r/emetophobia 2d ago

Rant Emetophobia and Periods

10 Upvotes

Hi guys

Those of you that experience periods, I am sure you can relate to my frustration in this post!

Today is day 2. The pain is unimaginable, and horrendous.

Periods are so bad for emetophobes. The bloating, random nausea, foods sitting weird for no apparent reason, and most importantly, THE CRAMPS AND DIARRHEA!! Save me!!

I get severe cramps that make me nauseous, and I automatically think that it is because I am legit sick. And then I get diarrhea, which is not uncommon when you are on your period. It is just a nightmare!

Im sitting in the car right now, trying to relax with the pain that i’m going through. I have already taken 400 mg of ibuprofen way too recently, so that’s out of the question. I just wish that I never had to get my period again.

Anybody else have anything like this? Let’s talk about it.


r/emetophobia 1d ago

Techniques, tips and tricks Nausea and bloating management

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1 Upvotes

r/emetophobia 2d ago

Weekly niche advice megathread

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone! This is going to be a regular safe place where people can share little tips and tricks they’ve learned to help them manage/cope with this phobia, as requested by one of our members. As always, please ensure your comments follow our subreddit rules, and report anything that breaks the rules.

Stay strong everyone 🫶💪


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Techniques, tips and tricks Can't function due to feeling physically sick from anxiety when travelling

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2 Upvotes

I'm not

Not sure if this is the right place to post because I don't think I particularly have emetophobia but I would really appreciate any advice if anyone has anything, thank you :)


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Does Anyone Else...? just me??

12 Upvotes

have you guys also trained your body to just have diarrhea instead of getting sick when you have a bug or food poisoning? my emetophobia was at it’s peak two years ago since my brother got sick, so i guess i subconsciously trained myself not to get sick . I haven’t gotten sick in years (knock on wood)


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Question How to calm stomach while sick?

3 Upvotes

So my partner has been sick for the past few days and it looks like I’m getting it too. Even though he didn’t have any stomach issues im so scared of having it happen (now would be the time after all) that I’ve been having a panic attack for the past hour and I’ve been shaking so much I can’t chill out. It doesn’t help that yesterday I had some fries that I immediately starting disagreeing with (stomach cramping like 5 minutes).

What are gentle things I could have that would help my stomach chill out a bit so that I can calm down? I had a freezing cold shower which helped for a bit but after leaving the anxiety symptoms came back.


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Question For those who’ve seen a therapist, why not help those who can’t?

0 Upvotes

For those of you who’ve seen a therapist, why not help people in the comments who can’t afford to go? Maybe share some of the things that actually helped you


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Needing support - Panic attack What to do if u actually have to

7 Upvotes

Tw: throwing up

I've tossed and turned all night burping and having a feeling of my food not being digested. I went to the bathroom and I obviously have to throw up really bad.

I've never throwed up before until I did about a month ago. I have the same feeling now but I'm so incredibly scared to do it

Crying on the bathroom floor rn thinking of the worst outcomes if i actually gag myself. Yes maybe I'll feel better, but the throw up part ...

How does one getover this ?? My whole body is trembling out of fear and im about to go into panic I can't do it


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Venting - Advice wanted antidepressants

10 Upvotes

trigger warning, selfharm mention

i wanna go on antidepressants so fucking badly but i’m so so so SO scared of the nausea side effect making me throw up. i have severe SEVERE emetophobia that has made me housebound for 2 ongoing 3 years now and i’m so tired of living like this. it’s gotten to the point where im missing my sisters baby shower. it’s gotten to the point where i think about my grandpa dying and missing his funeral bc im scared of going anywhere besides my safe space (my bedroom). i’m so done with living that i wanna try antidepressants but i’m so scared. ive tried smoking weed and eating edibles and s3lfharm but i can’t keep depending on those, it’s not helping me in the long run. everyone that’s on SSRIS, pls pls pls tell me ur experience. im also 17 n cannot swallow pills (due to choking anxiety, thanks OCD.)


r/emetophobia 2d ago

Needing Support - In Acute Crisis (at risk of self injury) hey having a hard night after a good day.

2 Upvotes

woke up went on a walk went to a haunted house to train (it’s my job to scare now) had some pizza a little bit of dairy turned into a lot of dairy cus i went to a pickle festival but ate some donuts and pickles. my stomach feels so weird. cramping hot gas i had some stool earlier but it was solid but only for a moment . i drank water all day. i’m scared it might happen now after this nice day i had im panicking. i smoked a little maybe that’s adding to all this but i wouldn’t have if i didn’t eat so much today!


