How to treat nervous diarrhea. Causes and treatment of nervous diarrhea

Have you noticed that every time you experience a stressful situation, you get diarrhea? You may be developing diarrhea nervous soil. To restore normal digestion, it is necessary to eliminate the factor provoking the malaise, as well as supplement the treatment with antidiarrheal medications recommended by the doctor.

How does the emotional state affect the gastrointestinal tract?

In stressful situations, a person large quantities The hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released. Cortisol has a destructive effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines; adrenaline also has an aggressive effect on the digestive system, which leads to impaired motility and gastrointestinal secretion. Therefore, diarrhea from nerves is a common problem for people exposed to stress, depression, and nervous overload at home and at work.

Possible intestinal disorders as a reaction to stress:

• Absorption of nutrients deteriorates.
• Fermentation is reduced.
• Blood flow in the digestive system deteriorates, which leads to a slowdown in metabolism.
• Motility is impaired, and the movement of the food bolus through the intestines accelerates or slows down.
• The balance of the gastrointestinal microflora is disrupted.
• The ability to regenerate the mucosa is reduced.

Adrenaline and cortisol indirectly affect the human condition through the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, prolonged nervous experiences, which are accompanied by excessive production of stress hormones, lead to disruption of work digestive system. Such patients develop a disease that gastroenterologists call irritable bowel syndrome.

Causes and factors of nervous diarrhea

It has long been known that some students experience “bear sickness” before an exam. But not everyone knows whether older people can have diarrhea from nerves. In some patients, nervous diarrhea may occur rarely, and there are also categories of patients suffering from chronic diarrhea caused by long-term emotional disorders.

Factors that cause stool thinning:

• Emotional stress caused by anticipation (meetings, exams, weddings and other situations).
• Severe stress that leads to a sharp emotional reaction (fright, fear, even unexpected joy).
• Denial and suppression of negative emotions.
• Other serious illnesses requiring complex treatment, accompanied by emotional depression.
• Change of place of residence, change of job, any change in the usual rhythm of life, even a trip on vacation.
• Improper regulation of work and rest schedules.
• Depression, psychosis, neuroses.
• Premenstrual syndrome in a woman (as during menstruation).

Defecation disorders may appear in children who begin to attend kindergarten or changed schools. Adaptation to new learning conditions is already accompanied by emotional stress, and difficulties in controlling bowel movements and diarrhea significantly aggravate the problem.

If a child develops diarrhea due to nervousness, the malaise cannot be ignored. Neurogenic diarrhea can lead to the following complications:

• Ulcerative colitis and other diseases of the small and large intestines.
• Atopic dermatitis.
• Allergic diseases.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines.

Stress, which causes diarrhea, also affects other body systems. Therefore, the treatment of illness, both in adults and in children, should be approached comprehensively, first eliminating the root cause of the intestinal disorder.

Symptoms and characteristics

When stressful situations are accompanied by impaired bowel movements, the patient may complain of other unpleasant sensations that appear long before the onset of diarrhea. Nervous diarrhea is characterized by the following emotional and behavioral signs:

• Headache.
• Anxiety.
• Weight loss or excessive weight gain.
• Significant increase or decrease in the amount of food consumed.
• Hot temper.
• Tearfulness.
• Feeling of tension, pressure.

Diarrhea from nerves has characteristic features indicating the development of an eating disorder. Gastroenterologists identify several main symptoms of nervous diarrhea related to the gastrointestinal tract:

• Pain occurs in different areas of the peritoneum.
• Heartburn, bitterness in the mouth, and unpleasant belching appear.
• A feeling of fullness and heaviness in the stomach occurs even if you do not eat for a long time.
• After eating I feel nauseous.
• Stomach swells.
• Appetite worsens.

Prolonged diarrhea leads to a decrease in the volume of fluid in the body. This, in turn, provokes a deterioration in the functioning of the heart and genitourinary system, brain.

Treatment of neurogenic diarrhea

Some patients do not treat diarrhea, hoping that the illness will go away on its own. There are also people who take antidiarrheal medications one-time, without thinking about the reasons that caused the eating disorder. Nervous diarrhea must be treated under the supervision of a physician. Only a specialist can determine which medications will help quickly get rid of gastrointestinal disorders.

