing your results!

I believe that my GI issues are definitely linked to my diagnosis or vice versa. I actually think that my GI issues may have masked my diagnosis as a child. But as you said, there's not been enough research to back up such a claim.

On an educational session earlier in the year, it was positioned that the link might be the other way round.

Higher than normal levels of stress and anxiety as a result of our autism increase the hormones our gut has to deal with and as a result causes various conditions and issues.

I share the same digestive profile as my spaniel, food goes through too fast and his guts are never settled. He's also shy, nervous, excitable, get anxious and hides under the bed when there's too many people in the house, seems very intelligent too....

I am diagnosed autistic and I suffer from acid reflux as well. I am currently on medication too and I always have digestive tract issues. I also have been diagnosed with anorexia, which might've caused some digestive tract issues as well. Almost all of my problems have been caused by my digestive tract. It makes me extremely sad to think about it.

Hi,

I am autistic and I recently read an article about this. Apparently autistic people have a high level of a certain type of gut bacteria in their guts. It has also been found that around 75% of autistic people have a digestive issue of some kind.

Personally, I have a sliding hiatus hernia which causes acid reflux, indigestion, nausea, and bloating. I have been on medication for it in the past because I got a stomach ulcer. But, the ulcer has since healed and I manage it without medication now. I have to avoid acidic and spicy foods. I am also lactose intolerant which I believe is also because of the autism. I am of white northern European descent, and this group of people have the highest rates of lactose tolerance. Furthermore, no one else in my family (immediate or extended) is lactose intolerant. So it is very weird that I am lactose intolerant. My identical twin is also autistic and lactose intolerant, but she does not have a sliding hiatus hernia.

Also my dad was autistic and he had severe stomach issues that were never diagnosed. He was told it was irritable bowel syndrome. But, I don't know. He was on a very restricted diet for a lot of his life.

Anyway, the article I was reading about autism causing digestive issues was suggesting that eating one yogurt with probiotics everyday might help improve digestive issues by improving the balance of gut bacteria in autistic people's guts (i.e. intestines). And, if you can't have dairy there are dairy free yogurts with probiotics in them too. Of course, there haven't been many studies on this yet, so it's hard to say whether it would actually be effective. Personally, I haven't tried it, but I am considering it.

Lemon doesn't help very much for stomach issues. In fact, because it has such a high citric acid content it can even make them worse. According to this study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229917302273 lemon can have neutralizing affect on stomach acid, but it is as affective as drinking plain water. So in other words, you might as well drink water instead of lemon juice for heartburn because it will have the same amount of neutralizing affect while also not posing the risk of making it worse.

24/7/365 yes.