Anxiety

[meggy]

Hi I have been reading the topics on this website for about 3 months. I was diagnosed with Celiac about 10 years ago after my son was born. I have always had anxiety about eating different places, going on vacations,etc. Recently I find myself more nervous about other things such as being by myself and thinking something will happen. Has anyone went through this?

I went to my doctor and she suggested taking Lexipro for this. I have it but have not taken it. She also suggested talking to someone about it. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[IrishKelly]

I think i know how you feel...i'm still trying to heal since i was just diagnosed one month ago after the birth of my second child. I just tryed to eat at outback steakhouse for the first time using the gluten free menu and they still seasoned my steak...& we're supposed to be going on vacation in a few months and i'm so nervous!!

[StrongerToday]

I went gluten-free and DF almost a year ago now. I did great for the first few months, but then came the holidays (which meant eating out a different relatives) and the stress of that, the holidays, a huge project at work, and my daughter was ill sent me spiraling into anxiety and depression. After being very misrable for a while (no sleep, no joy - even on Christmas Day, no energy) I went to my dr. He put me on Lexapro and six months later I just feel like a whole new person!!! I'm willing to try new foods (all gluten-free, but have started having dairy again), and unfortunately have put back on some of my weight that I'd lost - but some of that weight loss was from starving myself being too afraid to eat. The lexapro has also helped to clear up a lot of IBS that I was still having.

I did also start seeing a therapist, which I would recommend to anyone. The lexapro, while it's helped me a lot, needs to be serously discussed with your doctor.

[jknnej]

I suffer from terrible anxiety, too, and I took Lexapro and it helped. Now I am taking Cymbalta because I have depression AND anxiety and Lexapro doesn't really work for depression.

But, it was great for the anxiety.

If your dr has given it to you, I say go for it. I waited far too long to take anything because I was so afraid and it has made the best difference in my life!

[cathzozo]

Meggy, sorry you are feeling this way. I would say like several other's have to go ahead and try the Lexapro, and I would definitely encourage you to find a therapist you match with. I also warn you, though, that not everyone reacts the same to all psych drugs. Lexapro wasn't the thing for me -- although it's great for many people. It certainly lessened my anxiety, but it made me just not care about anything at all - I couldn't accomplish any goals. Later, I got to a psychiatrist, that put me on Buspar and Wellbutrin, which has been working for me. So, just be willing to ask questions and explain how it's affecting you. There is no other real way for the doctors to figure out what's working for you. Also, when you look for a therapist, finding the right one is essential. It took a couple trys before I found a therapist that I really clicked with. The other ones were nice and somewhat helpful, but not quite right for me. Good luck!

Catherine

[eleep]

Therapy is great for dealing with anxiety -- don't overlook exercise as well, however. Even when I'm dealing with really giant life-stressors, I'm a whole lot calmer when I workout -- even if it's only gentle yoga and walking, which is about all I can do when I've been glutened. Meditation is also a very powerful way of dealing with anxiety, although it takes a regular practice for a while to learn enough about how to get under the anxiety -- that's been my most effective tool because it's always available even if I'm not healthy enough to go running!

I can tell you that one way I've learned to deal with that kind of anxiety is to develop an organized strategy for what I'll do if something goes wrong. So, I've put together a glutening "kit" for myself and made lists of foods to take with me when I travel. The "kit" right now mostly consists of stuff like activated charcoal to head a reaction off at the pass, Immodium to settle whatever the charcoal doesn't take care of (and the Immodium also protects endorphin receptors -- so it directly helps with anxiety as well), extra supplements (especially b-complex because it helps with stressiness), Boost and some gluten-free bars just in case I'm away from a source of healthy, fresh food, and some last-ditch Ativan (haven't had to take it yet, so I don't know if it's a good idea or not -- the last time I got glutened the charcoal helped so much that I didn't even have insomnia -- although I still wasn't a happy camper for a number of days!).

eleep

[meggy]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I will look into the therapist as well. Thanks again!

Meggy

Columbus Ohio