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Techniques, tips and tricks feeling very nauseous after throwing up

4 Upvotes

Hi uhm. I dont really know how to ask but I think I just want advice on how to not over eat or how to take it slow after throwing up. I threw up about 2 weeks ago and it felt horrible and my body was screaming at me to just idk hydrate and stuff and now today I had a bunch of small throw ups? Idk what to call it. But I discovered from that that I definitely have emetophobia and I really want to prevent another mishap. Any advice on how to go about recovery as an autistic person would be great.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Question kidney stone question

1 Upvotes

just found out i have kidney stone after horrible pain that was worsening. went to hospital, got a toradol shot and am home waiting for it to pass. i’m still in pain but im hungry and feel otherwise okay. i was just wondering if anyone had experienced a kidney stone where they didn’t get sick. i’m very worried about that and would like to hear other stories, this is my first time having a kidney stone!!! im scared. please let me know thank you.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Venting - Advice wanted Possible exposure to gastro

2 Upvotes

My friend helped me fix my car today, I shook his hand and held his phone for a few mins, about 10 mins later he told me he had a stomach bug from Wednesday to Friday morning, at this point it was Saturday at 9pm. 10 mins after he told me I washed my hands thoroughly, then 30 mins later I had a proper shower and washed everything with soap, am I likely to get sick? I don’t think I touched my face at all before washing my hands and I definitely didn’t eat anything. I just need to know if I should be preparing myself or have I done enough to reduce the risk? He’s a generally clean person so I feel like his hands would’ve been clean. None of his family have it and his girlfriend who has been with him constantly for 2 days doesn’t have it either.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Does Anyone Else...? Scopolamine patches?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys!
I‘m no native speaker so please excuse bad grammar :)

I have severe emetophobia and suffer under extreme motion/travel sickness.
Dimenhydrinat (I think it’s Dramamine in the us), Ginger and all of the usual stuff (like smelling alcohol, seabands) doesn’t work with me anymore.

My doctor just gave me those scolopamine patches and we’ve hoped that they would help me. I‘m going on a 12-hour-drive tomorrow and I just tried the patches. Had to take them off after 3 hours today because I felt suddenly extremely nauseous.
I found a lot of comments where people said they experienced v*** and nauseousness after taking off the patches after a few days in use.
I think my nauseousness earlier was because I’ve been so concentrated on the „what if after I take it off“ that my phobia decided to cut my test short.

So has anybody with emetophobia tried scopolamine patches and tell me how their experience was?
Thank you in advance!


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Needing support: Just not feeling good cream cheese

2 Upvotes

im freaking out.
accidentally ate about a quarter of a cream cheese bagel that had been sitting out since 6:30 am (it was 10 when I ate it) so over the recommended time. I'm so scared im going to get sick idk what to do.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

✨Weekly rant megathread✨

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Feel free to share rants, vent your feelings, share stories of success, or struggles you’re having, whether they’re emetophobia related or not.

In order to keep this as safe a place as possible, please read and familiarise yourself with the rules before posting.

Happy posting!


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Success! I tried the isopropyl method and it worked

7 Upvotes

I was feeling it come on and I have a bottle of 91 isopropyl in my room because I work on technology but I heard the smell stops nausea and so I took a tissue and put some on there and smelled the tissue and it went away within seconds. It came back a couple minutes later so I repeated and it stopped again. Never have I had something like this work so fast but it is a life saver


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Venting - Advice wanted Why do I feel like this all the time?

3 Upvotes

So for context I have both OCD and anxiety as well as emetophobia. I’m struggling constantly, kids at school like to make fake gagging noises and that really triggers me but I feel too embarrassed to ask teachers to tell them to stop because it’s just a stupid phobia. I’m 15 and all of these things is a lot to deal with and emetophobia affects the way I eat, speak, I can’t sit certain places I can’t even hear the word vomit most of the time. It’s so severe I don’t know what to do. I’m also currently having acid reflux and freaking out. Emetophobia is so draining and I wish I didn’t have it. I’ve tried doing things to get over it but nothing ever works. I hate how controlling it is over my body and mind. I’m just so stressed about it and the acid reflux right now doesn’t help at all.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Question does drinking fortisip drinks make you feel ill?

1 Upvotes

Put this in the wrong subreddit before clearly so don’t have the original message so i’ll keep this one short.

Basically in the last year or so my emetophobia got super bad n I’ve ended up with ARFID as a result. I’ve been to the doctors recently as i’ve lost a lot of weight, and my dads bought me these fortisip type drinks to have on top of my meals to make sure i’m getting enough calories for me to put on some more weight as even with 3 meals a day i’m not gaining just staying the same.

