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Prickly Itchy Skin after going gluten-free

alexandra064

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alexandra064 Newbie
alexandra064
Posted

I have been suffering with various symptoms for about 9 months and have recently decided to try a gluten-free diet. My symptoms have been: constant bloating (i used to have quite a flat stomach but I now look about 5 months pregnant, morning, noon and night!), rapid weight gain with no change in diet and despite diet and exercise I cannot shift any of it (I went up from 123lbs to 142lbs in 9 months), stomach/digestive pain, night sweats, headaches and muscle aches (particularly in my right arm and shoulder), irritability, low testosterone (according to my GP) and acid reflux.  I have been to the doctor and had various tests and I don't have PCOS or a thyroid problem.

I have been gluten-free for 5 days now and this weird prickling sensation has started happening in patches on my skin. There is no rash or redness that I can see. The other day it was mainly on my lower back, but now it seems to be principally on my ankles/lower calf area and forearms. I know that there is something called peripheral neuropathy that is a symptom of being gluten intolerant, but it seems weird to get this after going gluten free??

I do think I am starting to feel better from going gluten free but part of me wonders whether it is my imagination because I am so desperate to find an answer to all my symptoms. Although last night was the first night in a long time where I didnt wake up clamy from nightsweats, which I guess is a positive.

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Has your doctor done any celiac testing? If so what were the results and if not you should get back on gluten and get the panel run.  You should get full vitamin and mineral panels run. Sometimes pins and needles can be caused by low B12 which can happen with celiac. Have your doctor run a B12 level when he does the panel. If he has done one before have the results compared to see if the B12 level is dropping.  The body can lose the ability to utilize B12 before the lests will end up in the low numbers. Recent research shows you should supplement if less than 500. The level used to be around 200 to 250.

There are also other vitamin and mineral deficits that can cause this as well as the possibility of your being sensitive to something in processed gluten free foods to which you are sensitive. 

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      Terrible Neurological Symptoms

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      This sounds very similar to the neuropathic pain I experienced with type two diabetes.  Gloves and boots pattern of neuropathy is common with deficiencies in Cobalamine B12 (especially the pain in the big toe), Niacin B3, and Pyridoxine B6.  These are vitamins frequently found to be low in people with pre-diabetes and diabetes.  Remember that blood tests for vitamin levels is terribly inaccurate.  You can have vitamin deficiencies before there are any changes in blood levels.  You can have "normal" serum levels, but be deficient inside organs and tissues where the vitamins are actually utilized.  The blood is a transportation system, moving vitamins absorbed in the intestines to organs and tissues.  Just because there's trucks on the highway doesn't mean that the warehouses are full.  The body will drain organs and tissues of their stored vitamins and send them via the bloodstream to important organs like the brain and heart.  Meanwhile, the organs and tissues are depleted and function less well.   Eating a diet high in simple carbohydrates can spike blood sugar after meals.  Eating a diet high in carbohydrates consistently over time can cause worsening of symptoms.  Thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B3 and Pyridoxine B6, (which I noticed you are not supplementing), are needed to turn carbs, proteins and fats into energy for the body to use.  Alcohol consumption can lower blood sugar levels, and hence, alleviate the neuropathic pain.  Alcohol destroys many B vitamins, especially Pyridoxine, Thiamine and Niacin.  With alcohol consumption, blood glucose is turned into fat, stored in the liver or abdomen, then burned for fuel, thus lowering blood glucose levels.  With the cessation of alcohol and continued high carb diet, the blood glucose levels rise again over time, resulting in worsening neuropathy.   Heavy exercise can also further delete B vitamins.  Thiamine and Niacin work in balance with each other.  Sort of like a teeter-totter, thiamine is used to produce energy and Niacin is then used to reset the cycle for thiamine one used again to produce energy.  If there's no Niacin, then the energy production cycle can't reset.  Niacin is important in regulating electrolytes for nerve impulse conduction.  Electrolyte imbalance can cause neuropathic pain.   Talk to your doctors about testing for Type Two diabetes or pre-diabetes beyond an A1C test since alcohol consumption can lower A1C giving inaccurate results. Talk to your doctors about supplementing with ALL eight B vitamins, and correcting deficiencies in Pyridoxine, Niacin, and B12.  Hope this helps! Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ P. S.  Get checked for Vitamin C deficiency, aka Scurvy.  People with Diabetes and those who consume alcohol are often low in Vitamin C which can contribute to peripheral neuropathy.
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