Since diarrhea is always accompanied by dehydration, the first priority is to restore a person’s water and electrolyte balance. To replenish fluid deficiency, it is recommended:

• Take pharmacy rehydration solutions. Regidron, Gastrolit, Normohydron are diluted in accordance with the instructions and taken 100 ml at a time, the frequency of administration depends on the number of bowel movements.
• . A gastroenterologist may recommend drinking mint tea, an infusion of lemon balm leaves, and St. John's wort. Chamomile decoction is good for nervous diarrhea. This medicine has a beneficial effect on the intestinal mucosa and has a calming effect on the nervous system. Dried chamomile flowers should be poured with boiling water, boiled over low heat for a minute, strain the broth and take a glass three times a day.
• Drink jelly, compotes based on fixing fruits and berries. Blueberry jelly and dried pear compotes help restore normal digestion.

If the question arises about how to treat diarrhea from nerves with antidiarrheal medications, it is better to consult a doctor. The gastroenterologist will recommend taking a combination of medications. To restore digestion, you will need to drink enterosorbents, probiotics, and in some cases, antimicrobial agents.

You cannot self-medicate by haphazardly taking sedatives. A specialist will tell you what to do if diarrhea occurs due to nervousness during a consultation. The doctor will help you choose sedatives to help stabilize your emotional state.

Patients who often suffer from loose stool due to nervousness, it is necessary to adjust the diet. There are a number of foods that you need to exclude from your diet:

• Legumes that cause increased gas formation.
• Chips, crackers, sparkling water, any fast food.
• Smoked meats, marinades.
• Sweets in large quantities.

Patients should also give up alcohol and reduce the amount of coffee they drink. These drinks negatively affect both the nervous system and the digestive organs. For nervous diarrhea, it is important to eat right, eat food at least 6 times a day in divided portions.

• Heat-treated vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, carrots.
• Fermented milk products: kefir, plain yoghurts, whey.
• Porridge: buckwheat, rice, wheat, oatmeal.
• Lean fish.
• Lean meat.

Important! Nutrition during pregnancy is regulated separately, since it is during this period that a woman is most susceptible to nervous overload, which can be accompanied by loose stools.

It is important to understand that severe diarrhea caused by stress, can itself cause depression of a person’s emotional background. When the balance of intestinal microflora is disturbed, the production of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, deteriorates. So the patient gets into vicious circle: a nervous environment provokes diarrhea, and diarrhea leads to a deterioration in mood. Therefore, if you often experience diarrhea due to nervousness, do not delay visiting your doctor. The sooner treatment is started, the faster both digestion and the patient’s emotional background will stabilize.

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There is no such person who has not encountered diarrhea at least once in his life. Its main causes are viral and bacterial infections, incorrect food combinations, overeating, and poisoning. But intestinal function does not only depend on this. Sometimes the slightest stress is enough to encounter such an unpleasant condition as loose stools. Therefore, it is important to know the symptoms and treatment of nervous diarrhea in order to quickly get rid of it.

Stressful situations can cause diarrhea

In this article you will learn:

What is the cause of the pathology

With the onset of diarrhea, it is important for the patient to understand whether there may be an intestinal disorder due to nervousness. After all, treatment must begin with the cause, and not with the consequences. When intestinal peristalsis accelerates, fluid absorption slows down and stool becomes watery - this is diarrhea. Intestinal upset can occur even with the slightest disruption in fluid absorption. If the doctor indicated “IBS” (irritable bowel syndrome) in the conclusion, then during stress it is very likely that diarrhea will occur. Nervous bowel disorders may become more severe due to the high sensitivity of the digestive organ to the action of hormones.

More information about irritable bowel syndrome and associated diarrhea is described in the video:

Provoking factors

Nervous stomach upset often occurs due to poor heredity. It is likely that pathology will occur if the patient’s relatives also experience this disease. Gender also has an impact on the occurrence of the disease. Diarrhea due to stress is more common in female patients, especially during menstruation or before menstruation.

Some mental disorders contribute to the development of functional bowel disorder. These conditions include: neuroses, psychoses, depression, panic states.

A person who lives in constant fear, who cannot control his feelings, and who often gets into a state of nervous excitement, often experiences the phenomenon of diarrhea.

Women are much more likely than men to experience nervous diarrhea

Additional symptoms

Often, diarrhea and vomiting due to nervousness disappear as soon as the depressive or stressful state disappears. This is the main indicator that the problem had a psychosomatic basis. Defecation occurs before or immediately after eating; the patient sleeps well at night. Sometimes bowel movements can occur exclusively before eating, sometimes after, and there may be bowel movements both before and after meals. The following symptoms of nervous intestinal disorder also occur:

• pain and bloating;
• erroneous urge to defecate;
• pain in the side and lower abdomen;
• vegetative diseases nervous system.

With this disease, the stool is liquid or mushy. The urge to defecate is frequent - more than 4 times, sometimes even 6-8. The volume of feces is small, there are no impurities of fat, blood or pus; mucus, on the contrary, is more common.

