Hi guys! I'm really worried! I'm a pretty petite girl to begin with (5ft 2) and I used to weigh 51kg but I suffer from extreme health anxiety to the point it's taken over my life! I now weigh 47kg and it's making me really depressed because I've lost a lot of weight within the span of a month or so. Doctors don't seem to phased and put it down to my anxiety but it's fuelling my health anxiety a lot more. I don't even feel hungry and I have to force feed myself. Please can someone reassure me? I'm going out of my mind. Thank yoy
Hello. Sorry you are going through this. I know how it feels. I am a guy, 26 and reasonably healthy but anxiety causes me massive weight loss.
I can go from 68kg to 62kg in the space of 3 weeks when I just have no appetite / stressed constantly. It's always a struggle to put the weight back on, but easy to lose it!. Being a thin build, it shows very fast!
During my worst last summer I dropped to 57kg and took myself to A&E basically showing photo's of how unnatural the weight loss was! Before and after pictures. The doctors put it down to anxiety after numerous tests!. I know I was stressed and getting panic attacks at the time so had to accept it.
I have spoke to the doctor about it a few times. Had my thyroid tested a few times and nothing out the ordinary. Bloods perfect etc.
Mirtazapine helped a lot. You get a strong appetite on them. Cravings for everything carb and the sleep was amazing however I stopped as the sedation become to strong. I was asleep for 14 hours a day!. No go when you work 10 hour days...
Hi. If weight loss continues it would be wise to run a blood test (FBC plus thyroid workup and also iron and iron binding).
If this is all good, you can rest your head and put it down to a nervous metabolism.
I have had issues since my early 20ies (late 30ies now) and i still never managed to rise my weight back above the bare baseline despite my apetite being normal and having complated 12 years total on medication. Now, when i go through stressful periods I easily drop a couple of kilos in 2-3 weeks and then it takes me a couple of months (and copious amounts of food) to regain and re-balance.
You can only eat and assimilate properly if you are not on a permanent adrenalin explosion. Treating your anxiety therefore should help bring your weight back to whatever level is normal for you or close to it.
All the best.
Sorry to hear this. Has your dr suggested a referral to a counsellor or psychologist to explore this possible eating disorder?
Have you ever been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa?
Hi Stresshead95, I can assure you your not going out of your mind, almost everyone who suffers from anxiety or depression will experience weight loss, I've lost over 1 stone in weight over the last 6 weeks, I too found my appitite non existent and still have to force myself to eat, I tended to eat little but often just so I was eating, the meds I'm on have given me an appitite back (quietiapine) which is known for putting on weight as a side effect.
My only advise is to eat little but often, may be a banana in the morning, toast and jam at lunch and simple dinner at dinner time, try and munch on something in between.