Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Mental Health Improve Going Gluten Free?

JesikaBeth

Recommended Posts

JesikaBeth Contributor
JesikaBeth
Posted

Hello all. I was wondering if anyone's mental health has overall improved since going gluten free.

 

Especially wondering if those with diagnoses of bipolar disorder, anxiety, and/or ADHD.

 

Thanks in advance :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted

Hello all. I was wondering if anyone's mental health has overall improved since going gluten free.

 

Especially wondering if those with diagnoses of bipolar disorder, anxiety, and/or ADHD.

 

Thanks in advance :)

 

Hi Jessica,

 

I think you are my twin...lol.  I do suffer with Bi-Polar, Anxiety, ADHD, a few others.  I can tell you that after I started gluten free very many of body symptoms improved greatly.  I had been diagnosed with Fibro, Bursitis, Sacroiliitis, Arthritis, Connective Tissue Disorder, Sicca and a few other suspected AI's.  My body pain was the first thing I noticed getting better.  That was the end of cortisone shots, Desensitizing Meds,.  Pain and Muscle relaxer meds went from daily to as needed.  As far as the Mental aspect.  Some of the improvement came from just feeling better.  My OCD lessened after a time.  My attention increased as Brain Fog decreased.  Memory still sucks as I had ECT treatments that wiped out much of my memories of when I was young and when I was raising my kids.  As far as the Bi-Polar, The Depressions have not been as low and as long  as before which is great.  The Highs do not last as long.  Basically I became a rapid cycler.  I was able to cut down my Psych meds to only 3.  I do know some people report complete resolution of Depression, anxiety and such but I don't know if they are diagnosed Bi-Polar or not.  I still take Ativan daily and take Trazadone nightly for sleep.  I saw on your other thread about your sleep study.  I havent been able to sleep for more than 2-3 hours on my own for at least 10-15 years or so.  Trazadone puts me out for a good 4 hours on a half dose and 7-8 hours on my full dose. 

 

Gosh, that was a ramble...lol.  Hope it helps in some way.

 

Colleen

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

I'm diagnosed with GAD with OCD symptoms and it could be just my imagination, but I think that my episodes of anxiety are much less since I became strict about cracking down on CC issues and making sure that trace gluten wasn't sneaking into my diet. 

across Contributor
across
Posted

I have never been diagnosed with any mental health issues, however, I had a pretty good case of continual anxiety and mild depression going most of my life and didn't even realize it because I thought it was my normal personality. When I got off of gluten, both of these cleared up and I almost had an identity crisis because I had never been without them -- I didn't know quite who I was in such calm brain! :-)

 

This happened for me very quickly. As a matter of fact, neuro symptoms are the first symptoms for me that I've been glutened.

JesikaBeth Contributor
JesikaBeth
Posted
  • Author

Hi Jessica,

 

I think you are my twin...lol.  I do suffer with Bi-Polar, Anxiety, ADHD, a few others.  I can tell you that after I started gluten free very many of body symptoms improved greatly.  I had been diagnosed with Fibro, Bursitis, Sacroiliitis, Arthritis, Connective Tissue Disorder, Sicca and a few other suspected AI's.  My body pain was the first thing I noticed getting better.  That was the end of cortisone shots, Desensitizing Meds,.  Pain and Muscle relaxer meds went from daily to as needed.  As far as the Mental aspect.  Some of the improvement came from just feeling better.  My OCD lessened after a time.  My attention increased as Brain Fog decreased.  Memory still sucks as I had ECT treatments that wiped out much of my memories of when I was young and when I was raising my kids.  As far as the Bi-Polar, The Depressions have not been as low and as long  as before which is great.  The Highs do not last as long.  Basically I became a rapid cycler.  I was able to cut down my Psych meds to only 3.  I do know some people report complete resolution of Depression, anxiety and such but I don't know if they are diagnosed Bi-Polar or not.  I still take Ativan daily and take Trazadone nightly for sleep.  I saw on your other thread about your sleep study.  I havent been able to sleep for more than 2-3 hours on my own for at least 10-15 years or so.  Trazadone puts me out for a good 4 hours on a half dose and 7-8 hours on my full dose. 

 

Gosh, that was a ramble...lol.  Hope it helps in some way.

 

Colleen

Hi Colleen! Good to see you again. Yes it does appear we have very similar stories! Thank you for sharing. I too take ativan daily, and for sleep I'm on Seroquel. My sleep is still awkward though. I'm interested to see how my overall health - physical and mental - is impacted by going gluten free.

