Daughter With Depression

[Maureen]

Hi everyone,

I posted a couple of months ago about my daughter that has depression. We tried gluten free then but couldn't stick to it for one reason or another. Since Christmas she has gone gluten free.

Her depression lifted somewhat within a few days. She continues to have headaches and stomach aches. She says her stomach feels bloated all the time. Her depression seemed to be maintaining for a couple of weeks. This past Sunday she started to sink into serious depression again. By Tuesday she was very bad.

We are vegan and I make most of our own food. She eats very little processed food. She does like to chew gum. It seems to calm her nerves and helps with the anxiety. Is there gluten in the gum? I have been giving her barley grass because the container says it is gluten free. I am going to stop giving her the barley grass to see if that makes a difference. Sunday we went to a family party and she ate some desserts that I didn't prepare. I am not sure if they contained gluten or not. She had some tortilla chips also.

So, the questions I have for all you experts are: Is it possible to see her getting better within a few days or was this just some sort of fluke? Keep in mind that we have not had her tested for celiac and we are just trying to do this to see if it works. How do I know what types of foods contain gluten? Is there some comprehensive list somewhere? Are headaches and bloating typical signs of celiac?

I apologize if my questions are redundant. I wish I had more time to read all the messages posted on this board. Her symptoms seem to be so much different than the typical symptoms. Thanks for all your help.

Maureen

[jerseyangel]

Hi Maureen--I remember you posting about your daughter a while back. Yes, a lot of people feel better right after going off the gluten. It's common to improve initally, and then have periods of time where the symptoms change or return on and off while the person heals. The important thing here is that to get an accurate idae if the gluten-free diet will work for her is to be completely, 100% gluten-free. The barley grass is an obvious source that should be discontinued. Some gums are gluten-free. Wrigley is one that I know of. Always check it out, though. The food at parties is something to be wary of, too. Unless you make them yourself, or they are made by someone you trust and who is versed in gluten-free cooking, it's best to avoid them. CC is a biggie here. A lot of Tortilla chips are fine--you can search here to get a list of them because not all of them are. Headaches, bloating and depression are a few of the symptoms of Celiac. Of course, they can be caused by other things. Since she had a good inital reaction to the gluten-free diet, I would urge you to give it a try--look into everything she eats, and her shampoo, toothpaste, soap, lotions, etc. Look at the kitchen and make sure that the toaster, collander, cutting boards,and wooden utensels are new and separate for her food. celiac3270 has an updated list of gluten-free products. I'm sure he will e-mail it to you--he very generously offered to shoot one to anyone who needed it. Best of luck--I hope your daughter finds some relief. Come here anytime you need to.

Another quick thought on the gum--sugar-free gum gives a lot of people stomach upset (me included) because of the artificial sweeteners that they use. Regular gum bothers me now, also, and I really don't know why.

[tarnalberry]

One thing that pops up - you said that you're vegan. Has she been tested for vitamin deficiencies? No, I'm not saying she has to stop being vegan, I know that it is possible to get sufficient protein and nutrients in a vegan diet. But I also know that it's difficult to do so, and if she's having problems absorbing the nutrients (which the damage from celiac would cause), then she may not be able to get all of the nutrients she needs out of the limited diet. Also, I presume she's taking a B vitamin supplement? Since that is almost chronically low in many well-eating vegans and vegetarians who don't supplement (studies on this came out recently), and can be difficult to absorb with the intestinal damage, and can play a major role in depression, it's an important thing to check. She may need additional support while recovering from the damage done by gluten - either by incorporating food items she doesn't regularly eat (like eggs, I probably wouldn't try dairy at this point), or by additional supplementation, beyond what would normally be ideal with a vegan diet.

And yes, barley grass is RIGHT OUT.

[Maureen]

In November we had her hair, blood, and urine tested. They tested for vitamin defiencies and heavy metal poisoing. She does have a ton of defiencies and is taking heavy doses of vitamins. These are all prescribed by the treatment center I took her to. We are watching her protein and giving her protein shakes. If she is celiac, how long would it take for her body to start absorbing the nutrients again? One concern I have is that once she does start absorbing the nutrients, she will be getting too many vitamins through these supplements.

[tarnalberry]

Assuming that you've checked the vitamins for hidden glutens, I would expect they'd want to regularly do tests to see if her vitamin levels are climbing like they should be. That's really the only way to know when to decrease the supplementation.

[Maureen]

I did request gluten free vitamins. They are very good at dealing with gluten free issues. How would I find out about hidden glutens from other companies?

She will get retested every year for the vitamins.

[ryebaby0]

You have to read the entire label of everything she is going to eat, looking for anything that contains wheat, barley (that is usually the "malt" added to breakfast cereal) , rye or (for most celiacs) oats (which are not, technically, gluten-containing, but are so highly likely to be contaminated by other grains while getting to you, that they may as well).

There are several extensive lists posted here. I downloaded, printed, and hole-punched a few, and put them into a binder. I either took it with me shopping, or checked everything when I got back. Yes, that's quite a task! The Gluten Intolerance Group makes a little card with common Gluten-containing additives to help you shop, or you can just make your own. "wheat free" is not necessarily "gluten free".

The problematic items are "artificial and/or natural flavors" or other unknowns since it's anybody's guess what's in them. Often they are okay, sometimes they are not. You have to call the company (that 800 number listed on the label), explain you are gluten free and ask about the item. You'll notice right away that some companies know what they are talking about (Kraft, most notably) and others don't have a clue. Their websites also list items; I print those and add them into the binder.

This all sounds awful, but you can get the hang of it. It's incredibly important to be COMPLETELY gluten-free --- so hunt down anything you can think of that could be a source. Reaction to the diet varies -- some people feel better within a week, some take longer. It seems that after getting gluten-free, celiacs react much more dramatically to gluten than they did before (my son, for example, never reacted until he was probably exposed for 5 or 6 years --- now if he gets so much as a bread crumb, he throws up within 30 minutes and is ill for days)

Wow! That just went on and on, didn't it!? Good luck and good health

joanna

[Maureen]

Thanks everyone for the replies. She already is doing much better. The severe depression has lifted. She still has a ways to go but I am so thankful for the improvement I have seen in just a few days. Now I just hope she doesn't get accidentally glutened. This week coming up is finals for her. If she can stay depression free, I will be so hopeful that it really is the gluten.