Anger, Quick Temper, Depression

[red island]

Oh PWS, that is definitely me, I have been doing fabulously for 3 whole months and have become so very Zen-like. But got cc'd a week ago and am still having wild mood swings and anger issues - it seems like even after the GI issues have resolved, the emotional turmoil lingers on. I will check on some of the supplements mentioned because I while I can deal with the gut problems, this emotional roller coaster is really getting me down.

[dilettantesteph]

That happens to me too. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this...keep a food/symptoms journal to figure out what is doing it to you.

[ChristenDG]

Oh my goodness...like so many others I'm drawing lots of similarities.

I was diagnosed with Celiac on February 6th and I have been gluten free since February 15th! My stomach is feeling better, but that's about it right now...

All my life, since I can remember (yes, even at five years old) I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicide. I had to be medicated in my early teens for it, which is when a lot of other symptoms began to develop. By 17 I was taking 300mg of Effexor XR per day, I was a year behind in school (I made it up quickly and graduated on time, fortunately!), I never slept, I spent all my mornings in bed, too nauseated to even sit up, I was always angry, I had severe Mitral Valve Prolapse, constant migraines, and the list goes on really... Eventually I was told I had a severe hyenial hernia, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, and H. pylori. My stomach issues became better after treatment, but nothing else. (I might also add that I nearly died from pain medication overdose because I was so miserable and I couldn't find anything to make the pain go away.) I had to stay on high doses of acid medication, and I stayed in a state of depression and still fantasised about suicide daily. I was an extremely angry person and constantly lost my temper, and I still had constant headaches.

At 21, my best friend talked me into seeing a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. The medications and "training" my brain have helped immensely, but my temper is still terrible, and I still have severe anxiety (I have to medicate myself more heavily before going out in public), and I still have severe periods of suicidal ideation. I'm now on the highest dose of medication that's possible, I have to take muscle relaxers to sleep, and I have numerous other physical issues that I now find are probably related to Celiacs.

How wonderful it would be if this gluten-free diet would supress the Bipolar Disorder! I've lived in my own hell in the corner of my mind all my life...and to think of the possibility that this could even just help is a wonderful thought! Unfortunately, my father seems to have the same emotional issues as I and he does not have Celiac Disease, so maybe mine isn't related...but still, if it could make it any better... It's so nice to come here and find people with the same problems...to realise that you really aren't alone!

[da1anonlykc]

I almost cried when I saw this. Im not alone!! I knew I was feeling better physically wise but I never thought all of my anger mood swings and such could be related. Im so happy. Thank you guys. Really.

[carriej82]

So glad to have found this thread also!! I feel like I want to hug you all right now. I can add my voice to all of yours that this is a real phenomenon!! I have suffered with depression, anxiety, pendulum like mood swings, suicide idealization, social anxiety, irrational fears, negative voices, obsessive thoughts, explosive anger, chronic fatigue, feeling "drugged" and the like since 12 years old, now almost 30. Oh yea, and bulimia. I always thought I was just a severely dysfunctional and mentally unstable individual, thus leading to very low self esteem. Never understood what was so wrong with me that I could not function like everyone else, or even just feel okay and content for any period of time. I had a great family, parents, and nothing really wrong with my life - no abuse, no dark secrets. Plus pre-12 I was a very happy child, athletic, outgoing, in gifted programs. Made no sense when after puberty I did a complete 180 behavior and personality wise. Mom took me to all kinds of docs and therapists who threw around words like Bi-Polar, ADD, Depression. Deep down I knew I wasn't truly crazy though, or angry, or anything. I just kind of felt like there was another influence over me I couldn't put my finger on. Kind of always felt like I was drowning, just living underwater with no source of oxygen and no idea how to surface.