Often, nervous diarrhea is accompanied by abdominal pain

There are often abdominal cramps and painful sensations when pressing on the sigmoid colon.

Symptoms of nervous diarrhea can last from several days to 2-3 weeks. Exhaustion and malabsorption useful substances, microelements and vitamins do not develop.

Difficulty in diagnosing diarrhea during stress

Often people are not able to connect diarrhea and stress on their own. The patient rarely goes to the hospital, and sometimes he is simply embarrassed and does not consider it necessary to tell the doctor about problems in life, stress and depression. Because of this, it is very difficult to make a correct diagnosis and success in treatment often depends more on the patient himself. If you notice a connection between diarrhea and a stressful situation, you need to tell your doctor about it, even if the information is extremely personal.

For nervous diarrhea, antidepressants may be recommended

Diagnosing nervous diarrhea is not difficult if the relationship between diarrhea and emotional impact is caught in time and tests do not indicate infections and inflammations. First, it is necessary to exclude other diseases (bacillary, amoebic dysentery, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, colon cancer) accompanied by diarrhea to definitively diagnose functional diarrhea. Mild nervous diarrhea can be confused with disaccharidase deficiency and endocrine diseases complicated by diarrhea.

How to distinguish nervous diarrhea

Examination of stool will help distinguish functional diarrhea from diseases accompanied by diarrhea. Feces containing blood and pus indicate infectious and inflammatory diseases; this is also evidenced by bowel movements, both daytime and nighttime, fever, leukocytosis, and signs of poisoning. All this is not observed during diarrhea due to nervousness.

Rice water is an effective remedy against dehydration of the body due to diarrhea.

Methods for treating diarrhea

To know what to do if you have diarrhea due to nervousness, you need to determine what specific situation led to stress and diarrhea. For treatment, it is necessary to change the environment that provokes depression and restore internal harmony. In a child, treatment of diarrhea due to nervousness should be carried out with extreme caution. After all, in children the disease can easily become chronic due to poor relationships in the family and school.

Drug group	Action	Drugs	Application
Antidepressants	Medicines in this group relieve nervous conditions and anxiety. Relaxes the intestinal muscles and reduces the number of bowel movements.	Azafen, Amitriptyline, Fluoroacyzine.	Must be taken at night. The dose depends on the severity of the disease.
Antidiarrheal drugs	They are used only to treat acute diarrhea. Medicines in this group slow down the movement of feces through the intestines. It should not be used by people prone to difficult bowel movements.	Loperamide, Imodium, Levomycetin.	Take it once. The medicine takes effect 30 minutes after administration.
Antispasmodics	They remove the tone of the muscles of the digestive organs, relieve spasms, relieve pain, and reduce the number of bowel movements.	Spasmalgon, No-Shpa, Duspatalin.	The dose is determined by the instructions for use.

The table below contains medications and their effects on the body.

Dehydration

Nervous diarrhea deprives a person of a large amount of fluid and nutrients. Dehydration has a very detrimental effect on the body. To replenish fluid, you need to take salt-free solutions, such as weak tea, rice broth, still water, and the drug Regidron. You need to drink in small sips so as not to cause vomiting. Decoctions of herbs such as bird cherry, chamomile, and cinquefoil also help cope with dehydration.

Diet

Despite the fact that this pathology does not have a direct relationship with nutrition, it can have a positive effect on a speedy recovery. The following products should be limited:

• cabbage;
• grape;
• milk;
• kefir;
• cottage cheese;
• smoked, salty food;
• conservation;
• fresh fruits, vegetables;
• sweet buns.

If pathology develops, the patient must exclude fermented milk products from his menu

It is necessary to completely avoid drinking coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks, and sweet foods, especially cakes with buttery, fatty cream.

Therapy with folk remedies

Folk remedies will also help alleviate the situation:

1. Bird cherry. Bird cherry fruits treat diarrhea, which does not have an infectious basis. It is necessary to pour 20 g of berries with 250 ml of boiling water. Boil for 25 minutes. Let the broth cool and strain. Take 300 ml of decoction per day in three doses.
2. To combat chronic nervous diarrhea, use a herbal mixture of plantain leaves, cinquefoil, and knotweed. Pour 2 tbsp. l. raw materials 500 ml of boiling water, close the lid and let it brew for half an hour. Strain the broth and drink 100 ml 4 times a day before meals.
3. A decoction of yarrow and St. John's wort will cure prolonged diarrhea. Pour 20 g of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes and drink instead of tea.
4. Pour 2 tbsp. l. sea ​​buckthorn leaves 250 ml boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Leave for half an hour and drink instead of tea.

