46 replies to this topic

[Mtndog]

Thanks for sharing TinkerbellSwt! That's a lot. I'm not planning on going off my meds. I'm the same as you (but unipolar) and I know that this is a chemical imbalance.

I just wonder sometimes if all this would have occured without gluten in my life.

[TinkerbellSwt]

I do too. I wonder if they knew about my problem when I was 2 and my mom knew that something wasnt right and all kinds of docs told her she was crazy. endocrinogists and all, told her she was nuts there was nothing wrong with me. Even though I had a distended stomach and at the age of 2 I lost interest in all things. I wouldnt play anymore, I wouldnt go to the beach, I wouldnt go in the tree house, all the things kids should be doing when they are growing up. I wonder had they known back then, would my imbalance be as it is now? I know there is no way to figure it out, but sometimes I wonder!

[JerryK]

Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here. I've been on Lexapro for several years now. I also have Xanax, which I take at night as needed, to sleep.

I've noticed a VERY PROFOUND depressive/lethargic/anxious effect when I eat gluten. By 2.5 to 3 hours, I can always feel it. Abstaining from gluten has the effect of making me feel UP or good. Interestingly these are the exact symptoms that got me on an AD to begin with. I'm sure this isn't true for everyone, but I bet there are others like me. I strongly suspect that a good portion of my symptoms are actually caused or exacerbated by the consumption of gluten.

Does that mean I can stop my AD? Ask me this question again in six months.

[Megz]

The more I read and study about what symptoms I've had and have had to live with the more upset I get. I've suffered from depression for four years and due to some 'strange phenomenon' I couldn't take anti-depressants because I've got a sensitivity to most over-the-counter meds.
I havn't been doing this long but wow do I sink into my depression/anxiety when i get glutened it's almost my cue, when my mood swings, I know it's going downhill.
I'm not saying I'm glad you're all suffering from this too, but I am thankful you're all sharing so that us newbies can see we're not all alone- thanks!

[Mtndog]

I'm so glad people feel comfortable talking about this. Depression is one of the clinical symptoms of celiac. Someone on another thread (I wish I could remember which one) said that gastroenterologists are starting to acknowledge the stomach as a 2nd brain which I think makes COMPLETE sense! It would be intersting to see as people heal if they can reduce their dosages etc. I know one former board member who was on over 20 prescriptions (not all psych meds) and is off ALL of them now.

I think that going gluten-free is the answer for some people, but not all.

[darlindeb25]

I agree Jerry, I know that my panic/anxiety was caused by gluten. The sicker I became, the more panic I encountered. I worried about everything, and the biggest thing I worried about was disappointing everyone else. A vicious cycle, the more I panicked, the more I worried, the more I worried, the more I panicked. I was taking 40mgs of Paxil and still panicking. There was a time when I was on Xanax, but I could not cope on it, still, if I take it, I get very jumpy and out of control the next day. I know my anxiety is caused by my celiac disease and other intolerance's.

[missy'smom]

The main problem with anxiety is, it is such a horrible feeling, we fear it. Fearing it causes us to actively fight the anxiety. Fighting the anxious feelings is the ONE thing I did that makes it worse.
I found a lot of value in allowing myself to BE anxious, to SEEK being anxious, until anxiety no longer became something I feared. When you allow yourself to pass thru the anxiety...to get to the other side of it....something weird happens...it goes away.

This is so true and well said. If only those in the medical profession got this.

[Carriefaith]

I'm just wondering what other people think about gluten and their brains. It amazes me that one small protein can wreak such havoc on a body!

Gluten does mess with my brain for sure. When I am glutened I can get depressed, nervous, anxious, irritable, moody, anti-social, and paranoid... Let's just say that I'm not much fun to be around.

[Hardyo]

Hi
In the past i was on anti-depressants for clinical depression and anxiety, i was on and of them for about 3/4 years maybe longer, but last november i was diagnosed as a celiac and after about 3 months i started to wean myself of the a/d's and since then i have struggled but according to my gp it can take up to a year for the stomach to heal properly and i hope that its the celiac symptons i'm suffering from not another bout of depression.
especially since i've accidently glutened myself a couple of times and firstly i suffered the anger and rage then i was so depressed, these symptons lasted about two weeks the first time, maybe 4/5 days the second time, and all the time i was going through it i didn't think it would ever end and i did consider going back on the a/d's but i found this site and found that other celiacs suffer emotionally the same as i and that helped me realise that it is just the gluten.
My doctor doesn't believe that there are mental health problems linked to celiacs, but its to much of a co-incident if you ask me, my mum is a celiac but years before she was diagnosed with that she was treated for schizophrenia and depression and my son and my nephew have autism.
It makes me wonder if we'd been diagnosed earlier would things have been different.
goodluck

[binky1246]

I have been fighting with depression for a while. When I realized I had celiac(with no help from doctors) I thought that would fix it. It did some. Then I had a ELISA blood test done for 128 food allergies. The problem I had was that after I went gluten-free, I was still eating foods that were dangerous to me. The hard part is that it is healthy foods that I can't eat. Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, beef, And several others. Since I have gotten off of the other foods, I feel much better. The doctor that helped me do the blood test said that celiacs have far more the just gluten allergies and in my case he was right. My suggestion is to find out all the food allergies that one has and then make the decision from there. For me personally, I have had bad experiences with the medication, but that doesn't mean that it won't work for others. Just make sure to either do the research yourself, or if you are lucky enough like me, have someone help you. Just remember one thing there is no shame in the decision that you make for yourself. I have been three years actively searching my solutions, and I am still not sure if I have found them all. Good luck to all who need it.