By God's grace I later found a man who could see past my emotional issues, got married, had 3 children. As a blessing in disguise, my 3rd son was born with severe eczema. Last fall I was researching online what some mothers did to get rid of their child's eczema. Some had success with a dairy and gluten free diet. So I did that for my son, and since I was nursing, I joined him on the diet. I knew nothing about gluten-intolerance or celiac before this. I was looking only for a reaction in my son's skin, but was completely unprepared for the reaction in myself... after 5 days on the diet I woke up feeling clear-headed, energetic, content, and just calm quiet in my chest where there had always been such a storm of worry and turmoil and confusion. It was amazing, and man from that point forward it has been the greatest blessing to discover I am not crazy, it was the gluten all the time. Since then I have not gone completely gluten-free because I wanted to get the blood test and knew I had to still be eating gluten, and I could not afford the test right away. But I would go maybe 1 week gluten-free, then a month off, then a week on. Every time I've been gluten-free all those symptoms have "magically disappeared' just into thin air, as some of you also said. gluten-free I feel totally 100% normal and able to function. Finally had the blood test last week for celiac - results all negative but I know what I have experienced and will now be gluten-free for life if needs be, as long as I see results I will do whatever it takes not to regress back into that psychological prison.

[mushroom]

That is a remarkable description, Carrie, of feeling like being underwater with no idea how to surface, drowning with no source of oxygen.... No wonder you were not "yourself". So glad that you accidentally discovered the source of your problems. I assume that it helped your son immeasurably too since it is pretty apparent that gluten does pass through the breastmilk. How is he doing now? Do any of your other chldren have problems?

[carriej82]

That is a remarkable description, Carrie, of feeling like being underwater with no idea how to surface, drowning with no source of oxygen.... No wonder you were not "yourself". So glad that you accidentally discovered the source of your problems. I assume that it helped your son immeasurably too since it is pretty apparent that gluten does pass through the breastmilk. How is he doing now? Do any of your other chldren have problems?

Mushroom, yes! Thank you. My son's skin does clear up dramatically when I manage to keep all dairy, gluten, and nut-derived products out of his diet. Unfortunately, he gets fed things by his older siblings quite often and even a small amount of one of his allergic foods will cause him to explode from head to toe in a very uncomfortable rash. It is just too bad that my favorite gluten free flour has both almond meal and buttermilk in it, which he can't tolerate, so back to the drawing board on finding a yummy gluten-free flour that does not taste like cardboard.

My other children do have issues that I now strongly suspect may be due to gluten. 3 year old son has had night terrors for years, angry/aggressive outbursts, difficulty controlling his bladder and elimination even though he's been potty training for months now and is almost 4 years old.

5 year old daughter has had belly aches and constipation since infancy, very fussy, vomits randomly for no reason with no accompanying symptoms, incredibly sensitive/cries all the time with an attitude of the-world-is-ending-I-want-to-die (since when do 5 year olds want to die?!), and the biggest thing is her irrational fears. They are crazy, she is petrified of everything from being alone, the dark, dogs, costumes of any kind, food ... she often cries at the table because she will look at her food and tell me there is something bad or yucky in it. She is also very thin, brittle hair (not like mine or my husband's which is thick & healthy, I always wondered about a vitamin deficiency) and dark circles under her eyes. I see in her a lot of my gluten-induced personality traits, which I also see in my mother who never was tested for celiac but now has hashimoto's disease. Also have a grandmother and great-grandmother with mental/pschizophrenia disorders so it seems this gluten intolerance is a genetic thing that is more evident in the females in our family.

[tanktank]

same problem... my friends and i call it "wheat anger", or "pws" (not pms) post wheat syndrome.

Here's how mine goes like clockwork... I get contaminated food, my stomach burns within 15-30 min then i get super tired, by the next day i barely can get out of bed i have joint pain, muscle pain, muscle weakness, my entire body hurts i get bad sinusitis headaches, my allergies go nuts my brain doesn't seem to function correctly, i have problems concentrating and remembering words i want to say...

as all the goes away and i start to feel better... about 3 days later i have super out of nowhere anger for no reason, everything and everyone pisses me off and i feel like i want to punch things, i don't want people around me, i feel closed in, i have anxiety and am jumpy. I just try to kinda joke it away with my boyfriend, he knows and understands whats up and i try really really hard not to be personally mean to him or anyone else. Then as fast as it comes it disappears 12-24 hours later out of nowhere and i am completely the opposite super happy, goofy and normal again.