JesikaBeth Contributor
JesikaBeth
Posted
  • Author

BlessedMommy & Across ~ Thank you for sharing your experiences with me :)

  • 3 months later...
cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

Before going g.f. I was diagnosed bi-polar, depressed and on three different meds.  I had been on meds for many years.  At year two of being g.f. I felt so much better, and lacking other words, just felt alive and so talked to my dr about going off the meds.  With her caution we started on a plan.  It took two years to completely wean off of all my meds as we went very very slowly!  To date I have been off all meds for 8 months. 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


  • 9 months later...
ch88 Collaborator
ch88
Posted

I used to have many mental health issues including strong anxiety and obsessive thoughts, anger issues, depression, and autistic symptoms etc.  before I went gluten free.  Now I feel great. 

  • 4 weeks later...
Seifer Rookie
Seifer
Posted

Yes immensely, but it takes a long time for many people like myself. My brain had pretty much been addicted to gluten for all my life and to completely change that was a long process. If I  would eat some pasta now it basically causes some sort of mental breakdown for 24 hours where I get brainfog, signs of schizophrenia, random temper tantrums, addictive eating, sleep problems, adhd etc. certainly not worth the trouble. 

  • 1 month later...
etbtbfs Rookie
etbtbfs
Posted

If gluten is killing your thyroid, then getting some of your thyroid function back WILL help mental health, esp. Anxiety and depression.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. McKinleyWY
      - McKinleyWY replied to McKinleyWY's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      Accuracy of testing concerns

      I sure appreciate the information. I knew there had to be gluten consumption for the blood test, but I did not realize that also applied to biopsies. Thank you so much for that nugget of knowledge. I look forward to learning more as I dive into this website and the collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom from those who have gone before and/or those...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      FDA looking for input on Celiac Gluten sensitivity labeling PLEASE READ and submit your suggestions

      Thank you for sharing this — it’s really important. The FDA is actively seeking public input on improving gluten and ingredient labeling, which could directly impact how people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity shop and stay safe. Clearer labeling would help reduce accidental gluten exposure and make it easier to identify hidden sources of gluten in ...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Low iron and vitamin d

      A low tTG is great news, but it doesn’t always mean the small intestine has fully healed yet—iron and vitamin D absorption can lag behind for months or even years, especially in young children. Many kids need supplements for a period of time while the gut repairs itself, and that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be lifelong. Morning stomach pain is also ...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Healthy Gluten Free Foods low sugar that you found?

      A lot of gluten-free packaged foods do rely on extra sugar, starches, or sodium to replace texture and flavor, so focusing on simpler options makes sense. Many people do better with naturally gluten-free proteins like eggs, plain yogurt, nuts, seeds, hummus, beans, and minimally processed protein bars with lower added sugar and higher fiber. Pairing those...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to lizzie42's topic in Traveling with Celiac Disease
      1

      Trip to Anaheim/Disney

      This article is a few of years old, but my still be helpful.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,245
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Christine Ranalli
    Newest Member
    Christine Ranalli
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • McKinleyWY
      Accuracy of testing concerns

      By McKinleyWY · Posted

      I sure appreciate the information. I knew there had to be gluten consumption for the blood test, but I did not realize that also applied to biopsies. Thank you so much for that nugget of knowledge. I look forward to learning more as I dive into this website and the collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom from those who have gone before and/or those who are just beginning the journey like me. Marilyn 
    • Scott Adams
      FDA looking for input on Celiac Gluten sensitivity labeling PLEASE READ and submit your suggestions

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thank you for sharing this — it’s really important. The FDA is actively seeking public input on improving gluten and ingredient labeling, which could directly impact how people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity shop and stay safe. Clearer labeling would help reduce accidental gluten exposure and make it easier to identify hidden sources of gluten in foods. I encourage everyone here who is affected by celiac or gluten sensitivity to read the announcement and submit their own suggestions — real lived experience matters and can influence policy changes that benefit the whole community.
    • Scott Adams
      Low iron and vitamin d

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      A low tTG is great news, but it doesn’t always mean the small intestine has fully healed yet—iron and vitamin D absorption can lag behind for months or even years, especially in young children. Many kids need supplements for a period of time while the gut repairs itself, and that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be lifelong. Morning stomach pain is also commonly reported in celiac kids and can be related to slow healing, reflux, motility, or even low iron itself. It sounds like the supplements are clearly helping, which is reassuring, and ongoing monitoring with her doctor can help determine when (or if) doses can be reduced as absorption improves. The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs. This article has more info:    
    • Scott Adams
      Healthy Gluten Free Foods low sugar that you found?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      A lot of gluten-free packaged foods do rely on extra sugar, starches, or sodium to replace texture and flavor, so focusing on simpler options makes sense. Many people do better with naturally gluten-free proteins like eggs, plain yogurt, nuts, seeds, hummus, beans, and minimally processed protein bars with lower added sugar and higher fiber. Pairing those with whole foods can help you feel more “normal” without triggering symptoms. Subscription boxes can be hit or miss, so checking labels carefully and using them as an occasional supplement—rather than a staple—often works best.
    • Scott Adams
      Trip to Anaheim/Disney

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This article is a few of years old, but my still be helpful.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.