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Eating Gluten Out Of Depression?

LuvMoosic4life

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LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted

I dunno if this seems wierd, I have not been diagnosed with anything yet but know I am sensitive to gluten and stay away from it. I'm sick of my friends making fun of me and saying I should just "suck it up" Obviously they dont understand the years of discomfort I've been thorugh thanks to gluten.

has anyone ever got so depressed/angry/not caring, that they purposely eat gluten??? I know it just a bad state of mind, but I have done it a few times when I'm down, thinking: why not?, I emotionally feel like crap already anyways.....I may as well just feel worse, it wont matter..... ( this is obviously depressed thinking)

this is usually already after getting gluten from somewhere while with friends, its like the gluten triggers me into depression and I just dont care, so I purposely keep eating it....

I just wish someone would understand me, its so hard being a college student with a gluten intolerance, people are just so ignorant sometimes.....I wish people would care about health....it really brings me down....:(

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lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

Yep

Been there... before I figured out how serious this was, I went gluten-free then ate pizza with some friends. Thick crust at that... the next day I physically and mentally felt like crap. And then I ate more pizza... because I already felt bad. Why not eat what I want, I can't feel immediately worse.

I'm sorry your friends don't get it yet. People can be totally unaware and insensitive if it doesn't involve them. I don't know how long you've been gluten-free, but I know that it got easier for me. I can now look back at how far I've come and yes I still sometimes get frustrated, it's so much easier now.

And a word of advice: When your friends see you go back and forth, you risk becoming discredited. Please take that for what it is, that is not intended to cast stones at you. But to play devil's advocate and try to see from their perspective, if you cave a lot, then they may feel like it can't be that bad if you eat what you want anyway.

Hang in there, it'll get better!!

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author
Yep

Been there... before I figured out how serious this was, I went gluten-free then ate pizza with some friends. Thick crust at that... the next day I physically and mentally felt like crap. And then I ate more pizza... because I already felt bad. Why not eat what I want, I can't feel immediately worse.

I'm sorry your friends don't get it yet. People can be totally unaware and insensitive if it doesn't involve them. I don't know how long you've been gluten-free, but I know that it got easier for me. I can now look back at how far I've come and yes I still sometimes get frustrated, it's so much easier now.

And a word of advice: When your friends see you go back and forth, you risk becoming discredited. Please take that for what it is, that is not intended to cast stones at you. But to play devil's advocate and try to see from their perspective, if you cave a lot, then they may feel like it can't be that bad if you eat what you want anyway.

Hang in there, it'll get better!!

thanks so much. and it is true about friends seeing me go back and forth. I think another reason it is so hard for them to believe me is I've always loved my bread/pasta/beer/gluteny stuff. They just dont understand why I would stop eating it all of a sudden after all these years of being a food lover ( and I still am a food lover, it doesnt have to have gluten in it!!!), but they don't see the real me when eating gluten, depressed and constantly unable to concentrate b/c I sware at times it feels like my stomach will just give up and spill, like it will go out of control. I have no control over digestive issues on gluten, gluten free gives me control of that, I dont have to worry about a class room of 30 people hearing my stomach gurgle anymore, asnd yes, I have had people in the past ask me if I was hungry or something b/c they could hear my stomach in class...not very pleasent, it makes me feel ungly! people laugh at digestive issues, but when it interferes with your life its hard to laugh about. I have always covered up disocomfort and pain, which is another reason it is so hard for people to believe me if I'm not feeling well...

Britt-ME Newbie
Britt-ME
Posted

MSAU 22 ,

I know exactly how you feel. 10yrs ago I was there. At college, trying to be gluten free, and my friends didin't understand. They hated going out to dinner with me b/c I'd always ask the waiter what was in sauces, where they made with wheat or other gluten products. Even fast food places b/c I'd take the burger out of the bun. They got so embarrassed. It is very hard to stick to the diet with friends/family are not supportive. When a speciallist told me that I didn't have celiac, and was there for not gluten intolerant, I made one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I started eating gluten again, every day. 8yrs later I am sicker than I ever was and recently have returned to the gluten free diet. I know that I have to remind myself daily at this point that I am doing this to make my-self feel better, and that it isn't a qiuck fix. Just stick with it faithfully and you'll feel better.

kbtoyssni Contributor
kbtoyssni
Posted

You might want to mention the addictive properties of gluten to them. I used to eat a ton of gluten foods, but I realize now it was mostly because I was addicted. Now I could care less about eating gluten-free breads, donuts, pizza, etc.