I believe it is a total chemical reaction in my brain from the wheat. It is like this every single time i get glutened like clockwork.

I had anxiety all my life, depression, paranoia, i worried all the time, had phobias, and panic attacks. After I took gluten out of my diet ALL of these mental problems disappeared like magic...It was as if I was an entirely new person with less limits and new found mental stability with NO medications ONLY no wheat!

I joined this forum specifically to quote this because it is EXACTLY like me (other than the boyfriend cause I'm a guy lol). I was just staggered how similar it is and how thankful I was to find this.

[JoeBlow]

I just came across this thread, which has been going a long time. I have the problem, too, and it's obviously hereditary, in both my parents and their relatives. Some of you have not gotten any relief from the gluten-free diet. I get the anger when glutened, but for me, there is something else that keeps it going longer, and causes the problem by itself. My doctor is an MD practicing for many years, who is a nutritionist, who has been gluten-free for more than 20 years. This is what my doctor told me, and diagnosed me with: I have pyroluria, an inability to convert typical dietary and supplementary vitamin B6 (pyroxidine HCL) to the usable form of B6 (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate), which is a necessary enzyme in the utilization of the vitamins and minerals that a celiac typically is deficient in. So, I got a double whammy of malnutrition. My doctor's prescription for P5P and zinc citrate worked for me.

[mushroom]

I just came across this thread, which has been going a long time. I have the problem, too, and it's obviously hereditary, in both my parents and their relatives. Some of you have not gotten any relief from the gluten-free diet. I get the anger when glutened, but there is something else that keeps it going longer, and causes the problem by itself. It is an inability to convert typical dietary and supplementary vitamin B6 (pyroxidine HCL) to the usable form of B6 (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate), which is a necessary enzyme in the utilization of the vitamins and minerals that a celiac typically is deficient in. So, we can get a double whammy of malnutrition. Look up pyroluria. If you have a long second toe (as long as your big toe or longer), known as the royal toe, celtic toe, Morton's toe, etc., you are susceptible. One symptom is poor dream recall. If you get diagnosed with this, you need to take P5P (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate), and extra zinc, and avoid regular B6 supplementation, which you may find in a lot of your supplements. Or just trial it with a 50 mg tablet of P5P in the morning for 5 days. See if you start recalling dreams and mellowing out. HTH.

If you have some research validation for some of these assertions, that would be helpful to our posters.

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

Funnily enough, I'm on a gluten challenge this month, and I've noticed more irritability than normal. I've been on gluten for about three days, and my stomach hurts like normal, but I'm snapping at people easily. I do have an Irish Yankee temper, but I'm normally not this bad.

[pricklypear1971]

I just came across this thread, which has been going a long time. I have the problem, too, and it's obviously hereditary, in both my parents and their relatives. Some of you have not gotten any relief from the gluten-free diet. I get the anger when glutened, but there is something else that keeps it going longer, and causes the problem by itself. It is an inability to convert typical dietary and supplementary vitamin B6 (pyroxidine HCL) to the usable form of B6 (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate), which is a necessary enzyme in the utilization of the vitamins and minerals that a celiac typically is deficient in. So, we can get a double whammy of malnutrition. Look up pyroluria. If you have a long second toe (as long as your big toe or longer), known as the royal toe, celtic toe, Morton's toe, etc., you are susceptible. One symptom is poor dream recall. If you get diagnosed with this, you need to take P5P (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate), and extra zinc, and avoid regular B6 supplementation, which you may find in a lot of your supplements. Or just trial it with a 50 mg tablet of P5P in the morning for 5 days. See if you start recalling dreams and mellowing out. HTH.

Morton's toe.

I've heard of this toe trait in my family....

And we are related to...Mortons.

Haven't heard about the nasty temper, though. Interesting.

[JoeBlow]

If you have some research validation for some of these assertions, that would be helpful to our posters.

This comes from the work of Dr. Carl C. Pfeiffer Ph.D., M.D. I edited my post, indicating this is what my primary care MD told me. I apologize. Here is a link to a discussion, but this is not where I got my information:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread30724.html

Also:

http://www.raysahelian.com/pyridoxal5phophatep5p.html

This explains it best, but you may not find that you can accept this source:

http://www.primalbody-primalmind.com/?p=398

[IrishHeart]

I have pyroluria, an inability to convert typical dietary and supplementary vitamin B6 (pyroxidine HCL) to the usable form of B6 (pyroxidol 5'-phosphate)

The sources you cited are:

--a forum thread discussion (but you say it is not where you got your information?)

--as site that sells vitamins and supplements

--a blog

and she ends with:

"NOTE: It’s important that a clear laboratory diagnosis is determined before attempting high dose supplementation with zinc and/or B6. Working closely with a qualified health care provider knowledgeable about this condition is strongly suggested."

I did see this article by the doctor you mention in my research, but wonder if it can be found anywhere? The site says there is no known link. Too bad, might be interesting.

Pfeiffer CC. (1984) Schizophrenia and wheat gluten enteropathy. Biol Psychiatry. Mar;19(3):279-80. (No known electronic link)

[dazzammm]

just found this on google and reading with interest.

on doctors advice ive been on a elimination diet and tried gluten for the first time for 6 weeks the other day (i crumbled when i found some choccy digestives)

immediatley i had stomach cramps but had a buzz ive not had for a while. the next day i was irritable and angry. i could tell because im venting my spleen on forums and face book and had a rant at my son for no real reason, which i was not doing during the 6 weeks when gluten-free.

ill try being gluten-free again and see what happens.

[Marie1976]

My two cents: I have a horrible temper lately. And depression and anxiety. I don't know if I am accidentally eating gluten, I'm really careful. It feels like pms, except it's every day.

[ker0pi]

Wow, I'm amazed at how many threads I read where I'm left thinking "It's not just ME."

Irrational anger has departed along with my gluten habit and I could not be more relieved.

[Mom-of-Two]

Is it normal to take longer to be rid of these symptoms, if they are indeed due to gluten? I have been gluten free 5 months now, at my 3 month follow up my labs were drastically down, I have been very diligant.

My biggest issues are related to irritability and stress. Overwhelmed and anxious easily, mood changes, etc which I was hoping would be gone by now. I feel like it is systemic, like I have no control over when my moods will change. I also have such lack of motivation many days. I think I need to exercise regularly, something I plan to begin implementing.

Yes, my vitamin levels have been checked, low in folate and a bit on iron, both of which I take daily.

[Raining Skittles]

I'm go glad I found this thread. I just joined this forum and yesterday posted about how I get irritable beyond description (like PMS on steroids) after eating gluten. I feel like I have just been validated.

I was glutened over the weekend and have been fighting with my partner now for the past three days (not normal for us).

It was like we were both just angry and taking it out on each other. I can feel my anger lifting finally as of this morning and now I just feel sad because we were arguing over stupid stuff.

I think we both have issues related to gluten but my partner has decided to try eating gluten again.

That and my accidental consumption of gluten over the weekend just put us both over the top at the same time, in my opinion, as neither of us were arguing rationally.

So, I'm fairly new to being gluten-free, but looking back on my life and what I've eaten over the years, I can tell that whenever I ate a lot of gluten, I felt really out of it.

The cycle for me seems to be:

1) eat gluten

2) abdominal pain within minutes

3) nausea on and off within an hour

4) abdominal distension and increased pain within 3 hrs lasting about 24 hours

5) diarrhea for the next 12-24 hours

6) mood swings and anger after 12-24 hrs lasting about 2 days

7) depression after 48-72 hrs

8) start feeling like myself again after about 72 hours

[BBQ-BEE]

My 7 year old son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this past year. Other than stomach aches, his behavior was the other major indicator that something was wrong. His teachers thought he had ADHA and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. They asked us to get him tested to confirm what they were seeing. He was also depressed, and very angry. One day, we were driving on the highway and he was upset with us. He was threatening to jump out of the car. He was starting fights everyday at recess. I think the principal had me on speed dial. He went from being a sweet and loving kid, to this monster that we didn't recognize. When I'd put him in time out, he would destroy his room. He could not concentrate at school. If we tried to sit down and do some homework, he would cry and scream the whole time. He was just not capable of doing the work in his state.