A decoction of bird cherry berries will help cope with diarrhea

Meals without harmful products and treatment together will quickly restore the body and relieve the disease. It must be remembered that the main cause of the disease is emotional experiences, from which you need to protect yourself so that nervous diarrhea does not appear again.

When a person experiences a dramatic event, feels anxiety, fear, works hard, the body experiences stress and goes into “combat readiness” mode. The level of adrenaline in the blood increases, which, among other things, stimulates intestinal motility. Excessive contractions of smooth muscles provoke a hasty evacuation of feces. Nervous diarrhea occurs in 30% of the world's population, and is medically called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

How does diarrhea develop?

Intestinal upset can be caused by various reasons. The physiological purpose of diarrhea is to cleanse the body of pathogens: toxins, bacteria, viruses. Depending on the disease that they provoke, one or another diarrhea occurs.

According to the mechanism of development, hypo- and hyperkinetic, hypersecretory, hyperexudative, osmolar diarrhea are distinguished. Intestinal disorders due to stress are classified as functional hyperkinetic type. In other words, the disease is not caused by pathogens, but by the malfunction of the organ itself.

Could diarrhea be caused by nerves? Yes, if a person is under prolonged stress, stress hormones are released into the blood, which accelerate all processes, including metabolism and digestion. From the parasympathetic nervous system, impulses reach the intestines and cause it to contract intensively. As a result, a person experiences an urgent need to empty the intestines and does this more often than expected (3-5 times a day), mainly immediately after eating.

How is nervous disorder related to diarrhea?

Job internal organs closely interconnected. Nerve impulses from the central nervous system travel to skeletal muscles, smooth muscles of the intestines, heart and transmit commands to them. A malfunction of the brain leads to various functional disorders. It’s not for nothing that they say that all diseases are caused by nerves. Thus, diarrhea is often observed with:

• VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia);
• PMS (premenstrual syndrome);
• psychoses and neuroses;
• panic attacks;
• depressive disorder.

If diarrhea occurs from nerves, symptoms are limited to abdominal pain, frequent urge to defecate, and bowel movements 3-5 times a day. The stool is usually formed and has a normal smell and color. Possible slight presence of mucus .

In addition to nervous disorders, patients with IBS are often diagnosed with other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, biliary dyskinesia, pancreatitis, dysbiosis, reflux, etc. Hereditary factors, eating habits and lifestyle in general play a significant role in the formation of nervous diarrhea.

Treatment

Diarrhea that occurs for the first time due to nervousness is treated symptomatically. Also, diarrhea 3-5 times a year does not require medical intervention, which goes away safely within 2 days. With frequent and prolonged disorders, the question arises of making a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.

A comprehensive examination is carried out, which includes a coprogram, bacterial examination of stool, stool tests for worm eggs, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, general and biochemical blood tests, endoscopy, etc. After the verdict, the doctor selects therapy.

How to treat diarrhea with IBS:

1. Lifestyle correction. It is necessary to get rid of bad habits (especially from drinking alcoholic beverages) and normalize your diet. To reduce the load on the nervous system, 8 hours of sleep, rest for at least 3 hours a day, as well as moderate physical exercise, walks in the fresh air daily for 1 hour.
2. Drug course of treatment. May include a different set of drugs. Prescriptions are made by the doctor based on the results of tests, studies, and associated diagnoses identified. The standard regimen includes taking drugs that slow down intestinal motility, tricyclic antidepressants, and antispasmodics.
3. Psychotherapy. All types of techniques are used: hypnosis, autogenic training (muscle relaxation, self-education), behavioral psychotherapy and others.

List of drugs

Nervous diarrhea is treated with sedatives, antispasmodics, and antidiarrheal drugs. But first of all, a person must learn self-control. The problem will disappear if you maintain a stable emotional state, do not give in to anxiety, and avoid stress.

How to treat diarrhea with IBS:

1. Antidepressants: Amitriptyline, Fevarin, Imipramine. Prozac, Tranxen, Eglonil (give a noticeable improvement in 61-89% of patients).
2. Sedatives that are available without a prescription: Afobazol, Novo-passit, Valerian, Motherwort.
3. Antispasmodics (eliminate abdominal pain): No-shpa, Spasmomen, Dicetel, Hyoscyamine.
4. Drugs that slow down intestinal motility: Loperamide, Diara, Imodium, Lopedium.
5. 5-HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist: Alosetron (used in extremely severe degrees of IBS).

