Suggest Treatment For Difficulty In Swallowing Food Caused By Severe Anxiety Disorder

Posted on Tue, 12 Jan 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 12 Jan 2016 Answered on

Fri, 12 Feb 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been having difficulty swallowing foods but especially liquids. This has been going on for almost 3 years. I have no pain. I have had medical procedures done like an endoscopy, an MRI, an EKG but nothing shows up. I had an enormous amount of stress in my life when this swallowing issue started. I feel like this stems from an emotional/high stress related problem. Now it is getting worse and I am salivating a great deal. When I am doing presentations for my business, my mouth fills up with saliva and I cannot swallow it so I am spitting out the saliva into a tissue. I am getting really worried about myself. I have tried many alternative therapies, herbal remedies, naturopathy, chiropractic, even hypnosis. Not sure what to do next. Has anybody heard of this disorder before? What step should I take next?

Answered by Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Consultation

Detailed Answer:
Hello, and thanks for your question.

You are entirely correct this could be an anxiety disorder. If you have not already, I would see an endocrinologist to rule out a disorder of the salivary glands. However, I have seen this before in patients with anxiety disorders.

The treatment of this is twofold. First, medications can be helpful, including benzodiazepines in the short term, and antidepressants in the long term. I would start with a combination of Klonopin and Lexapro. Second, you need psychotherapy. This will help you understand how this disorder developed, and how to deal with it mentally. I offer private psychotherapy via my direct link below. Simply open up a question thread and we can begin.

In the future, for continuity of care, I encourage you to contact me at my private link below. After you ask a direct question it would be my pleasure to be your dedicated personal physician on this website. My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX doctor working in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked #1 for Psychiatry in the United States (tinyurl.com/psyrank). For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, and individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: tinyurl.com/DrSheppeAnswers

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad