How can I stop this?

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Sorry about the title being vague, I didn't know how to word the title without too many words. Often these days when I'm having a drink, I have to sip it slowly and gingerly otherwise my throat muscles clench and I involuntarily gasp in air from my nose which sends the unswallowed drink straight down into my lungs and I choke and have a bit of a shock. This happens when I'm about to swallow drink before my throat clenches up. This never happens with food, so it seems to be an anxiety thing, psychological.

I'm worried that one of these days I'm going to give myself pneumonia if this keeps carrying on. Now I can't quench my thirst as effectively because I can only sip drink to avoid this happening, but when it's 35 Celsius outside and you're really thirsty, the normal thing to do is glug down water or other drinks. That's what I want to do.
It's so scary, as for a split second you think you're going to drown or gag.

No, it's not ''silent GERD'', otherwise it would be happening with food too. I'm 100% certain that anxiety is to blame. I can't find anything online about this. Has this happened to anyone else here with anxiety? It used to happen to my mother too, who also had an anxiety disorder like me. It can get very embarrassing, as it almost happened when I was at work the other week and I had to quickly spit drink back into my glass, and the others looked at me a bit disgusted, wondering what I was doing. I had to apologise.

I was going to perhaps try drinking while holding my nose but I'm not sure if that would be wise, as I might involuntarily open my mouth instead to gasp in air and that might prove more scary.

I would advise talking to a doc about this to better figure out what's going on or rule some things out. If this is due to anxiety perhaps taking some anxiety medication for a while would help you feel more relaxed & not have your throat clench up. If this does stop while being on anxiety medication you'd know what's going on & not having problems for a bit might help you feel more relaxed if you stop the med. Since you said you cant find anything online about this I went to Google Gemini https://gemini.google.com/app & asked What can cause throat clenching when drinking but not when eating?. Perhaps these results will give you some ideas. Sometimes when I'm researching something I go down the rabbit hole & in the preprocess of ruling the more standard results out one thing leads to another & I stuble across a rarer uncommon cause that fits or treatment that works


1. Neurological Disorders:

Dysphagia for liquids only is often indicative of a problem with the neurological control of swallowing. Swallowing involves a complex coordination of muscles and nerves. Liquids move much faster than solids, requiring quicker and more precise muscle action. If the nerves or muscles aren't coordinating properly, liquids are more likely to "go down the wrong pipe" (into the airway), leading to choking, coughing, or the sensation of throat clenching.

Conditions that can cause this include:

Stroke: Damage to the brain from a stroke can affect the nerves controlling swallowing muscles.

Parkinson's Disease: A progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, including the muscles involved in swallowing.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS): An autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, which can disrupt nerve signals to swallowing muscles.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) / Motor Neuron Disease: Progressive degenerative diseases that affect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness.

Muscular Dystrophies: Genetic disorders that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

Brain or spinal cord injury: Trauma can disrupt the neurological pathways involved in swallowing.

2. Esophageal Motility Disorders:

While some esophageal issues affect both solids and liquids, certain motility disorders can specifically cause more difficulty with liquids:

Achalasia: This is a condition where the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscle that opens to let food into the stomach) doesn't relax properly, and the esophagus itself has impaired contractions. While often affecting solids, it can cause more difficulty with liquids due to the pressure needed to push fluid through.

Esophageal Spasm: Uncoordinated or strong contractions of the esophageal muscles can make it difficult for liquids to pass smoothly.

3. Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction:

The cricopharyngeus muscle forms the upper esophageal sphincter, acting as a gate to the esophagus. If this muscle remains tight or doesn't relax properly when swallowing, it can cause difficulty, particularly with liquids that require a quick opening.

4. Anxiety or Stress (Globus Sensation):

While not a physical obstruction, anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms, including a feeling of tightness or a lump in the throat (known as "globus sensation" or "globus pharyngeus"). This sensation is often more noticeable when swallowing saliva or liquids and less so when eating, as the act of eating can distract from the sensation. However, if this is the case, it's usually a sensation of a lump rather than actual clenching/difficulty getting the liquid down.

5. Other Less Common Causes:

Enlarged Thyroid (Goiter): A very large thyroid gland can sometimes press on the esophagus, causing a feeling of tightness and difficulty swallowing.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD): This occurs when the vocal cords close inappropriately during breathing, which can sometimes extend to swallowing, making the throat feel tight.

When to Seek Medical Advice:

It's crucial to consult a healthcare professional if you experience persistent throat clenching or difficulty swallowing, especially if accompanied by:

Choking or coughing during or after swallowing

Unexplained weight loss

Recurrent pneumonia or respiratory infections

Pain when swallowing

Hoarseness or changes in voice

A feeling that something is stuck in your throat

A doctor can perform a thorough examination and may recommend tests like a barium swallow study, endoscopy, or manometry to determine the exact cause and recommend appropriate treatment.

Um...the anxiety one describes me the most.

But if it's a stroke, I'd be eligible to retire tomorrow, right?