[Janeames]

I am ADD and my parents are wondering whether I am a celiac as my father is. I am 17 years old and have a pain in my stomach and fell full every time I eat (doesn't matter what I eat). I have very little self control and stay out at the weekends because even though I am supposed to come home, I don't. I also lie a lot. My parents thinks that I am not making serotonin or dopamine and that gluten allergy is causing this. Any others have this problem?

[mr. moore]

Janeames, on Nov 19 2008, 02:57 PM, said:

I am ADD and my parents are wondering whether I am a celiac as my father is. I am 17 years old and have a pain in my stomach and fell full every time I eat (doesn't matter what I eat). I have very little self control and stay out at the weekends because even though I am supposed to come home, I don't. I also lie a lot. My parents thinks that I am not making serotonin or dopamine and that gluten allergy is causing this. Any others have this problem?

hey sorry no one responded. im extremely impulsive, but mostly verbally. im just looking into reasons that isn't all my fault, since that's what i've been told forever.

[LadyCyclist87]

Janeames, on Nov 19 2008, 04:57 PM, said:

I am ADD and my parents are wondering whether I am a celiac as my father is. I am 17 years old and have a pain in my stomach and fell full every time I eat (doesn't matter what I eat). I have very little self control and stay out at the weekends because even though I am supposed to come home, I don't. I also lie a lot. My parents thinks that I am not making serotonin or dopamine and that gluten allergy is causing this. Any others have this problem?

Haha. The lying and impulsive acts sound like myself at that age...I've never been officially diagnosed with ADD, but do notice severe mood swings in myself if I accidentally ingest gluten. One minute, I'm this off-the-wall, loud, crazy, and VERY impulisve maniac, but I can easily become depressed, unmotivated, and have difficulties concentrating. When I'm depressed, I snap at everyone, and no one wants to be around me.

You're not alone, don't worry! And many other members on this forum appear to have other mental problems if they eat gluten. :-)

[MollyBeth]

I was on ritalin for over a decade! I wouldn't call myself impulsive but there is definately a change in my personality when I get glutened now. When I was home for a visit around new years I got glutened pretty bad and I had a huge fight with my mother before leaving about absolutely nothing. I really believe this disease effects the mind when gluten in ingested.

[missy'smom]

My 10 year old son has an ADHD diagnosis and is impulsive and very verbal. We had him thoroughly tested with quite a few tests/evaluations to rule out other learning problems. He has been tested to have very poor working memory, although solid IQ. After I went gluten-free and decreased his gluten quite a bit for about 2 years,(but not completely gluten-free for him), he was restested on one of the tests recently and it showed a measurable improvement, not where he should be still but enough of an improvement that the psychologist didn't completely dismiss it. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it but I really wonder if it's the change in his diet. Anyway, we are looking into gluten. See my signature. My family tends to have problems with concentration, memory, and in the past generations, mental health diagnosis. It clearly affects our minds. I don't have ADHD for sure but when I was at my sickest we were going through the testing process for my son and I remember thinking "is this how he feels?" I felt like I was getting a glimps into his world. Books that I had read in college were impossible for me to get through and read. I would get re-read the same firts few sentences over and over and not get any further. Now if I pick up the same books I can read then normally and they makes sense. I also have emotional reactions with gluten, easily angered or crying.

[candrews]

Get tested! I definitely notice an emotional reaction to gluten and have a good friend with ADD and Celiac (impulsive behavior included.) Gluten can cause some pretty extreme reactions and especially with your family history, it's worth checking out.

[LadyCyclist87]

MollyBeth, on Jan 30 2009, 05:34 AM, said:

I really believe this disease effects the mind when gluten in ingested.

Absolutely...without a doubt...I second that!

[Bell]

I thought I had ADD before I found out I had celiac disease. Now I don't - but I really do go back to my old self when I get glutened! My memory is starting to really improve now, and my focus and mental clarity is just joyful to me! Also, I'm happier, but I think I just feel more at ease with myself. I can trust my brain to be on form. Before it was stumbling about, hobbled and I was always trying to understand what was happening, but in a state of panic and humiliation at the same time.
I don't know about how directly gluten affects my mood, but indirectly it certainly does. How can you be happy when you are being poisoned every day?

[Zella CE]

I fall under the same category..

Er, I did, prior to dx.

I still have severe mood swings and some focus issues, but I am A LOT better.