Additionally, sorbents Smecta, Neosmectin, Polysorb, probiotics Hilak, Acipol, Linex, vitamin and mineral supplements can be prescribed. If a helminthic infestation is detected, treatment is carried out with Vormex and other anthelmintic drugs. With concomitant gastritis and peptic ulcers, the use of H2-histamine receptor blockers, proton pump inhibitors Ranitidine, Famotidine, Omeprazole is indicated. They increase stomach acidity and help treat diarrhea.

Diet

If diarrhea began due to nervousness, doctors prescribe treatment table No. 4. This helps improve digestion processes and prevents the development of inflammation. Gas formation in the intestines decreases, and the frequency of the urge to defecate decreases. Nutrition principles:

• limiting carbohydrates and fats in the diet;
• exclusion of hard-to-digest foods,
• refusal of food that causes putrefactive and fermentation processes;
• heat treatment: steaming, boiling, stewing;
• consistency of food: ground, liquid, puree;
• salts within 10 g;
• sugar no more than 40 g;
• number of meals per day 5-6 times every 3-4 hours.

Any diarrhea, including from nerves, does not tolerate disordered eating. Eating the wrong foods further irritates the intestines. Under the strictest ban legumes, fatty and smoked dishes, canned food, marinades, beets, prunes, pumpkin and other laxative products

What foods will help normalize stool?

It is recommended to give preference to soft, pureed food with a neutral taste. Bitterness and pungency stimulate increased production of gastric juice and can worsen the disorder. What products should you choose:

• crackers, bagels, white bread;
• durum pasta;
• lean meat;
• fish: carp, perch, pike perch;
• boiled, stewed vegetables;
• baked fruits, fruit compotes and jelly;
• porridge with water: rice, buckwheat, semolina, oatmeal;
• boiled egg (1 per day);
• low-fat cottage cheese;
• weak green, black tea, weak grain coffee;
• juices diluted 1:2 or 1:3 with water, decoction of rosehip, bird cherry, currant;
• marshmallows, honey, marshmallows;
• slimy soups, lean on the second broth.

Sample menu for the day

If you have a nervous bowel disorder, you need to eat strengthening foods, but without fanaticism. The diet should remain balanced. Menu example:

1. Breakfast: rice porrige, boiled for 40 minutes, with sugar and butter; weak sweet tea.
2. Second breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese.
3. Lunch: weak chicken bouillon, steamed cutlets with rice and veal, carrot puree, apple compote.
4. Afternoon snack: crackers, unsweetened tea.
5. Dinner: boiled buckwheat, steamed fish cutlets, currant broth.
6. Second dinner: jelly.

Traditional methods

Diarrhea from stress is popularly called bear disease. It is believed that if you frighten this fierce beast, he will certainly “shit himself.” As for treatment, the most famous home remedy for diarrhea is boiled rice water. To normalize stool, 100 g of it is taken instead of food every 3 hours. The effect is noticeable on the second day. Other traditional medicine recipes:

1. Herbal mixture to quickly stop diarrhea. Brew a glass of boiling water with 4 teaspoons of immortelle, 2 St. John's wort, 2 sage, 1 rhubarb root. After 40 minutes, strain. Take 50 ml three times a day before meals. You can brew immortelle separately (2 tablespoons of raw material per glass).
2. Kissel for securing the chair. The most effective blueberry dish. Preparation: pour 300 ml of water over a handful of berries, bring to a boil over low heat, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Rub the blueberry mixture through a sieve. Return to heat. In a separate bowl, dilute a tablespoon of sugar and the same amount of starch cold water. Pour into the broth in a thin stream, stirring constantly. In 3 minutes the jelly will be ready. The volume of 300 ml should be divided into four doses.
3. Remedy for bear disease No. 1. It acts comprehensively, calms the nerves and normalizes digestion. Ingredients: calendula and chamomile flowers, mint, blueberry leaves, plantain, caraway seeds, calamus root, activated carbon tablets. Take everything in equal quantities and mix. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, wrap in a towel for 30 minutes. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day.
4. Cinquefoil for nervous diarrhea. Grind the rhizomes of the plant in the amount of a tablespoon, add 300 ml of water, and simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour. After cooling, pass the broth through cheesecloth. Take half an hour before meals, 15-30 ml, but not more than 100 ml per day.

Prevention

Diarrhea due to nervousness, which occurs occasionally, is not dangerous and does not require special treatment. Antispasmodic drugs will help eliminate discomfort, sorbents and diet will help to consolidate the stool. To restore the nervous system, you can take sedative pills. If the disorder occurs frequently at the slightest excitement, the symptoms worsen the quality of life, you cannot do without the help of a specialist.

