I had an attack on April fools day at 12 midnight. I had a bm and then felt this overwelming feeling come over me. I passed out. Lost my bodily functions then came out of it and started to tremble all over. My husband call 911, because we had no idea what was happining. After all kinds of tests all was ok. The Doctor said I had a Vasovagal attack. Google it. Well I had another Sunday but it started with dizzyness, then bm then another bm and another and then came the trembling. Didn't pass out which was great but all the same its a scary thing to go thru...I don't wish this on anyone. I have to find out how to control it....

This happens to me too :( Thought there was something wrong with me. It has been going on for a couple months now. Usually when it happens I get nervous and scared because I don't know what or why it's happening. Then my anxiety kicks in and makes it like 10 times worse :( Not a good feeling.

This has happened to me for many years...I called it my "bathroom feeling". If i was driving when I had to have a BM i would get lightheaded and feel faint and have to pull over. My cardiologist said it is because of Vasal Vagel, when you have to have a BM the blood moves to your stomach and if you are sensitive to that you may feel faint and dizzy. antidepressants and beta blockers work good at combating this syndrome, also just going to the bathroom..it will pass shortly after your done. :)

This happens to me too, frequently and it scares the hell out of me. I will be anxious and have to go, so I sit and all of a sudden my body temperature changes, I get nauseous and feel like I am going to faint. Then when I push it intensifies and I lose feeling in my legs. After a couple of minutes it goes away but while it is happening I go into fight or flight mode and want to jump off the toilet ( that would be a bad thing lol) or call an ambulance. How embarrassing would that be to have paramedics knock down my door to find me on the toilet having a bowl movement AND a panic attack??? haha funny, but at the time it is petrifying.

I have to say reading your post above, you have not lost your sense of humour through all this - your summing up made me really laugh, now that it something that will see you through this.

While I feel badly that so many experience the dizziness and anxiety with a bm, I am glad I am not alone...what I experience is a slow-building anxious body feeling that can become a mental anxiety if I don't tune in...but, it is usually relieved after a little bit after a bm...I have to say to myself...this is just my 'pooping anxiety'--it seems so nutty...and the feeling that I could pass out with it sucks!! It only becomes mental if the body symptoms persist...what to do?!?! I am trying to laugh it off but...

Hi, my by far the worst panic attack I've ever had was the morning after the day my Father died suddenly of a heart attack. I awoke with a searing tight,stabbing pain in anal area... and it became worse, then I got the urge to go for a BM.
I got to the bathroom, I started to get an unreal feeling.. like a detacthment from reality... I thought I was going to faint, and ended up not having a BM afterall and that tight feeling passed after a few minutes, but the fainty sensation remained, then I found myself struggling the get enough air to breathe.
I left the bathroom and headed downstairs, fortunately my Mother was there.... I recall her asking if I was ok, but I couldn't answer her because I was fighting so hard to get air that I couldn't talk... I headed for the couch, feeling cold,sweaty & clammy, I honestly thought I was done for.
I went to the front door,opened it with the aim to get air, but strangely enough it made it worse, got back to the couch and fell onto it.
I could hear my Mother talking and she was getting irrate with worry, I somehow motioned to her to ring 999 for an Ambulance.. they came within minutes.... the Paramedics asked for all my meds as I have a long term chronic illness..they put me in the wheelchair and gave me oxygen.... then took me to hospital.
They said it was a severe panic attack brought on by my Fathers death...stress,trauma,anxiety & shock. My meds needed adjusting slightly.

