Anxiety Relief From Going Gluten Free?

[carecare]

So my husband has been gluten free for a week and it's amazing how well he feels...even with a cough he's been struggling with for 2 wks. Can't imagine what he'll feel like when the cold is gone. Anyway, he has always had a bit of anxiety out in public...just never felt good going into crowded places...or being around a ton of people. We went shopping yesterday for a couple hours...Christmas madness...and he came home saying he didn't have any crowd anxiety. I have read gluten can cause some people to experience anxiety. Do you think my husband's anxiety was actually the gluten in his system? Wow...who would have thought if it's true. Amazing what a week of no gluten can do!!!!

Now to try and get my girls to be gluten free and clear up the problems they have...if it's gluten related. I'd be thrilled if that was the case!

carecare

ps...what a great forum this is...being able to throw questions out there and get responses so quickly

[loco-ladi]

Yes it is possible his problems stemmed from gluten, it could also be he is in the Christmas spirit. But either way its great news for you!

[blueeyedmanda]

The anxiety I was suffering from pre-celiac all stemmed from situations that were caused by the celiac, getting sick in public/finding a bathroom, being too sick to leave the house, wondering what was wrong.

A few weeks gluten free and I was seeing that anxiety disappear.

[nmw]

My primary gluten symptom was and still is anxiety. As long as I am gluten free I am also anxiety free. It is common to have anxiety along with gluten, and to have it go away when going gluten free. Yay!

[tiffjake]

I was on meds for depression and anxiety before going gluten-free. It is amazing just how many things are tied to nutrition and food! I can actually see my depression as a sign of a glutening now, and it lasts about 3 days, and then I am fine. It is really weird.

[geokozmo]

ps...what a great forum this is...being able to throw questions out there and get responses so quickly

[daydreaminmommy]

My primary gluten symptom was and still is anxiety. As long as I am gluten free I am also anxiety free. It is common to have anxiety along with gluten, and to have it go away when going gluten free. Yay!

Wow, that is so interesting! I just joined this group because I wanted to search for things I could relate to my son's behavior. He is 7 years old and has always had BM issues. A friend mentioned the gluten-free diet to help his constipation and within a week he was regular! That was October of 2009 and we were strictly on the gluten-free diet for a year. Over the summer, we tried to ease a few things back into the diet just to see if it affected him. He would go days without a BM and get very agitated and unruly. So we would get back on the diet. But today it hit me that when he is off of his gluten-free diet even slightly, he wets the bed, has bad dreams, acts out by raging and throwing things which are NOT even close to his "normal" calm little self. These are all things a child psychologist said were anxiety-related issues. I don't want to put him on anxiety meds if gluten is the culprit! But any doctor I have mentioned it to, has pretty much blown it off as not being related. Why are doctors not wanting to know more about how much gluten is really affecting people! Not just celiacs but non-celiacs who have a sensitivity, if that's what you call it when behavior changes occur.

Glad to find this group!

[txplowgirl]

I had social anxiety disorder and depression since I was a kid and most of my adulthood. No matter what kind of meds I was on it would only help a little, never went away until 7 months into my gluten free diet but I had to remove dairy and soy also as they affect my anxiety and depression too. As long as I keep all three out of my system i'm hunky dory.

[revenant]

I had social anxiety and depression from an early age, if not forever. Well, I've been gluten/lactose/soy/etc. free for around 2 months, and after dropping out of high school from the anxiety last year, I have just begun to go back this month. I am unbelievably calm! Whenever I eat gluten, I get in this order...> Crazy anxiety, continues for aw eek>Insane ADHD (running around the house flapping my arms... like one huge caffeine binge)>>Angry ADHD>Crash, Depression that lasts a week. And, I do not want to see ANYBODY during this time. Complete isolation. I am just now beginning to want to be around people, after a life long isolation.. It is remarkable.

This isn't just gluten exclusion for me, but rather switching to an entirely plant-based diet that has helped me though. I still had anxiety and depression until I removed all grains and all meat. Although, gluten was definitely the more contributing factor...My oh my! I agree. Why don't psychologists/psychiatrists/all mental health professionals know about the effects of gluten, or, less specifically, the overwhelmingly universal causes of FOOD SENSITIVITIES... The future is bright for this now that people are beginning to value their quality of life/health more. Green/health revolution, on the way, I feel!

[shopgirl]

Anxiety was the absolute first symptom that went away when I went gluten-free. The panic attacks stopped like someone had flicked a switch inside me. I've still dealt with bouts of depression and I probably worry more than I need to, but it's much, much better. I know it will take time before I'm "me" again but it's a relief not to have those attacks and the constant buzz of anxiety running through me all the time.

Congratulations on your husband's recovery. And just in time for the holidays.

[possiblyglutensensitive]

How long for the anxiety to go away?

(if it is indeed in reaction to gluten)

I'm not talking about anxiety ABOUT celiac symptoms, I am talking about anxiety in and of itself (generalized anxiety disorder, panick attacks, eaxagerated fear and startle responses,...).

