Just Started gluten-free Diet - Help! Feeling Horrible!

[katetastic619]

I'll make this short and sweet. My name is Kate, 26 yr old PT student. Diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Just started going gluten-free several days ago and am feeling worse then ever. Bad gas and bloat, pains and nausea, reflux, headache, insomnia, fatigue, etc...almost like an intensification of my usual daily symptoms...

Can any of you share your experiences when you first started going gluten-free? Is it normal to feel a lot worse before you get better? Is there some sort of withdrawal people tend to go through? I guess I just want to know what others have gone through and what is typical when first starting the diet.

Thanks guys!

[Ursa Major]

Hi Kate, and welcome to our boards. Yes, many people will have horrible withdrawal symptoms when first going gluten-free. Those may take up to two weeks before you'll start feeling better.

Also, in order to get better, you are well advised to eliminate dairy and soy as well, as those can hinder healing and keep you feeling sick.

[ravenwoodglass]

I'll make this short and sweet. My name is Kate, 26 yr old PT student. Diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Just started going gluten-free several days ago and am feeling worse then ever. Bad gas and bloat, pains and nausea, reflux, headache, insomnia, fatigue, etc...almost like an intensification of my usual daily symptoms...

Can any of you share your experiences when you first started going gluten-free? Is it normal to feel a lot worse before you get better? Is there some sort of withdrawal people tend to go through? I guess I just want to know what others have gone through and what is typical when first starting the diet.

Thanks guys!

Many of us go through a withdrawl that can last up to a month. Hang in there and as advised cutting soy and dairy will help also. You can add them back in carefully when your symptoms resolve. Make sure you check all your meds, script and OTC, the labeling laws do not apply to drugs of any kind. Go with naturally gluten free food at first and stay out of restaurants and away form alcohol until you have healed.

[hathor]

Yes, withdrawal is a definite possibility:

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[katetastic619]

Thanks for the info and support!

I am so exhausted right now. I'm sleeping roughly 11 hours a night and I'm still tired. As in, I could conceivable sleep a few more hours.

Ugh!

[Sophy]

I am totally in the same boat!!

I have terrible gas - insane! I've never had this in my life. And my intestines hurt, I'm nauseous, dizzy and exhausted.

Maybe not the best thing to say, but it is good to read that someone is going through a similar thing and that this site exists so one does not feel so alone in the withdrawal - ha.

Good luck and keep it up.

Let me know how it goes.

[mftnchn]

I was not too symptomatic when I discovered the problem via Enterolab. I got worse after going Gluten-free Casein-free, and it lasted quite awhile because it seemed to trigger my lyme disease which had been quiescent.

After more than 6 months, I am still having up and downs.

Here's my sense of what happened to me: the celiac had caused several intestinal motility issues...basically just shut down or worked very slowly. When I was young I had hard constipation, but for many years it wasn't hard, just many days between stools with little discomfort usually. Like a sleeping intestine.

After going Gluten-free Casein-free it was like my system suddenly started to wake up and let me know how badly things had been! After three months and some elimination dieting I took soy out of my diet as well.

There are definite signs I am on the right track and when I feel good I feel much better than for many years. So I am hopeful that with patience I will eventually stabilize.

[Rpm999]

would it be wise to just wein (sp?) off gluten then? it sounds just like drugs/medicine, unless you wein off you'll go through hell....i mean, why WOULDN'T you just have less and less gluten? it'd be easier to get into the routine i'd assume...or hope

[hathor]

I think that would just drag out your symptoms. You would be getting a fix, but not enough of one.

I haven't ever heard of anyone doing the slow method for eliminating gluten, so I can't say for sure. When I stop smoking and cut out coffee (NOT at the same time ) I cut back for a period until giving both up. I felt not quite right when I was cutting back and still felt horrible when I finally went completely off each substance.

[Harobed]

I haven't ever heard of anyone doing the slow method for eliminating gluten, so I can't say for sure.

I tried it, It does not work! I cut out bread and pasta but didn't check ingredients. Anytime I would eat something with wheat, I did okay for a day, but if I ate it 2 days in a row I got really sick.

I tried again, just adding more vegetables and it still did not work.

The reason I did it this way was because I am addicted to breads! I found it too difficult to just stop cold turkey.

Finally after getting sick over and over again, I stopped and went cold turkey.

It is so much better that way!

sometimes taking breads and pasta out of your diet forces you to eat more fruit and veggies. Some of these things will give you gas. It takes your body a few weeks to adjust to the new foods.

In the meantime your intestines begin healing after 24 hours..but it takes a while for them to be completely healed...up to two years. (as told by my dietician)

All I can say is hang in there, and add the vegetables slowly to your diet. Start with potato and non gassy foods, then slowly add broccoli, cabbage, onions and other things that can be more of a problem