Cant Take Vitamins, Newly gluten-free

[imagine22]

Im trying to conceive at the moment and started taking prenatal vitamins to make sure i had enough folate etc - especially as im only 3-4mths Gluten free (biopsy proven celiac disease). Problem is I cant take them - they give me terrible D and I lose weight and feel awful, I cant even take plain folate - i have no idea why but neither do my Drs.

Oh last pregnancy I had hyperemesis so i practicaly didnt eat for 3mths and then only 50% for 6mths so I may not be able to rely on my diet at all for vitamins.

So basically is there anything i can do toget the right vitamins if my system is potentially not absorbing them in my diet 100% due to both celiac (since it can take 3-12mths to repair) and potentially hyperemesis ? injections etc? thanks

[Ursa Major]

I am sorry to say this, but I don't believe it is a good idea to try to become pregnant at this point. Your intestines haven't healed well enough yet to absorb enough nutrients to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

I was unable to take vitamins for a while, even after going gluten-free. They would cause terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. I also couldn't tolerate any uncooked food for about six months into the diet (and that includes fruit, I couldn't even eat a salad).

I suggest you stop trying vitamins for now, cook all your food, and then, at about the six month mark, try some raw food again, and if you're okay with those (in small amounts), you can try vitamins again.

Are you sure the vitamins you tried were gluten-free?

Also, are you still eating dairy? That could be a huge problem, and the same goes for soy.

[imagine22]

my gastro specialist said i could try to get pregnant after only 1 mth gluten free - i waited 3-4 to be cautious!

I have been trying to be gluten free about 5 mths but for the first mth or so got accidental gluten in there about 1-2 a week so i didnt count that time in my gluten free 3-4 mths (above).

Also I have had a blood test done recently and my celiac results came back 'normal' on all the tests. my gastro specialist and celiac society specialists here also had no knowlegde of lack of tollerating vitamins being related to celiac - so i had thought it was unrelated. ? but hey you do get the same symptoms.

Yes Im sure they were gluten free - the laws on gluten labelling here are pretty strict (not US) and I tried 3 spearate brands all stating gluten free.

I am having dairy but seem to be totally fine 2-4 days after stopping vitamins and then get really ill again within 1-2 days of starting them again.

[gfp]

my gastro specialist said i could try to get pregnant after only 1 mth gluten free - i waited 3-4 to be cautious!

Well you could but I agree with Ursa, its not ideal.

Also I have had a blood test done recently and my celiac results came back 'normal' on all the tests. my gastro specialist and celiac society specialists here also had no knowlegde of lack of tollerating vitamins being related to celiac - so i had thought it was unrelated. ? but hey you do get the same symptoms.

My stomach reacted to almost anything for a while, especially when i was starting off and thought I was gluten-free.

5 years+ down the line and I look back at that I thought was gluten-free with horror.

Yes Im sure they were gluten free - the laws on gluten labelling here are pretty strict (not US) and I tried 3 spearate brands all stating gluten free.

You might want to check the laws to the letter.

For instance most of the EU has allergen laws but they are very vague and allow a lot of leeway... unfortunately I found most of the laws are at least cowritten by the food industry and you need to be in lawyer mode to understand them.

Many have terms such as "knowingly", in other words iof the manufacturer doesn't ASK SPECIFICALLY they can be considered in the clear. Also check if vitamins come under "food" or "medication", laws are often different.

[darlindeb25]

You may be intolerant of something else in the vitamin--such as soy or maybe corn. It may not be a gluten problem this time. I reacted badly to a calcium supplement and I coul dnot figure out why, not until I realized it was the soy in it. Check that out.

[RiceGuy]

Heck, I don't even try a new recipe unless I've been feeling relatively stable for like a week at least!

I also echo the sentiment that it doesn't seem wise to try conceiving at this point. Both you and your baby would be at a higher risk of...bad things...and stuff

If it where me (ok, so that would defy the laws of nature) I'd wait a good long while. Sanitize the gluten out of the home, get the gluten-free nursery ready, get an additional 'nest-egg' built up, plan, plan, plan, etc. Take ample time to think and do, rest and recover. I believe you'll know better than any doc when your body is ready.

Besides, all the vitamins you could swallow won't give your body what it needs to follow through on such a commitment of resources.

[missy'smom]

Tablets are not setting well with me right now so I'm taking a vitamin powder. My problem is not D but just I feel like the tablets just sit in my stomach and GI tract forever. It's uncomfortable.

[CarlaB]

Is there some kind of liquid vitamin you could take?

Keep your diet really clean so that you can heal quickly. I'd stick with whole foods -- meat, eggs, fish, veggies, fruit, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc. Stay away from processed foods, packaged foods and restaurants. Check all your body care products.

You don't say where you are, but in Europe I hear they allow wheat starch in gluten-free products, so they're not really gluten-free. Gfp can probably tell you the details better than I can, I know I've heard him talk about his problems with the Codex standards.

I know you're anxious to get pregnant, and I don't blame you a bit. It's a really good sign that your blood work is so good! Now you just need to get your gut healed.

