topic Sore throat in Anxiety

Sore throat

MamaL — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 07:18:08 GMT

Hi I’m new here!
I got told I had TMJ about a week or so before Christmas last year, which lasted about 2 weeks and then luckily went away but since then I’ve had various other symptoms. One of which is a constant sore throat - I honestly can’t remember a day I haven’t had it! Some days it’s not so bad but other days it’s unbearable. I’ve never had anxiety issues, but this (as well as my other symptoms) made my doc say that I have high anxiety; probably triggered by not enough sleep - my 18 month old wakes numerous times per night and has never slept through. I’ve now been on low dose antidepressants for 3 weeks and I’ve still got this sore throat! I see people mentioning physical symptoms on this forum, but can’t see info about having a consistent sore throat. So I guess I’m trying to find out if this is normal for anxiety? I don’t feel any more stressed than normal, so I don’t understand why it hasn’t gone away or at least even a little bit. The doc had checked my throat and didn’t find any signs of infection / inflammation and I’ve had a blood test which came back normal, but that was all over a month ago now, so I’m wondering if I should ask for more tests? Or maybe my antidepressants haven’t “kicked” in yet?

Sore throat

Emmen — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 07:32:19 GMT

Dear MamaL,

Welcome to the forums!

I've never heard of a constant sore throat being a symptom of anxiety, but I wonder if it's related to the TMJ? Perhaps that is something you could explore with your doctor. Having a sore throat for more than a month cannot be comfortable, I do hope you recover soon.

Kindly,
M

Sore throat

Ggrand — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 09:20:51 GMT

Hello MammaL..

A very warm and caring well the forums...

I was diagnosed with TMJ a few years ago...and was told that biting gently on an engineers pencil helps to ease the pain..which I did and it didn’t help that well...I never had a sore throat with it...I did get pain in neck, ear, shoulder and of course my jaw and the area around it...I am Please that yours has seemed to heal for you..,

Unfortunately...I also developed osteoarthritis in the same jaw..now I have TMD...still no sore throat..but a larger range of pain..luckily for me pain relief works okay...

Maybe ask for more tests to be done with your Dr... to settle down your anxiety about your throat...

I think the more we focus on a particular part of our body, the more sensitive we are to it...

Sending you my kind thoughts and hoping to Here from you when you feel up to talking...

Best wishes dear MamaL...

Grandy..

Sore throat

MamaL — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 10:45:05 GMT

Thanks Emmen!
I’m seeing my doc on Monday, so will get her to do more checks then. It did start of as a “lump in my throat” type feeling but feels different now. Hopefully she can shed some light. Monday just feels so far away!

Sore throat

MamaL — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 10:47:32 GMT

Thanks Grandy.

I hadn’t heard about the engineers pencil option. But yeah I was lucky it didn’t hang around much, but yes I had the same things you mentioned - everything felt sore on my head basically! plus also headaches. As soon as my jaw started feeling better, my throat started hurting. As I said the the previous reply, I’m seeing my doc on Monday so hopefully can get some answers.

Sore throat

Guest_1573 — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 02:35:58 GMT

Hi MamaL

Sorry to hear you are suffering! I can sympathise! I too have been diagnosed with TMJD and also Eagle Syndrome and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia. I know for a fact that TMJD can cause a sore throat. I too have been prescribed anti depressants and I have been on them now for over 7 weeks. I think they make a slight difference but nothing to celebrate over. Again; they can take many weeks to work. I have the sore throat, ear, jaw, pain behind ear, pain behind eye, severe pain in back of neck (turns out I also have a subluxation in cervical spine and a herniated disc in thoracic spine).

Many many doctors over the last two years constantly fob me off saying that everything I am experiencing is due to anxiety. Well of course one is anxious if in constant pain and discomfort! They also say that anxiety causes sore throat and globus (feeling of something in throat) as one tenses up and the muscles around the shoulders and neck carry the nerves that affect the throat, tongue ear etc . I too have had MRI's, ultrasounds, xrays, full blood count.....all show nothing major...but again one cannot rest as one never feels right.

Tiredness too adds to this situation. As you are not getting enough sleep that is probably exacerbating the TMJD and then the throat issue.

I hope you start to feel some benefit soon from the AD's. I wish I could offer more but as I say....I have spent an inordinate amount of time visiting different doctors etc to no avail.

Take care Do try to relax as difficult as that is. Have you a mouth guard for the TMJD? I have one and it made a slight difference.