Can anxiety cause frequent urination?

Graciecat

When I was having panic attacks and bad anxiety I was always going to the bathroom.
I was sure there was something wrong with my kidneys.
I asked my Doctor about it and he told me that frequent urination was very common in people who suffer with this disorder.
Once my panic attacks went away, so did the frequent urination.

greenstumpie

i have that problem too, i thought it might have been something wrong with my bladder or something...
that makes everything make more sense when it comes to that... is there though anything you can do about it?

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lori j

When I'm nervous & stressed, I can run to the bathroom every 5 minutes, I've always been that way, since I was a kid. I know a lot of people have this same problem, so I am sure it's stress related.

monkyfunky

It's to do with your body trying to get rid of waste product to make you be able to run faster away from danger.

Because that's whats going on, your body doesn't differentitate between the type of panic we have where there is nothin to run from, and the type of panic you would experience if a huge tiger was hunting you.

Soldiers who think they are going to die will often sh1t and p1ss themselves for exactly this reason.

Luckerly for us we don't get it quite that bad!

Rick7799

I have the same problem and my internist has assured me it's due to stress. This is something that has been going on for years and years. One thing that bothers me though is that when doctors can't find a reason for a problem, then it's stress. Makes you wonder.

Randy2

I still wonder too. You always worry they missed something.

But I agree stress makes it worse. When I'm having an episode of frequent urination (once every 2.5 to 3.5 hours) I tend to note the time and get anxious as the 3 hour mark approaches and right about then the urge to go comes on. Then I start the countdown over again - LOL!

monkyfunky

This is a sign of anxiety in itself though.

lori j

That's quite interesting, I never knew that was why we have to run to the bathroom when we're nervous. Thanks.

sdunc

Absolutely, it can cause frequent urination. When you are anxious, what hormone do you feel most? Adrenaline! Adrenaline speeds up your metabolism.... it makes perfect sense that increased anxiety=increased andrenaline=increased metabolisation=increased urination.

As for your IBS comment, I have noticed that when I am not as solid as I should be, I urinate more. I assume that this is because there is more water in my stool than usual and my colon is doing it's job and reclaiming the fluid. Once the runny stool passes, my urination returns to normal. Stress can certainly cause digestive problems, often the runs, which have more fluid, which kicks the colon into overdrive.

I try to avoid any medication to control these problems. I just drink plenty of water. I know that pepto or something similar helps, but then I end up constipated. Not worth if for me!! That's just treating the symptoms, though, not the initial cause of your anxiety.

Randy2

So you are saying that stress can cause our bodies to create more fluid? Is that correct?

It sort of does not make sense but it is true that, when I'm having a period of frequent urination, I don't drink more and yet pass as much urine each time. Its like I'm passing more liquid even though I'm not taking in more.

Aaron00

I to suffer from this and i guess i will just have to wait and see after a month or so of being on my meds. But it is true, when im feelig good I dont have to run to the bathroom every 5 min. Frequent urination all on its own can run your life for the worse. Always wondering if I will make it to the next bathroom on a trip or somthing like this. Crazy anoying!!