A gastroenterologist deals with digestive problems; you may need to consult a neurologist, endocrinologist, or therapist. The diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome is made if stool disturbance is observed on 3 days of each month over the past 90 days and provided that all other diseases have been excluded.

Frequent loose stools, which is called diarrhea or diarrhea, occurs in every person for various reasons. This could be a nutritional disorder, a bacterial or viral attack, eating poor quality foods, overeating, and others. But sometimes it happens that bowel disorder occurs against the background of psycho-emotional stress.

Table of contents:

If you look at medical statistics, you can find out that 1/3 of people suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. This disease is characterized by a disorder of intestinal motility. There are a number of reasons that can cause this unpleasant syndrome:

1. Disorder of nerve impulses between the intestines and the brain. A certain part of the brain controls the normal functioning of the small and large intestines. When the nerve connection is disrupted, diarrhea and abdominal pain occur.
2. Disorder of intestinal motility. Everyone knows that increased peristalsis provokes diarrhea.
3. Psychological disorders. Stressful situations, fear and depression can cause IBS.
4. Inflammation of the stomach and small intestine caused by bacteria.
5. Hereditary factor. It has been proven that irritable bowel syndrome often occurs in families where parents suffer from the same disease.
6. Dysbacteriosis. The growth and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines can provoke the development of IBS.
7. Hormonal disbalance. People with hormonal levels that deviate from normal levels may experience symptoms of indigestion.

Different sources indicate different causes of irritable bowel disease. You can also notice some differences by gender, i.e. Some books indicate that women are most at risk, while others indicate that the percentage of sufferers is approximately the same. But all sources definitely agree on one thing - average age from 25-40 years.

Emotional (nervous) diarrhea

Emotional diarrhea is a condition in which there is a disturbance in the motor functioning of the large intestine, accompanied by painful sensations in the abdomen and loose, watery stools. Nagging pain and diarrhea occur as a result of strong contraction of the walls of the colon: sufficient absorption of water and formation of feces does not occur, and the painful condition of the mucous membrane provokes the development of the process further.

Causes of nervous diarrhea

For persons who suffer from emotional diarrhea, nervous shock has a particular effect - it deactivates the regulation of the proper functioning of the colon. As a result of this, the brain, due to nervous and hormonal influences, is connected “directly” with the intestines, and every stressful situation is manifested by the occurrence of bowel disorders. Thus, this aggravates the person’s situation, and he withdraws into himself even more.

Experts are confident that genetic predisposition plays a role in the occurrence of emotional diarrhea in people.

Clinical manifestations of nervous diarrhea

In mild cases, the stool has a mushy or semi-liquid consistency; the frequency of bowel movements usually does not exceed 3-4 times a day. In severe cases, the stool becomes watery and the frequency of bowel cleansing can reach up to 7-9 times a day. With frequent bowel movements, false painful urges to defecate may appear with the absence of feces. When examining feces visually, no fat, blood or pus is detected. But you can see a sufficient amount of mucus, which is mixed with feces and indicates improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

The urge to go to the toilet occurs almost immediately after eating. This indicates increased activity of gastrointestinal reaction mechanisms. Defecation occurs in the morning, and in the daytime after any food consumption. At night the person does not experience any anxiety. The duration of diarrhea can vary from several days to several weeks. Despite frequent bowel movements, the general condition of patients is regarded as satisfactory and there are no signs of impaired absorption of vitamins and beneficial nutrients. On palpation, bloating and mild pain in the anterior abdominal wall are often noted.

To make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to first exclude a number of diseases, the clinical picture of which is similar to the symptoms of nervous diarrhea: Crohn's disease, colon cancer, dysentery caused by bacilli and amoeba, ulcerative enterocolitis, diarrhea in some endocrine diseases. Also, with nervous diarrhea, the body temperature does not rise, there are no impurities in the stool except mucus, the blood is calm (no increase in leukocytes and ESR).

Treatment of emotional diarrhea

Any diarrhea, even those caused by emotional attacks, must be treated. If the psychological factor is not eliminated, bowel dysfunction will appear again and again, and the person will withdraw into himself even more. To cope with the disease, you will need long-term complex treatment. Why complex? Because it is necessary, first of all, to correct the psycho-emotional state, since it is the cause of diarrhea, and then the need to eliminate the diarrhea itself.

Sedatives (infusion of Valerian, Afobazol, Persen, Tenoten and others) can be used as sedatives. To eliminate diarrhea, antidiarrheal medications are used: Loperamide, Barboval, Imodium, Enterodes, etc. Do not forget about following a diet that will allow your intestines to rest and normalize the proper functioning of the digestive system.

Diarrhea due to emotional stress

Under severe stress, the body begins to produce adrenaline and other chemical substances, which provoke not only increased work of the nervous system, but also accelerate the peristalsis of the intestinal walls, resulting in stool disorder.

With the accelerated processes of the digestive system, the liquid does not have time to be absorbed in the colon, so the consistency of the stool becomes liquid and watery. Diarrhea negatively affects not only the general condition of the body, but also work activity. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly eliminate the cause of stress.

Stress during work

Almost everyone experiences stressful situations at work. In this case, the occurrence of diarrhea will indicate that the tension is too strong.

The main causes of stressful situations at work:

• long absence of a lunch break;
• dry snacks or foods containing a large number of sugar, which has a bad effect on digestion;
• holding back negative emotions and inability to manage them;
• lack of sense of humor. It has been proven that laughter relieves stress and has a positive effect on the entire body.

Bear sickness or fear of emergency situations

Bear sickness is a condition in which there is an unbearable feeling to empty the rectum, which occurs against the background of strong excitement. Nervous tension before an exam, travel or important meeting can cause the urge to go to the toilet.

The disease got its name due to the fact that people, like bears, experience sudden upset bowel movements when they are very frightened. The duration of the disease lasts at least 3-4 months throughout the year and is characterized by changes in the consistency of stool, frequency of bowel movements and the release of mucus along with feces.

Causes

Scientists have come to the conclusion that most diseases arise from “nerves.” Some people develop a nervous tic in their eyes, others begin to have heart pain, and still others develop bear sickness. But all these unpleasant symptoms are the result of nervous experiences and severe stress. As a result of strong nervous irritation by external factors of the central nervous system, various organ systems are activated: respiratory, motor, digestive and others.

Clinical picture of “bear disease”

Usually, when an emergency occurs, a person experiences unpleasant and painful sensations in the abdomen, bloating and flatulence. Hysterical states, anxiety and depression may also occur.

Symptoms of bear disease appear during strong excitement. Some people are afraid to perform on stage, others are afraid to talk to their superiors, all people have different fears, the effect of which on the body also manifests itself in different ways. Eastern experts are confident that the cause of irritable bowel syndrome is psycho-emotional exhaustion and manifests itself in people with weak psyche and digestion. Some people try to overcome negative emotions by suppressing them, but this can lead to all sorts of physiological problems.

Treatment

The main condition for the positive dynamics of treatment is the installation trust relationships between the patient and the attending physician. It is necessary to explain to the patient the origin of the disease and warn about the duration of the disease, which can range from several weeks to several months, or even years. But with proper and competent treatment, the symptoms of this disease can be stopped within a short time.

Taking medications is necessary only when the symptoms of the disease cause discomfort and discomfort. The main groups of drugs that can be used to treat bear disease include antidiarrheals, antispasmodics and sedatives (antidepressants), and in severe cases, antibacterial ones. TO alternative treatment This may include taking herbal medications and probiotics.

Consequences of diarrhea

Regardless of what caused the bowel disorder, it is worth remembering that frequent bowel movements (more than 5 times a day) of a liquid consistency can lead to dehydration. This means that vitamins, electrolytes and other beneficial substances are washed out of the body.

Significant water loss leads to serious damage. This is especially true for children and the elderly, in whom dehydration can be fatal. If infectious agents and toxic substances enter the body in rare cases, then nervous diarrhea can become a constant companion in a person’s life.

Man in modern life undergoes nervous shocks. Stressful situations directly affect the functioning of the body's digestive system. Nervous diarrhea is a symptomatic sign of the influence of emotional overexcitation on intestinal motility.

Causes of diarrhea

Diarrhea from nerves occurs as a result of dysregulation of contraction and relaxation of the muscles of the digestive tract. The causes of loose stools in adults are:

• mental disorders:
• depression;
• psychoses, neuroses;
• frequent panic attacks;
• an overwhelming feeling of fear, fright;
• emotional excitability;
• stressful situations;
• emotional stress;
• the beginning of the menstrual cycle in women;
• hereditary predisposition.

Diarrhea due to nervousness occurs under the influence of environmental factors that provoke overexertion, excitability, and fear. Additional reasons influencing the occurrence of diarrhea are a passive lifestyle, poor nutrition, abuse bad habits. When a stressful situation occurs, nerve cells that release hormones are activated.

The substances produced help increase blood pressure, and as a result – rapid heartbeat. The need for oxygen leads to increased muscle tone in organs, disruption of their contraction or relaxation. Spasms in the intestines occur due to insufficient blood supply.