[Green12]

Great topic Bev!

It breaks my heart to read everyone's personal stories, so much suffering.

I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14 or 15, I know I had it much earlier than that though. I remember feeling so supressed, trapped in a darkness, and didn't have much of a zest for life at a really really young age, which I don't think is typical for a child.

When I was diagnosed I did a lot of "talking" with different therapist which really didn't help me. I felt like my depression wasn't really situational but rather something was going on physically with my body. I had a lot of physical symptoms that were ignored by all the medical professionals I saw and therapy with psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychotherapists and medications were really pushed as the solution.

I was put on prozac when I was 18-19 and it just made me so much worse, my behavior was unrecognizable. This went on for a 2-3 years on and off prozac, at a higher dose, and then I tried effexor for a short time. I just couldn't take the drugs, they made me so much worse and I had a lot of side effects.

It wasn't until I dabbled in the alternative medicine world that the clouds parted for me. I learned about food allergies and intolerances, balancing my hormones, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, adrenal stress, heavy metal toxicity, bacterial/viral/fungal/yeast/parasite infections, and etc.. As my body became more balanced my moods and state of mind drastically improved. I know it isn't for everyone but it saved my life and now when I look back on my life it's hard to believe where I came from because I am in such a better even steady place.

Now I notice that everything I eat directly contributes to my depression. The longer I am off gluten the more noticeable my mood swings are when I accidentally ingest gluten. A couple months ago I unknowingly had some gluten and it wasn't too long after maybe a few hours I flew into a rage, it was not pretty. Sugar and dairy also tend to have the same effect on me, but to a much lesser degree.

[Sweetfudge]

Great topic Bev!

It breaks my heart to read everyone's personal stories, so much suffering.

I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14 or 15, I know I had it much earlier than that though. I remember feeling so supressed, trapped in a darkness, and didn't have much of a zest for life at a really really young age, which I don't think is typical for a child.

When I was diagnosed I did a lot of "talking" with different therapist which really didn't help me. I felt like my depression wasn't really situational but rather something was going on physically with my body. I had a lot of physical symptoms that were ignored by all the medical professionals I saw and therapy with psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychotherapists and medications were really pushed as the solution.

I was put on prozac when I was 18-19 and it just made me so much worse, my behavior was unrecognizable. This went on for a 2-3 years on and off prozac, at a higher dose, and then I tried effexor for a short time. I just couldn't take the drugs, they made me so much worse and I had a lot of side effects.

It wasn't until I dabbled in the alternative medicine world that the clouds parted for me. I learned about food allergies and intolerances, balancing my hormones, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, adrenal stress, heavy metal toxicity, bacterial/viral/fungal/yeast/parasite infections, and etc.. As my body became more balanced my moods and state of mind drastically improved. I know it isn't for everyone but it saved my life and now when I look back on my life it's hard to believe where I came from because I am in such a better even steady place.

Now I notice that everything I eat directly contributes to my depression. The longer I am off gluten the more noticeable my mood swings are when I accidentally ingest gluten. A couple months ago I unknowingly had some gluten and it wasn't too long after maybe a few hours I flew into a rage, it was not pretty. Sugar and dairy also tend to have the same effect on me, but to a much lesser degree.

i also was diagnosed in my teens. my parents thought i was just experiencing "normal" teen-moodswings.
i don't think a gluten intolerance caused my depression but i know both feed off each other. i get so emotional when i'm glutened, and when i get depressed, i succomb to eating gluten more easily.
i want to know how to get more into alternative medicines. one of the things i've been noticing lately is that i'm not very in tune w/ my body. i'm going to the dr tomorrow to have some more allergy tests done, cuz i've been off gluten for a year, but still get really sick sometimes. do you recommend any sites?

[Green12]

i want to know how to get more into alternative medicines. one of the things i've been noticing lately is that i'm not very in tune w/ my body. i'm going to the dr tomorrow to have some more allergy tests done, cuz i've been off gluten for a year, but still get really sick sometimes. do you recommend any sites?

Hi Sweetfudge,

I don't personally know of any websites that I can vouch for all of the contents. As with anything, you have to be careful what kind of information is being put out there.

Everything I learned was through my experiences when I was under the care of naturopaths, osteopaths, acupuncturists, nutritionists, and the ocasional MD who swayed to the alternative side.

I think wanting to get more in tune with your body is a great idea! Many on this board have many issues due to additional food intolerances and allergies. Check out the category "Other Food Intolerance and Leaky Gut Issues". Lotsof good info.

Good luck to you!

[tom]

Similar to many I'm sure, I had nearly lifelong problems w/ depression and anxiety. Kinda figured that was just how it was, and self-medicated w/ just about anything & everything.
Spent a few yrs on a variety of anti-depressants, some of which seemed to work for 2-4 wks, then not at all.

BUT, for ~9 wks now, I've been truly happy, every day and all day.

The key was eliminating the FINAL food intolerance - in my case soy.

I've felt better, ALL 60-some days in a row, than I'd felt since a child in the early 70s.

I say skip the pills - find the rest of the diet issues. OK, so maybe everyone can't get as lucky as I feel. If the pills work, who am I to dismiss them?

I've come to believe that everyone has the capability to feel fantastic tho. And I NEVER could have believed that over the prev 30+ years.

Best Wishes to all . . ..