Anxiety felt in the butt?

[lcfrogs]

Hello everyone.

I have not been on this forum in months because I was taking Haldol which almost completely relieved my GAD. However, just recently I stopped taking it because it caused me to gain a TON of weight.

Since I stopped taking it I have been an anxious wreck and decided to come on here.

My question is unusual and a little embarrassing. I've read all the symptoms of GAD from countless sources and I have never found one of the symptoms that I experience. I still get all of the typical symptoms: racing heart, tightening of the chest, tense muscles, racing thoughts, etc...but I also feel an extreme amount of anxiety in my butt. My therapist calls it my "butt anxiety." When I feel an anxiety attack coming on, the first place I feel it is in my butt, followed by all other symptoms previously described. I've looked all over the internet looking for anyone who experiences the same extremely unpleasant sensation, and I've found nothing. I do get GI issues and diarrhea along with it. Anyway, is there anyone else out there who experiences "butt anxiety?" I feel like such a weirdo.

[kconnors]

Hi,

Well, I wouldn't feel like a weirdo just because your symptoms manifest themselves in a unique fashion . . . If you have GI issues (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome is frequently associated with anxiety and depression), then it may well be that your butt muscles are the first to react . . . just like some folks have first symptoms with tightening muscles in the neck and back, yours just happens to be the butt . . . I guess that I would suggest that you use this as an early warning symptom that you are entering an anxiety / panic stage and start using your management techniques . . . so, I am pretty sure if your therapist is not concerned that s/he can help you develop management techniques to relieve the anxiety and probably the symptoms related to your butt . . . so, no fear of being a weirdo . . . you're simply experiencing anxiety in a different set of muscles ..  ..take care, kc

[lcfrogs]

Thanks for your help! 

[london23]

Lol, I've had this..it felt like needles being stuck to my butt..it's deff caused by anxiety

[lcfrogs]

Lol, I've had this..it felt like needles being stuck to my butt..it's deff caused by anxiety

YES! Needles! I feel it all the time.

When I'm starting to get anxious, the very first place I feel it is in my butt. Then I start to feel it everywhere else once it gets worse. When my anxiety is only mild, I just feel it in my butt. It's so weird!!

[kconnors]

You know, here's a thought . . . given that it is a feeling of needles, it may be that the tension starts somewhere that tightens a muscle around your sciatica nerve . . . the good news is that you may find pretty consistent relief through physiotherapy and guided exercise using weights . . . nothing like lifting 100 lbs of weight . . . just gentle stretching to release the muscle around the nerve . . . I had forgotten about this until I chatted with a friend who had a similar set of symptoms about 10 years ago . . . once she had physio and had the physiotherapist give her a list of exercises to do (stretching and using a 3 lb hand weight), she has not had this problem again . . . she also suffers from anxiety but once she took care of this symptom, she has felt, as she put it, as normal as she ever was . . . . so it may be worth asking your doctor about . . .take care, KC

[lcfrogs]

Thanks kconnors! That is interesting because I have a weird stretch that I do that seems to relieve the tension a little. I might look more into this. 

[Gigi123]

ahahaha! I'm so glad you posted this. This is one of the main symptoms I get and how my anxiety usually starts out if I'm super nervous. It sounds so weird, it's like your butt gets tingly. I hate that!

[Hijita]

Ha! Yes, I've felt this. It happens when I see something scary, like looking over the edge on the top of a high roller coaster/bridge/building. Someone compared it to butterflies in the stomach, only in the butt, so she started calling it "Butt-erflies"!

[Pippy187]

I get the  scaredy farts.... I get gassy when anxious.

[HaileyAnn]

My first sign is that exact same needle feeling, but in my fingertips. I don't think it's abnormal. I've heard people feeling it from plenty of different places.

[kconnors]

Hello Pippy187,

From someone with irritable bowel syndrome that is triggered by anxiety, I know from anything to do with the GI track is possible. I called my RN friend (she herself manages IBS) and asked her about gas and anxiety and she explained that anxiety can cause bloating which in turns creates an imbalance in the gut with respect to bacteria (good and bad ones). The result . . . . gas  . . .depending on the severity of anxiety, the gas can come on very quickly or be a delayed reaction. Hope this helps . . . take care, KC