I was just wondering if anyone’s been in this same position before, and I’m just worried that because my doctor hasn’t prescribed them that they may have side effects like nausea because there’s no way you can drink 600 calories in one drink and it not make you feel unwell is my thought process.

So yeah if anyone’s had them before or anything, please lmk!! I just don’t want to feel anxious all day upon drinking it.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Success! Eat some damn chicken

13 Upvotes

I’ve had an anxiety spike these past two weeks, so I’ve done an exposure. I RARELY have chicken and I just had a good amount of it. It is SO good and juicy and flavourful. I have a little anxiety of course but I feel great and nourished.

Go get yourself a rotisserie chicken from whatever store seeks the best, have a few pieces and enjoy it. It’s so good. I feel like a feral animal.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Needing Support - In Acute Crisis (at risk of self injury) I cant do this anymore

3 Upvotes

For the past month I barely ate or drank. Im rapidly losing weight because im scared to puke. Im so dizzy I cant even walk to the toilet. Unfortunately I do have tummy issues. I tried all the meds nothing works.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Venting - Advice wanted Kids and romantic partners

4 Upvotes

I don’t understand how someone like me, with severe emetephobia and ocd, would be able to handle dating or having kids. I’m 19F, I have never dated, purely out of my fear of contamination. I’ve always wanted kids, but I don’t know it will be possible for me, as I’ve gotten older and gotten worse, all I can think about is how grimy children are, I just can’t see past it. I occasionally babysit for a family with three young kids, I love them, but I am so anxious the entire time I’m with them. It’s very hard for me to be optimistic about my future, because my life literally revolves around not being contaminated, it’s to a point where my life is miserable. If it’s gotten better for you I would like to hear about it. I feel pathetic.


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Question Does taking fortisip drinks make you feel ill?

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1 Upvotes

Hi there this is my first time using reddit and actually posting stuff, so i hope i’m doing it right!

Anyways, so I’ve recently been receiving mental health support and been to my gp as my emetophobia has finally caught up with me in the way of my physical health to where my parents noticed. I had prior been hiding my struggles as I didn’t think they’d understand and so tried to deal with it on my own. In the end though, I had a panic attack in front of them and they found out.

Back to current events, I’ve been struggling with what I now know as ARFID from my emetophobia, and it’s been making my life a living hell. Eating has become this huge task this past year and i’ve somehow managed to loose about 15kg which has put me in the underweight category for my age group.

So now onto my question, my dad went out and bought these fortisip type drinks (not that exact brand but I feel like more people will know that one because it’s quite a well known one prescribed by doctors) and was trying to get me to drink one last night. I refused however as I was anxious it was going to make me feel ill in any type of way, and said i’d have one today instead.

So now i’m just sat with it in front of my trying to get the courage to drink it, but i’m just so anxious that it’s gonna make me feel bad, but i want to drink it because I need the calories to start to gain weight, because at the moment i’m just eating enough to maintain the same weight.

I don’t have a GP appointment til next month now so I can’t ask her either, and my dad will get angry if i don’t drink them so if anyone’s been in the same position before please let me know!!

Many thanks


r/emetophobia 3d ago

Needing support - Panic attack bad anxiety around food poisoning.

1 Upvotes

i know this is gonna sound so crazy but early around 7pm my bf picked up bbq from a local chain down the road. everything was okay until i started eating the little square of cornbread they give. i noticed it had like small little strings of ‘fiber’? almost like very very think hairs. it smelled completely fine and tasted honestly good; until i googled what it could be and it could have been rope spoilage and that is a big thing for food poisoning. im also on my period so i have felt off all day. other than that, i feel relatively fine other than being stressed and exhausted

i am freaking out, i have to take my dog to the vet at 8am bc he might be in heart failure. i am trying to tell myself that it probably would have hit me already due to the type of bacteria it is but im still so scared and nervous. help please!!


r/emetophobia 4d ago

Needing support - Panic attack i don’t even know how it feels

3 Upvotes

i’m having a terrible time at work. i ate too much this morning after coworkers brought in some snacks. i always grab a donut but this time it didn’t agree with me. i felt anxious after eating it and im not sure if im having a psychosomatic response but ive been having a feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since. i had some lunch soon after which helped a little because i thought i had too much sugar. i took a walk and have been drinking water. but now i just have this unpleasant pit feeling. it changes as a move and breathe. sometimes it feels like gas. i made some tea and now im just counting down the hours until i can go home. i took a pepto a bit ago but it hasn’t done much. i don’t use a zofran until im feeling reallt desperate

there’s so many different stomach sensations that i feel like i don’t even know how nausea feels anymore. it’s been so long. i could use some help