You going back and forth certainly isn't going to help you case. But if your friends aren't being supportive when you do try to stay gluten-free and are embarrassed about you asking waiters questions, they're not worth having around. My friends are wonderfully supportive and always looking out for me, and life would be much more stressful if they weren't supportive.

48lowesracer Newbie
48lowesracer
Posted
I dunno if this seems wierd, I have not been diagnosed with anything yet but know I am sensitive to gluten and stay away from it. I'm sick of my friends making fun of me and saying I should just "suck it up" Obviously they dont understand the years of discomfort I've been thorugh thanks to gluten.

has anyone ever got so depressed/angry/not caring, that they purposely eat gluten??? I know it just a bad state of mind, but I have done it a few times when I'm down, thinking: why not?, I emotionally feel like crap already anyways.....I may as well just feel worse, it wont matter..... ( this is obviously depressed thinking)

this is usually already after getting gluten from somewhere while with friends, its like the gluten triggers me into depression and I just dont care, so I purposely keep eating it....

I just wish someone would understand me, its so hard being a college student with a gluten intolerance, people are just so ignorant sometimes.....I wish people would care about health....it really brings me down....:(

YES, I have definitely eaten gluten on purpose when I have been down in the dumps. Some people truly don't have any idea how hard it can be mentally, physically, and emotionally to have celiac disease. If you had to ask them to live a week in our shoes, I bet that they would have more sympathy and understanding!

By living a gluten free life, you are taking the steps for a BETTER life. It can be frustrating, and it can be irritating, but when it boils down to it, you only get one body and you have to take care of it the best you can.

Don't listen to the people that are making fun of you or are telling you to "suck it up". You are doing the right thing by taking care of yourself. We all slip up from time to time on our diets, but don't let that change your healthy eating as a whole. You will notice that your depression will ease the better you eat. Trust me.

Keep your chin held high, as all of us understand you, even if your friends don't!

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author
YES, I have definitely eaten gluten on purpose when I have been down in the dumps. Some people truly don't have any idea how hard it can be mentally, physically, and emotionally to have celiac disease. If you had to ask them to live a week in our shoes, I bet that they would have more sympathy and understanding!

By living a gluten free life, you are taking the steps for a BETTER life. It can be frustrating, and it can be irritating, but when it boils down to it, you only get one body and you have to take care of it the best you can.

Don't listen to the people that are making fun of you or are telling you to "suck it up". You are doing the right thing by taking care of yourself. We all slip up from time to time on our diets, but don't let that change your healthy eating as a whole. You will notice that your depression will ease the better you eat. Trust me.

Keep your chin held high, as all of us understand you, even if your friends don't!

thanks so much! and I totally agree about having people trying to live in our shoes for a week. Actually, my mom as many of the same symptoms as me. She has had heart problems and is on all kinds of meds. Since this all started she has gained a lot of wieght, but its mostly water wieght and doesnt look healthy. SHe keeps complaining of symptoms, being tired all the time, "D", "C" and bloating/gas. I seriously told her to just try a gluten free diet for a week and even offerered to help. I also wanted her to try so she could realize how hard it is to stay away from gluten, she doesnt undersatnd where I'm coming from since I found out I am gluten intolerant. WHen I started telling her what she could eat she shyed away from the whole idea and I could tell she would never follow through. I'm really hoping my blood tests/gene tests come back positive so it wil force her to get tested also. I know that sounds horrible, but I m going gluten free no matter what the outcome. I can't even tolerate gluten for more than 2 days anymore, so there is no way I can eat it for the antibody test :(

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LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author

another question:

So along with my "not careing about gluten mode" I ended up going out last night and having beer, definitly more than I should have had, but definitly not to the point of being wasted where I would be puking and in bed all day....I'm not a person to get hangovers with headaces, even if I have a few too many.

So I figured I may as well have pizza with my friends since I already had beer. I actually drank water for a couple hours before I came back, but I noticed after eating I started getting a really bad migrane. I kept making sure to have water, but by the time I got back home everything I ate came right back up. I went to sleep and woke up still feeling naucious/ face was puffy and stomch gurgling with a migrane 10 times worse. I actually had to make myself vomit, I couldnt keep water down, even though I just sipped it when I woke up. I started shaking and almost thought of going to the ER. I couldnt decide if I was cold or hot....just horrible....I've never had a reaction to either alcohol or gluten this bad in any amount....but I mustve just went over the top by combining the two. I'm better now after getting some gluten-free homeade chicken broth to agree with me. The wierd thing is my migrane let up a ton after I vomited, but its still there. I'm afraid to take a pain reliever because I was drinking last night, I know the two arent good for the liver, and having a gluten intolerance on top is 10 time worse for it.....