Yours Sincerely Dirk !!;O))

It's called Nervous Bowel syndrome and it's one of the first symptoms when a panic attack is about to come on. It's very uncomfortable and frighting but if you get something for it. It can be controlled. The worst is when it hits you and there is no toilet available. I'm with ya sister my meds i take for my panic attacks eliminates this horrible condition

Wow I had no idea that other people have this problem. I've heard of people passing out on the toilet, but I've never heard of others with my specific issue. I have bipolar 2, and my hypomania episodes come in the form of extreme anxiety, irritability, and sometimes panic attacks. I almost always get dizzy right before a bowel movement whether I'm having bipolar trouble or not. In fact, as soon as I feel dizzy, I think, "Oh I just have to go poop", lol. Lately I've been feeling anxious and I've been having frequent bowel movements so I've been dizzy a lot. Even after the BM I feel crappy--dizzy, woozy, unsteady, and I'll break out in a cold sweat. My heart races and I get a horrible sense of impending doom. I feel like I'm going to pass out, but I haven't yet. Then I'll have a panic attack. It is very hard but I have to "ride it out" and try to distract myself, usually by watching a funny movie or playing World of Warcraft. Sometimes though, I just have to go to bed. It sucks. I'm not glad other people have this problem, but it's still nice to know I'm not a weirdo.

I too joined this forum because of this thread I have been experiencing this dizziness/dissociative sensations for 7 years now and it has been steadily getting worse but not quite to a level of previous posters.
This thread has helped me make the connection between BMs and the dizziness. I really think this could be the answer Ive been looking for! Many thanks to Raven0108 :)

The last 2 months now (since I found this thread) to keep me going everyday, I have been having 70g Kelloggs All Bran & 50g Quaker Oat Crisp for breakfast. Probably too much but I love it

I thought it might be blood sugar or blood pressure so I had my blood tested a while back and found all normal except my Triglyceride levels were high (2.29 MMOL/L). I have started taking Flax seed oil to reduce this, which also conveniently helps things along.

I dont want to take any drugs Im sure there is another way

More recently this dizziness has triggered panic attacks when Im driving like (RayRayG) which is pretty scary, but I have had hypnotherapy at www.russellhemmings.co.uk which seems to have stopped the dizziness triggering a Panic attack. Time will tell, I guess. .

I have also noticed I get a lot of tension in my jaw at night which sometimes makes my ear hurt and affects my sinuses in the morning so Russell treated me for that too which seems to have worked wonders.
I have stopped having caffeine (tea, coffee etc) This seems to have helped a lot and I am sleeping much better. I would like to know if anyone else on this thread thinks caffeine may be affecting them or has jaw/tongue tension associated with BM's & dizziness?

I absolutely HATE this. it doesn't happen every time but it's the worst when I'm driving and I start to get anxious and then I get this gotta go feeling and there is no bathroom in sight. Then it throws me into a full blown attack because I think I'm going to wind up going right there in the car! So far I've always been able to wait to find a restroom, but I dread the day I don't.

This is from Vasal vagel, also known as neurocardiogenic syncope. The blood pools in your intestines when you have to go, causing symptoms of dizzyness, lightheadedness and panic. As soon as you go, these sensations will stop. This causes you to feel panic but it is not a panic attack, which is why it goes away right after going. Treament is usually SSRI's and sometimes beta blockers.

Wow, I am so glad that you asked this question because I never knew it was as common as I see it is now and I never knew why.

This happens to me at least 10-12 times a year. Sometimes I also feel like I am going to faint while I'm on the toilet. My stomach will be in the worst pain (making all these rumbling sounds), I will heat up real bad, sweat immensely and then rip all my clothes off and grab a cold rag and run it across my head, face neck and chest. By doing this it helps but as soon as this calms down I have sever diarrhea and then once I am down going BM... I feel a lot better and my BM is back to normal.

This all happens out of the blue and I have always thought it was strange.

Hi RayRay,

I don't think you need the drugs - I'm managing my symptoms very well now and I'm feeling pretty much fixed. Still no caffeine for me (well the odd cup of tea) I've replaced the morning cuppa with fruit juice (not from concentrate) and more fibre and fruit in my diet.

I was also told to listen to/read, "Full Catastrophe Living"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness/dp/0739358588/ref=tmm_abk_title_0

It was very relaxing to listen to in the car. I found it interesting and helpful.

Yeah I get that too, and after word im better..... crazy