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Can Going Gluten Free Affect Mood?

Alexolua

By Alexolua
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Alexolua Explorer
Alexolua
Posted

So just finished day 4 of not eating anything with Gluten and Casein in it. I tried searching the board, but only found people saying Gluten could cause depression.

But can going gluten free (or casein) cause it too? Maybe makes some brain chemicals or something go wonky for a bit? Have changed my diet by quite a bit.

I dunno, could just be me, but feeling it a bit now, a lot more than I've felt it in quite awhile, so just curious. And no, not upset with being on the diet, or being diagnosised, been hoping I've had Celiac Disease, or a Gluten intolerance since last fall.. so more happy about that, lol.

Any thoughts or comments would be nice, if it could be the diet change, then I can deal. If it's just me, well then, I can deal too, lol.

Thanks. =)

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burdee Enthusiast
burdee
Posted

This is my UNOFFICIAL take on depression and celiac disease. :o BTW I do have training and experience with counselling depressed, suicidal, or anxious clients as well as experience with SSRIs and other psychotropic drugs. ;)

Since the 90s were the decade of 'brain chemistry' and SSRIs, 'depression' became such a common buzzword that was overused almost to the point of meaninglessness. People use the term 'depressed' to describe feeling overwhelmed, sad, frustrated, regretful and many other moods much milder than true clinical depression. Furthermore people forgot that negative moods are influenced by our beliefs and circumstances, as well as brain chemistry (in true clinical depression and other true mental disorders). So now people quickly consider brain chemical causes for unpleasant negative moods, rather than considering their beliefs and/or circumstances.

I consider undiagnosed celiac disease, esp. years of confusing or painful symptoms which doctors either discount or misdiagnose with worthless labels like "IBS" VERY depressing (using that word VERY loosely). The frustration from constant symptoms and no help from doctors (whom we assume should know) can make people feel very hopeless about ever understanding their symtoms or ever recovering from them. Chronic pain itself can make people feel hopeless enough about life to consider suicide to end a life of unending pain. I'm not sure whether celiac affects brain chemistry enough to effect true clinical depression, but the prediagnostic struggles of the average celiac (who waits an average 11 years for correct diagnosis) could influence feelings of frustration, sadness and hopelessness as well as chronic fatigue from malabsorption syndrome associated with celiac damage. All of those feelings and fatigue are similar to symptoms of clinical depression.

On the contrary, going gluten free (as well as avoiding lactose or caseine) can seem like a burden or blessing according to what people believe about dietary restriction. I suffered many years of pain before learning I had celiac disease, so I consider the effort involved in making gluten free substitutions for former gluten containing foods well worth the effort. I try to focus on substitution, not deprivation. However celiacs who suffered very little actual pain or discomfort before diagnosis may view the gluten-free diet as one huge burden, even though they know about the possible physical damage from consuming gluten. So again avoiding gluten, lactose or caseine (or possibly other allergens) may make people feel frustrated (it IS difficult to successfully gluten sleuth and the gluten free diet has a high initial learning curve) or even hopeless (the gluten-free diet is a lifelong requirement without hope of ever feeling safe consuming gluten). However, I don't think those hopeless or frustrated feelings resulting from following a gluten free diet are symptoms of true clinical depression.

Alexolua Explorer
Alexolua
Posted
  • Author

Okay, thanks for the nice long reply. =)

I'm in the real bad symptons boat, so going knowing there is a cause and a cure is a blessing and not a burden for me. Also have been in the hopeless boat, while doctors would tell me nothing was wrong, or it's in my heads, lol. Oh, I loved how they'd say, oh.. you're sick cuz yer depressed. The concept that I was depressed cuz I was sick, was too much for them to grasp. But haven't felt that bad in a long while. =)

I wasn't really asking about Clinical Depression, sorry if my labelling of things was wrong. Just curious if going gluten-free or CF, can affect mood and make one feel sad, or depressed as in just feeling down..

It's just easier to cope and deal, if I have a better idea of what the cause of the feelings I'm feeling is, ya know?

And thanks again for the nice reply.

MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast
MySuicidalTurtle
Posted

Going glutenfree does cause lots of emotional twists from me personally. Depending on what I eat and all I can feel real down and all. Though, usually once I balance eberything out on my diet I do pretty good. If I think about it I do get more pissy and down when I have a lot of dairy. I think it just depends on you. I know at first I was real down and didn't have much to eat and was just so waw. So, yes I do think the change in diet plays with our emotions. I hope I am making some sense!

Kristina

Alexolua Explorer
Alexolua
Posted
  • Author

Yeah you were, and oddly, or maybe happily, I'm feeling fine now. Was just feeling down for no real reason I guess, lol.

Maybe my body is getting use to diet change? Think I had been eating fairly high carb diet, now real low too. Since mainly just fruits, veggies, and meat.

Though have had a fairly bad headache for the past 2 days, now.. maybe the stages of withdrawal from something? Who knows. =)

plantime Contributor
plantime
Posted

Could it have been something like withdrawal? I read somewhere that gluten has an almost addictive quality, which would mean withdrawal symptoms when going gluten-free. That would certainly explain the "feeling worse before better" thing that happened to me when I went gluten-free.

Alexolua Explorer
Alexolua
Posted
  • Author

I dun know.. my dad said, "Hey, member you're going threw withdrawal" the other day. I tried searching with yahoo, and couldn't find a thing about gluten withdrawal, besides withdrawaling it from your diet.. so, I dunno. Maybe possible?

I have no real clue, still have the headache though, LOL.

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