Once we had the blood test results from the specialist, she wanted us to keep him on gluten until his biopsy took place which was 6 weeks away. I tried to get the test moved up several times, but they couldn't fit us in. His behavior became so scary, I took him off gluten 4 weeks before the biopsy. The biopsy still showed damage to the upper intestine.

I want to share this with other parents because we went through hell trying to determine what his diagnosis was. His whole personality changed - anger, depression, defiant...

Every time he get's "glutened," we see the behaviors return, and they last about 3 weeks.

Now that he is off gluten, we have our son back.

BBQ

[guzwoman]

Oh reading this makes me feel so much better. I am new to Celiac. My allergist and doctor believe that I have it despite not being tested because I have enough symptoms. After being just shy of two weeks gluten-free, my 11 year old daughter commented that she has noticed that I don't yell at her as much as I used to and seem less distracted. I personally have noticed that my focus is better and I am less depressed, which is amazing because I am always a little sad, anxious and agitated. It is especially impressive because I own a business and it is going through the holiday slump, plus I am overwhelmed by the fact that I can't eat gluten and even more difficult I have a spice allergy and I am Mexican. Nature has a cruel-cruel sense of humor. I think the most difficult part for me is knowing that gluten has made me such a difficult person all of these years and knowing that, at times, I was so not nice to my daughter and people I love.

I am excited though to have psychological balance and hopefully one day soon get off my ADHD medication.

Here's to looking towards less angry days and less unintended hurt feelings.

~mg

[medaevalmom]

WOW. That inital post, and many after could have been written by me.

i love the title Post-Wheat-Syndrome! just last night at a dinner we (hubby) and i were describing my experience with gluten as similar to PMS form hell that lasts for days, even a couple weeks at a time, before improving.

Funny thing... same thing happens to him when he eats tomatoes during ragweed season

I can`t help you much except to say, isn`t it great knowing we are not alone. I esp. like the fact that after reading some of these i don`t feel like a nut-job anymore. If so many people experience the same thing... it cannot possibly be just in my head can it?

[GFinDC]

I also had mental symptoms from gluten in the past. The title of this thread pretty much describes my symptoms, depression, anger and quick temper. At times I would become angry and not even know why. I was easily frustrated also. I had bad memory problems also, and would forget things very quickly. Sometimes when I was working on the computer if I switched from one app to another I would forget what I was planning to do in the 2nd app. And have to switch back to the first app to remind myself. So forgetting things within a second or two. That was scary stuff. Now what was I saying? Oh yeah! But things got much better after being gluten-free for a while. My memory improved, my anger went away, my depression also flew the coop. It took a while for those changes to happen, but they did happen.

[1desperateladysaved]

If I get a food I am intolerant of I sometimes get really sad even though I have good circumstances. Now, when that happens, I figure I just have to hold on for a couple of days and will begin to feel better again.

[josaturn1]

Yes!  My daughter becomes a different person!  She has black out rages on gluten.  NEVER off gluten.  She also has some ocd behaviors (afraid of germs, believes sister is contaminated, fixes and refixes bed, etc), low-self esteem, pessimism, anxiety (right now on challenge it is about tornados), and VERY reactive emotionally.  Basically she flies off the handle over everything and has sobbing fits that sometimes last an entire day.  Off gluten, all of these symptoms either disappear completely or drastically improve when we remove gluten.  A few days into her gluten challenge she said "mom, I never believed you about the gluten affecting my behavior until now.  I can't control myself and don't want to act like this.  I just get so angry I want to punch someone. I'm so sorry."  

 

My stepmother witnessed her reactions during the first week of the challenge and said "this is not my granddaughter".