Enzymes

[BRCoats]

Does anyone have a problem with digestive enzymes making them sleepy? I have almost a gluten reaction to them (and I KNOW they're gluten-free). I get so sleepy I feel almost drunk, and I get really grouchy and kinda bloaty. Any ideas?

[gf4life]

Brenda,

What kind of enzymes were they? Can you post the information from the label? I would be interested in helping you figure out why they make you feel this bad.

I use Pioneer brand Digestive Enzymes and Herbs. I have also used Garden of Life brand Omega Zyme blend, but I got the powder thinking I could mix it with food and I didn't like the taste. I ended up buying so gelatin capsules to fill with the powder just so I could use it. Not fun. They do come in a capsule form though.

God bless,

Mariann

[BRCoats]

I have used Garden of Life, and they make me sleepy. I think it has something to do with my stomach (gastroparesis). Seems like anything that makes my stomach work better, makes me indredibly tired. I switched to Enzymatic Therapy (Mega-Zyme), thinking that maybe it was the brand. But it had the same affect. I don't understand at all why it has this affect on me. You would think it would really help. The other odd thing is that when I started taking the Garden of Life enzymes, I started having a monthly cycle again (albeit an irregular cycle). ??

Confused in Colorado,

Brenda

[gf4life]

What does gastroparesis cause? It is like a very slow digestion right? Are there other symptoms or complications from it?

That is weird that taking the enzymes would cause you to feel sleepy. Maybe your body was telling you that you need to rest. We need rest while our bodies heal, and if it is helping you to heal that might explain why you would feel tired. The healing (and subsequent ability to absorb nutrients) might also explain why your monthly cycle returned. But it isn't like you can just sleep all day right! I mean you have a life and have work to do, but try to take it easy as much as you can anyhow. It took years of damage to get sick, and it takes time to heal. One month is not long enough. It took me a few months to really get over the fatigue and when I accidently get gluten it knocks me down for about two weeks with the fatigue. I just feel like I am in a daze and can't wake up. The other symptoms were easier to handle (I could ignore the pain), but I could not handle the feeling of being exhausted all the time.

God bless,

Mariann

[tarnalberry]

If it's just sleepy, it may be an exaggeration of the normal response for people to get a bit tired after eating (particularly after large meals) because the body is expending energy on the digestion process, and not quite as much on the other things. I hope your doctor can help you with this one, though.

[BRCoats]

Mariann,

GP is when your food won't empty out of your stomach into the small intestine. It can cause a lot of the same symptoms as celiac....dehydration, malnutrition, etc. A lot of people that have it don't eat for months. Some get feeding tubes. Some even have their stomachs taken out or have transplants. It's crazy!!! I lost nearly 50 pounds in four months. Of course, I had both the gp and celiac...just didn't know it. I always hated that extra weight....but I'm thankful I had all that to lose. My body literally ate off of itself for a long time.

As for sleep....I've had a weird symptom that prevents me from getting the sleep I need. Basically, if I sleep enough to feel rested, my stomach is incredibly sick. So....instead of being (as) sick, I don't sleep enough, which produces exhausting, and it's a downhill process from there. This has gotten better since going gluten-free...but I'm nowhere near where I should be. Still hopeful though.

Brenda

[tarnalberry]

Is any of the issue of having stomach problems when you get enough sleep related to blood sugar issues? I had that issue when I was a kid, and while I don't think it was necessarily due to gluten-intolerance (which I don't actually think was a problem when I was younger, I think it was triggered about four years ago) but I do think was related to blood sugar issues. It's one of the reasons I have to be careful about the protein/carb/fat content over every meal. (Sounds hard, but really isn't.)

[BRCoats]

Funny you should say that about blood sugar. My doc put me on an herb that is for insulin resistance because of polycystic ovarian syndrome. It does the same thing that the drugs they put diabetics on, which is stabilize your blood sugar. Well...when I take it, I have way less of a problem with acid in my stomach. When I have less of a problem with that, I am able to sleep better. But....I've just started the treatment, so I'm not "there" yet. The reason they put you on the insulin meds is because there is some link between that and the ovary problem. They are finding that the cysts leave and the menstrual cycle returns to normal when women are put on these insulin drugs. Another "odd" thing is that they are seeing gastroparesis in diabetics. So apparently there is some link there. Going gluten-free didn't seem to do diddly for my stomach problems. The blood sugar meds did. Go figure.

Brenda