Prior to dx, I'd go from doing something extremely stupid to acting like an angel, to lying about the whole doing something stupid part.. I was really falling apart. I would say that once my other symptoms of extreme gastrointestinal issues, neurological issues, lower back pain, migraines and weight loss all kicked in, that was the end of the wild child era. Although, all my friends and family still swear that I have residual ADHD issues. But I feel A LOT better and focusing is SO much easier. Like I can finally focus on school and not feel or get distracted by the little stuff.

BTW.. I am 25. I was the worst from ages 17-22.

I'd definitely find out what's going on.

[raisin]

Before being diagnosed with celiac I genuinely thought I was a mental case. I found out later, some of the common celiac-related vitamin deficiencies (even before officially "low" levels are hit) can mess with your head in a dramatic way. I was labeled ADD and I was constantly paranoid at everyone and everything, very stressed, and very impulsive.

Even now that I am on a gluten-free diet, one month I was away from home and somehow continually got exposed to gluten. Impulsive? I had long hair the first time sense I was a kid.. And I chopped it all super short. My reasoning? I was nauseous and didn't want to deal with pulling my hair back at the moment. Now I have to wait for it to grow again. It's not even to my chin yet.

[emmalily]

raisin, on Mar 13 2009, 08:27 PM, said:

Before being diagnosed with celiac I genuinely thought I was a mental case. I found out later, some of the common celiac-related vitamin deficiencies (even before officially "low" levels are hit) can mess with your head in a dramatic way. I was labeled ADD and I was constantly paranoid at everyone and everything, very stressed, and very impulsive.

Even now that I am on a gluten-free diet, one month I was away from home and somehow continually got exposed to gluten. Impulsive? I had long hair the first time sense I was a kid.. And I chopped it all super short. My reasoning? I was nauseous and didn't want to deal with pulling my hair back at the moment. Now I have to wait for it to grow again. It's not even to my chin yet.

As a bit of a back story, I haven't been officially diagnosed as celiac, but my grandmother was put on a gluten-free diet and she has improved dramatically, and I have been researching celiac/ gluten intolerance and thinking "WOW, this is me!" I started gluten-free about two weeks ago.

I was labelled ADD when I was in 3rd grade, been on and off Adderall ever since (19 and freshman in college now), and as clinically depressed when I was about 13 or 14. I had ups and downs.. Times I would feel just fine and normal and times when I would be more depressed than ever and unable to function between the depression and ADD. I went through an especially horrible phase where I was EXTREMELY paranoid and stressed and impulsive on two separate occasions. I cut a huge chunk of my well past shoulder length hair to chin length because I thought it would look good with the way I wore my hair that day... uh.

Since I haven't been gluten-free that long, I'm not quite sure whether to attribute how much better I feel mentally and emotionally to the diet or just as a natural upswing. When I think about the times that I felt the best, I usually also see that I wasn't eating much or anything at all with gluten. During the summer I eat almost exclusively fruits and veggies, and summer is always my best time emotionally... but that could also be explained as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's hard to pinpoint what is causing what. Grr!

[elias]

I get sick if I eat wheat.. Idk if its celiac... but Im 17 and I was just diagnosed with ADD. The meds help a ton.

[sk8rgirly12]

Janeames, on Nov 19 2008, 02:57 PM, said:

I am ADD and my parents are wondering whether I am a celiac as my father is. I am 17 years old and have a pain in my stomach and fell full every time I eat (doesn't matter what I eat). I have very little self control and stay out at the weekends because even though I am supposed to come home, I don't. I also lie a lot. My parents thinks that I am not making serotonin or dopamine and that gluten allergy is causing this. Any others have this problem?

i had the same problem and yes i lied a lot to so nobody belived me and it turned out as celiac so u probably do and yes i know it sucks i have learned to live with it

[RideAllWays]

I have major focusing issues. And I can never, ever sit still, my legs bounce a million miles an hour, it drives my mom crazy. I always used to get sent to LST (learning support team) in highschool because of anxiety problems and what they thought was ADHD..I hated it in there, I was treated like I was mentally ill even though I had an 86% average my grad year...
Anyways, after going off gluten I found my concentration actually improved a bit. I still shake my legs often and get very restless quickly (I'm dreading my three-hour history seminars..)
I also lied a ton when I was little. I decided the truth was boring, and would make up stuff all the time. It would get me in lots of trouble.

You're not alone!

[G-freegal12]

I am affected this way by gluten...I think. When I was eating it through the homeschooler/public (regular) school switch I cried constantly and everyone thought I was just so fragile that I couldn't handle. Lol, I couldn't do math too well, but, I did and still can, be awesome at...READING I got the highest amount of AR (accelerated reader) points in the school after coming 3 weeks late becauce of a severe mold allergey...wonder where that one came from...Hmmmmmm...