I'd take a really good probiotic, too. I take Ultra Flora and Theralac.

If you are having trouble NOW with vitamins, once you get pregnant, you will have even a worse time with them! I couldn't take them at all in my first few months of pregnancy.

[imagine22]

Thanks for your advice everyone. I was taking a proboitic for a month but after I worked out the vitamins made me ill I really pruned my diet back to definitely gluten-free basics and no medications at all. I live in Australia and all food or medications have it listed if there is even minute traces of wheat, gluten nuts, etc we have among the strictest laws in the world for it.

I really dont think its a gluten issue with the vitamins but perhaps it is something else in them im intollerent too or maybe overdosing on some vitamin.

I would wait longer to get pregnant but I have to weigh it against another unrelated health issue which means I could have problems with infertility and miscarriage the older I get. I think the celiac is under control (I really am 100% when not taking vitamins) and I know how to eat reliably gluten free but there is still the remaining absorption issue which may or may not be 100% repaired yet.

perhaps Ill have a blood test done to check my vitamin levels - would this indicate whether im absorbing them properly from my diet if it comes back fine?

[CarlaB]

I would wait longer to get pregnant but I have to weigh it against another unrelated health issue which means I could have problems with infertility and miscarriage the older I get. I think the celiac is under control (I really am 100% when not taking vitamins) and I know how to eat reliably gluten free but there is still the remaining absorption issue which may or may not be 100% repaired yet.

I have six kids, guess which I'd choose?

[RiceGuy]

...but there is still the remaining absorption issue which may or may not be 100% repaired yet.

perhaps Ill have a blood test done to check my vitamin levels - would this indicate whether im absorbing them properly from my diet if it comes back fine?

It really sounds to me like a malabsorption issue. If you haven't tried sublingual (under the tongue), liquid, or powdered supplements, I'd suggest that, and see how you feel. I know my system simply cannot break up a vitamin pill, and I've been totally and absolutely 100% gluten-free for nearly three years now. I currently take a sublingual B12 and a powdered magnesium, which have done wonders like I didn't even dream they could.

As for blood tests for nutrient levels; I'm not the only one who'd not be so quick to accept the results. Apparently they don't always provide a true/accurate assessment of what your body is/isn't getting. Plus, like has been stated by others, the demands which a pregnancy puts on the body can be nearly overwhelming even for someone considered to be in great health, which you are obviously not at this point.

Please don't fool yourself. The damage to the body from Celiac Disease can be very extensive, to which many here can attest. That damage requires time. What is yet unknown is just how much time your body needs.

I would wait longer to get pregnant but I have to weigh it against another unrelated health issue which means I could have problems with infertility and miscarriage the older I get.

Perhaps it's not as unrelated as you've been lead to believe. Just ask the many members here how seemingly unrelated health issues clear up after following the gluten-free lifestyle. Sounds to me like you'd be trading one gamble for another, but I'm sure you want your child to be healthy. An entire life hangs on your decision.

To put it another way:

A car salesman tells you that the manufacturer

MAY

not make another car like the one he's trying to sell you. It's the last one of it's kind within your reach, but it was in a head-on collision so there's some damage here and there. Some dented fenders, a weird noise under the hood, a slightly bent axle, and a few other things. Replacement parts are unavailable (including the spent airbags), so you'd have to take it as-is, with no warranty whatsoever. It's also a foreign model, not the one designed for the country in which you live, so the steering wheel is on the wrong side. Monthly payments are more than you can afford, and so is the insurance.

Would you buy this car, or would you pass up this once-in-a-lifetime deal, and wait for the next model to role off the production line?

[CarlaB]

I was assuming the problem was endometriosis ... in that case, I wouldn't wait. You have a good point, RiceGuy, but sometimes there's only a small window of opportunity to have a child. I taught natural family planning for 7 years and worked with many couples of marginal fertility. I saw a lot of dissapointment. I think you're right, Imagine, to take that into consideration, also taking into consideration whether your other issue could be gluten related. Many women see cycle changes in going gluten-free it seems. I've seen the topic mentioned here several times.

[alamaz]

Hi Imagine- I'm totally with you on your whole story. DH and I have been trying since June 2006. I had a miscarriage in January and when that happened, along with all my other ailments I've been complaining about for years, celiac was the culprit. I had no idea but am so happy to have an explanation. So here I am, gluten-free for two weeks and feel mostly better although I fluctuate from great to crappy Anyways! Have you considered a seeing a nutritionist? DH and I don't want to/can't wait much longer either and so I'm enlisting the help of a nutritionist who will help me with the diet and also which supplements/vitamins I should be on. It could be that a prenatal vitamin is just too much for you. Some women who don't have celiac can't even tolerate them. Can we post brand names on here? I'm currently taking Rainbow Light PreNatal One A Day and really like them. Once I have my first meeting with the nutritionist that might change but they are gluten-free, SF, CF all that good stuff. Not sure if the have Rainbow Light down under but I hope you find something that works for you soon.

Good luck!

Amy