Should I wait longer to take the pain reliever?? All I have is tylenol. I cant even rest the headace is so bad... this is definitly a glutened migrane, I had it a few weeks ago when I glutened myself.

CuriousOne Apprentice
CuriousOne
Posted

Hey There,

I hear you...

I felt like you did in the beginning. What occurs to me to say is that, once you get further and further and further away from being glutened and being gluten-free...then you get further and further away from that depression, until you forget about it... once you get away from gluten long enough you can take the occasional depressive spells knowing that its gluten etc etc...

But I can see how you just want to not care and keep eating gluten. I understand that.

  • 2 months later...
Live2BWell Enthusiast
Live2BWell
Posted

I definitely relate! I am not yet diagnosed, but am fairly certain I have sensitivity to Gluten (I do struggle with B)autoimmune disorders); Although I am not diagnosed gluten sensitive/celiac, nor have I ceased eating gluten, I can say that I have adapted the "well lets wait and see if I really NEED to stop eating Gluten" ~ and I find myself eating it "in the meantime" mostly out of comfort/depression, etc. (which actually is probably fueling the very problem in the first place!)

I hear you, you are certainly not alone, hang in there!

sixtytwo Apprentice
sixtytwo
Posted

Here is something really interesting about this thread................although there were only nine additions to it, nearly 800 people went to it and read it. It must be a very touchy subject for many people. There is something to this theory.........the link of depression and eating gluten to supress it. It should be looked into further. I was playing around with it thinking I could get away with havine gluten here and there, but it just isn't worth it. I am pretty well gluten free now and I feel so much better. I decided to count calories and lose some weight and it is going very well. The only things I eat that would have gluten in them are a half of a gluten-free bagel now and then and some Rice Chex, which are now gluten-free. Other than that I pretty much eat meat, fruits and veggies and it is working. I feel so much better, too.

Best wishes to the person that brought this up, you are on the right track, keep working on it. Barbara

  • 1 month later...
one more mile Contributor
one more mile
Posted

Sometimes I just have to think the bite though. ( In 12 step programs the quote is think the drink through)

If I eat Gluten I will first feel a euphoria, I will then feel checked out of life for a little bit.I sooo miss that feeling. I may then pass out or "just lay down for a little for a nap"

and then I will feel sick as heck. I will either poop my brains out or get constipated. I will feel like I am starving and over eat other things. I will be depressed, tired, and whine and grip till I can not stand myself. I will waste the rest of today and probably tomorrow because I will not feel like doing anything. I will feel hung over and maybe my head will hurt. Someone will comment on my gas or burping. I will feel like some small animal with claws is trying to get out of me.

Today I now have a choice. I do not like the choice. Actually it ticks me off and I am working that through.

I can go back to the half dead depressed person I was or I can stay away from the Gluten and the tiny thrill that it gives me. I think I now get why people get stuck on crack even thought they loose their looks and teeth.

one more mile

kay777 Newbie
kay777
Posted
Sometimes I just have to think the bite though. ( In 12 step programs the quote is think the drink through)

If I eat Gluten I will first feel a euphoria, I will then feel checked out of life for a little bit.I sooo miss that feeling. I may then pass out or "just lay down for a little for a nap"

and then I will feel sick as heck. I will either poop my brains out or get constipated. I will feel like I am starving and over eat other things. I will be depressed, tired, and whine and grip till I can not stand myself. I will waste the rest of today and probably tomorrow because I will not feel like doing anything. I will feel hung over and maybe my head will hurt. Someone will comment on my gas or burping. I will feel like some small animal with claws is trying to get out of me.

Today I now have a choice. I do not like the choice. Actually it ticks me off and I am working that through.

I can go back to the half dead depressed person I was or I can stay away from the Gluten and the tiny thrill that it gives me. I think I now get why people get stuck on crack even thought they loose their looks and teeth.

one more mile

Thank you for your post. I am sitting here with a terrible headache...thinking what did I eat...how did I get this...I don't think I ate gluten...but maybe...anyway..Your post helped me say to myself...look go take a bath, see what you can do to move through this...it is Saturday. I really don't want to waste, yet, another day feeling like I'm dieing or drive everyone else nuts as well. I so relate to what you wrote. Thanks again. K

P.S. Hope this posts right and also thank you to the person who started the post.

ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

I thank everyone who posted to this thread, it brought to light some dark sides of eating gluten I hadn't admitted to myself. I agree that pressure from others is one of the hardest things to bear. As I have said before, if you're not wearing a cast that people can see, they don't really believe or understand your suffering. My only way of coping with gluten craving is to cook my own alternatives. I make gluten-free Death by Chocolate, that's enough to get me by for days. Also peanut butter cookies, see a pattern? You are right about going out, it's a bear. But the alternative to getting safe food at a restaurant is never socialing. That is not a life I want to live. I don't go out much, but I'm not going to let this body of mine make me a prisoner.

Hang in there and stick to your guns, real friends will stick by you.

oldee Newbie
oldee
Posted

I dunno if this seems wierd, I have not been diagnosed with anything yet but know I am sensitive to gluten and stay away from it. I'm sick of my friends making fun of me and saying I should just "suck it up" Obviously they dont understand the years of discomfort I've been thorugh thanks to gluten.

This is EXACTLY what happens to me. I get depressed and fatigued after eating gluten and I used to think "I already blew it" and I would eat more of it. Also I noticed that after I eat it I crave alcohol and I want to watch TV, both of which make me feel even more depressed. You have to let that incident run it's course knowing that it could take at least a week to feel better. Depression can drive you to do exactly the things that perpetuate it.

If someone made fun of you or told you to suck it up then you might avoid discussing your condition with them and avoid eating with them unless they are really important to you. The stakes are high. I was diagnosed at 28 and by that time I had lost a 1/2 tuition scholarship and dropped out of school mostly because of gluten. You have every reason to be happy about knowing you are gluten intolerant at such a young age; it can literally save your future financially and socially. Don't let anyone or anything ruin that for you.

one more mile Contributor
one more mile
Posted

Wow, I so agree with what you say. I am 47 and wonder how my life would have been if I would have figured this out sooner and suck to it. Would I have avoided surgeries? Would I have been there more for my now 20 year old kid?

I never tied the depression to Gluten. Gee with out Gluten I may have not been committed 18 years ago. I may have avoided 7 years of antidepressants, and 4 years of not being able to be in the sun due to the meds.

I am glad I understand it now though and maybe that is why it is easer for me to commit to it. I have lost so much that I know taking a bite just to make someone happy is not at all worth it for me.

I never thought about the tv angle but you are right depression leads to more things that cause depression.

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author

wow, I cant believe my thread is still going. After reading everyone's posts, I really hope that there is research being done on this and that in the future more people will be aware.

What if, for all those people out there who don't have celiacs but are diagnosed with depression or some other illness are really suffering b/c of what they are eating? ACTUALLY, I strongly believe in the idea that what you eat effects every aspect of your being, from physical, all the way to spiritual.

There were times in the past couple years (this is when I started getting really depressed and sick more often) that I just didnt want to go on. I would cry eveyday and just lay around feeling bad about myself (althought I didnt want to. The goals I had were in my head, but my physical self couldnt work with my mental self.....it was like a constant battle!! I failed way too many classes in college and now I am paying for it. BUt I am sooo much better now that I am gluten-free.

I wrote this post back in may when I was still experimenting with the diet. I was somewhat gluten-free, but I realize the thoughts I was having and the way I was feeling was my body adjusting. Gluten is like a drug. hell, it's like crack. I can't even imagine eating gluten out of depression now....EVER!

I do notice that there are other food groups (gluten-free) that make me feel like I ate gluten. Dairy is # 1 and tomatoes are a close second....so annoying b/c I love sauce.

But .... My problem right now is my craving for processed food. I have to tell myself NOT to buy it, b/c if I do , I eat it all at once and then I feel horrible the next day, it's almost like a gluten reaction, but not all the physical results are there, the mental ones are. It's like when you eat too many processed foods, it reminds you of gluten, the texture, feel,taste.....your brain may see it as gluten, but then your body is crying out afterwards b/c it didnt get gluten, so then you keep eating the processed foods b/c the initial feeling is good.

My goal is to get myself away from this....I hope it is a common thing in recovery for other celiacs.

  • 2 weeks later...
crunchy-mama Apprentice
crunchy-mama
Posted

I could really relate to this thread. I have done this many times in the past. I got glutened a few days ago and again I felt it, I wanted to do something, but I couldn't bring myself to even get up, no energy or motivation. I had a vacation in May and decided I would let myself eat whatever. That set off a 3 month long cycle of depression- food binges and lots of laying around on the couch. I stopped working out. I was angry and mean, the house a mess. It was horrible now.

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