What If?

[Danno]

Having been diagnosed a celiac at age 38 and looking back at stugggling with deppression that wasn't diagnosed and treated until age 41, I wonder what role the gluten intolerance played in the deppression at an earlier age.

Has any one dealt with the same situation?

[Nantzie]

Absolutely. It also makes me wonder how many people are suffering with gluten-induced depression when the gluten-free diet is so easy compared to struggling with depression every day. The gluten-free diet doesn't fix everything and make life sunshine and rainbows, but it sure helps me a lot.

I was definitely depressed before my diagnosis. It's not that I don't get depressed, but I'm getting depressed for reasons. Life, for non-health-related reasons, has kicked my @ss these last few years. Before I went gluten-free, I was already depressed, and then when something bad happened, I was so depressed I could barely get out of bed. Now when something bad happens it still kicks me down, but I'm not dealing with the underlying gluten-induced depression on top of it. So it's much easier to get through the hard times. I used to walk around when life was going totally fine with a depression level of about 6-7 out of 10. Now, I'm about a 2 or 3 unless something upsetting happens, and I rarely get above the 6-7 I was living at every day before.

Looking back on my life, it really makes me wonder what kind of person I would have turned out to be without a childhood lived through brainfog, depression and anxiety, and what my life would have been like if I had been able to go to college, etc.

But I'm also looking forward to the next generations not having to struggle with the gluten-related issues in their childhoods and as they figure out what career paths they want to take.

I've had very good luck using St. John's Wort for depression. It also helps me with social anxiety. (If you try St. John's Wort make sure you're getting one that's gluten-free.)

Nancy

[Danno]

I've read that celiac disease oftens effects children more emotionally than physically. I remember intense saddnesss for no reason going back to my teen years, but no physical celiac symptoms. Deppression runs in the family, but I'll bet the celiac monster played a role. I think it's critical to have the siblings and children of a celiac tested as early as possible.

No complaints tho, at least I know what's going on instead of fighting the issue.

  Nantzie said:

Absolutely. It also makes me wonder how many people are suffering with gluten-induced depression when the gluten-free diet is so easy compared to struggling with depression every day. The gluten-free diet doesn't fix everything and make life sunshine and rainbows, but it sure helps me a lot.

I was definitely depressed before my diagnosis. It's not that I don't get depressed, but I'm getting depressed for reasons. Life, for non-health-related reasons, has kicked my @ss these last few years. Before I went gluten-free, I was already depressed, and then when something bad happened, I was so depressed I could barely get out of bed. Now when something bad happens it still kicks me down, but I'm not dealing with the underlying gluten-induced depression on top of it. So it's much easier to get through the hard times. I used to walk around when life was going totally fine with a depression level of about 6-7 out of 10. Now, I'm about a 2 or 3 unless something upsetting happens, and I rarely get above the 6-7 I was living at every day before.

Looking back on my life, it really makes me wonder what kind of person I would have turned out to be without a childhood lived through brainfog, depression and anxiety, and what my life would have been like if I had been able to go to college, etc.

But I'm also looking forward to the next generations not having to struggle with the gluten-related issues in their childhoods and as they figure out what career paths they want to take.

I've had very good luck using St. John's Wort for depression. It also helps me with social anxiety. (If you try St. John's Wort make sure you're getting one that's gluten-free.)

Nancy

[ravenwoodglass]

Depression was one of the first symptoms everyone in my family had. It is now one of the main 'tells' when we have injested gluten. Obsessive thinking and anxiety show their ugly heads also along with for a short time an almost 'speed' effect when sleeping is next to impossible. All part of that nasty neurotoxic process.