Symptomatic signs

Nervous diarrhea caused by severe stress is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms:

• cramps in the stomach;
• bloating;
• false urge to defecate;
• headache;
• excretion of feces with mucus.

Diarrhea caused by stress occurs after eating. The discharge, observed 3 to 4 times during the day, is characterized by a watery consistency. Nervous diarrhea may be accompanied by numbness of the limbs, impaired functioning Bladder, back pain, manifestations mental disorder: panic attacks, depression, hysteria, psychosis.

Features of the pathology

An upset stomach due to nervousness leads to disruption of the large intestine due to the active production of adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. The released hormones do not allow the fluid entering the body to be absorbed by the intestinal mucosa. This leads to impaired peristalsis and the appearance of unpleasant sensations in the abdominal area.

Irritable bowel syndrome caused by stressful situations has distinctive features:

• passing loose stools exclusively during the daytime;
• absence of elevated body temperature;
• there is no blood or pieces of undigested food in the stool;
• absence of heartburn, flatulence, belching;
• leukocyte counts in the blood are normal.

Under the influence of emotional stress, a pathology occurs in a child and an adult, characterized by the desire to empty the intestines at a stressful moment. The release of hormones provokes vomiting, sweating, pallor or redness of the skin, rapid pulse, as well as an excited state, aggressive behavior. Physiological and mental changes in the body cause prolonged attacks. If the “bear disease” is not treated in a timely manner, diarrhea can last from a couple of weeks to months.

Possible complications

Nervous diarrhea can become a chronic disease, disturbing when any emotional experience manifests itself. Frequent discharge contributes to dehydration, which is accompanied by dizziness, pale skin, thirst, and loss of strength.

Together with feces are washed out of the body nutrients, vitamins, amino acids necessary for normal growth and development. Dehydration can lead to death. Constant discharge provokes exhaustion and weight loss. Failure to digest food leads to anorexia.

Medical therapy

Treatment of nervous diarrhea involves taking medications and following a diet. To achieve the most effective results, you can use folk remedies. Complex therapy allows you to avoid the chronic form of the pathology and prevent relapse of the disease.

Drug therapy

Treatment of diarrhea caused by a stressful situation is aimed at eliminating the accompanying symptomatic signs, as well as normalizing the functioning of the nervous system. Drug therapy involves taking effective medications:

• antidepressants;
• sedatives;
• vitamin complexes;
• probiotics;
• antidiarrheal drugs;
• painkillers.

Antidepressants are prescribed to relieve increased anxiety, stress, and normalize intestinal function. The most effective means are Amitriptyline, Fluoracisine, Imizine tablets, which must be taken before bed. Sedatives based on herbal components, for example, Novopassit, Persen, correct the mental and emotional state.

Frequent bowel movements help remove nutrients from the body. To improve immunity, it is recommended to take vitamin and mineral complexes, as well as probiotics, which help restore intestinal microflora.

Antidiarrheal drugs are prescribed for frequent urges to defecate - more than 4 times a day. You should not use medications if your stool is unstable: with a series of diarrhea and constipation. Imodium and Loperamide tablets help slow down intestinal motility.

Antispasmodics relieve pain, have a relaxing effect on the intestinal muscles, and normalize the functioning of the digestive system. For diarrhea, effective painkillers are No-Shpa, Papaverine, Duspatalin.

Proper nutrition

Problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract must be treated with a proper, balanced diet. During a nervous breakdown, it is better to give preference to foods that have strengthening properties:

• rice, oatmeal;
• lean honeycombs of meat or fish;
• fruits: bananas, pomegranates, quinces, pears;
• yoghurts;
• flour products;
• chocolate;
• berry jelly, fruit drinks, herbal tea.

Under the influence of severe stress, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, so it is necessary to exclude from the diet foods that contribute to damage to the mucous membrane of the digestive organs. During a nervous shock, you should not eat legumes (peas, beans), chips, crackers, spicy, smoked, pickled foods, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, and alcoholic beverages. The ingredients must be thermally processed. It is advisable to eat fractionally - in small portions at least 5 times a day.

To avoid the reappearance of nervous diarrhea, it is necessary to monitor your emotional state and, if possible, avoid stress. As preventive measures, you need to exercise, monitor your diet, and take sedatives based on natural ingredients.

The information on our website is provided by qualified doctors and is for informational purposes only. Don't self-medicate! Be sure to consult a specialist!

Gastroenterologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences. Prescribes diagnostics and carries out treatment. Expert of the group for the study of inflammatory diseases. Author of more than 300 scientific papers.