4 days into the gluten free thing, and I am the same.

the ONLY thing that is better is my GI symptoms, though they were rarelly extreme, my digestion is much better, overall.

[twe0708]

Since I went gluten free I have also been anxiety free.

[txplowgirl]

How long for the anxiety to go away?

(if it is indeed in reaction to gluten)

I'm not talking about anxiety ABOUT celiac symptoms, I am talking about anxiety in and of itself (generalized anxiety disorder, panick attacks, eaxagerated fear and startle responses,...).

4 days into the gluten free thing, and I am the same.

the ONLY thing that is better is my GI symptoms, though they were rarelly extreme, my digestion is much better, overall.

You are just getting started. It will take a while because your body has a lot of healing to do. For me my anxiety and depression didn't start easing up until about the 4th month in. I think there are some on here their anxiety started easing up about a month or 2 in for others it took close to a year or longer. Everyone is different but hang in there. It takes patience but well worth the wait.

[Brookesmom]

Wow, that is so interesting! I just joined this group because I wanted to search for things I could relate to my son's behavior. He is 7 years old and has always had BM issues. A friend mentioned the gluten-free diet to help his constipation and within a week he was regular! That was October of 2009 and we were strictly on the gluten-free diet for a year. Over the summer, we tried to ease a few things back into the diet just to see if it affected him. He would go days without a BM and get very agitated and unruly. So we would get back on the diet. But today it hit me that when he is off of his gluten-free diet even slightly, he wets the bed, has bad dreams, acts out by raging and throwing things which are NOT even close to his "normal" calm little self.

Glad to find this group!

FYI, my son wet the bed each time he has gluten, although he tested negative via blood tests and my daughter and I were positive though Enterolab. I think it's time to be even stricter with my son's diet. I thought it might be related to the gluten somehow. thanks. My daughter's constipation is GONE now with a gluten and cow dairy free diet.

[domesticactivist]

Our son's anxiety hasn't gone away yet, but it is now intermittent. We're thinking it may be nightshades rather than gluten that influences his anxiety. We have not tested it yet.

[mcc0523]

When I was undiagnosed, I ended up in mental hospitals 12 different times. The majority of the hospitalizations were after a gluten binge (cookies, crackers, bread... any commercial wheat based product). My two suicide attempts were after eating pretty much nothing but wheat the week or two preceding.

I've been gluten free for a week now. The past few months, I have decreased my consumption of it in my diet, had it perhaps 2 times a week (for one meal). Depression symptoms started to lift, just slightly. This past week the symptoms have lifted even more... at least until night before last when I got glutened. I woke up and nearly cried at the Hallmark commercial, and my thoughts have been a bit dark. From what little improvement I have seen from even imperfectly going gluten free the past few months, I'm really excited about how my symptoms will improve from cutting it out completely. My joint pain is... not an 8 now. Perhaps just a 7, but it being down to a 7, again, makes me hopeful that I'll find at least SOME relief. I know I can't change my collagen, but if forgoing gluten will keep it from degrading as quickly, and lessen the inflammation that has made the joint pain become so unbearable at times these past few years, then I will be thrilled. By the second day of completely gluten-free, the nausea I feel from the moment I wake up until I go to bed has almost completely gone away. Some of my social anxiety was more to do with, "Where are all the bathrooms, and how quickly can I get to the closest one if I have V or D?" and not wanting to embarrass myself because of symptoms I couldn't control. I hope the more those go away, the more at ease I'll feel in public.

I am VERY malnourished. According to my last blood panel, there are no detectable levels of Niacin in my body, and my vitamin D is 8. My doctor didn't run any more vitamin levels at that time, but I wouldn't be surprised if the untested ones aren't abnormally low as well. Low B vitamins (and all of them, actually) can cause symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other neurological symptoms, too.

[Zary]

I had a lot of anxiety over seemingly random things despite the fact that I have a pretty good life. I couldn't figure it out. After going gluten-free, all that stopped. It did take a while before it completely went away, just like with all the other symptoms I had (migraines, tummy rumbling, etc...).

[Jamie-S]

Wow. I am really loving reading this site. I have had social anxiety since I was a little kid, and no matter how hard I tried to deal with it it never worked. Interesting to think that staying on the gluten free diet may help with my anxiety. Can't wait to see what prolonged gluten free eating may do with the anxiety. My husband would be thrilled if my anxiety went away and we could actually go out without me feeling uncomfortable.

[koolsharkz]

I agree, this is all incredibly comforting to read! I went gluten-free for a month, and toward the end noticed a decrease in my depression for the first time in quite a while... it was so exciting! Now I'm glutening myself again so that I can be tested, and within a week, depression is back in full-force. Sometimes I'm in a good mood, then I eat a piece of bread, and an hour later I'm crying for no apparent reason. I'm looking forward to the tests being done so that I can fell better permanently!

[Februaryrich]

First symptom to appear if I get glutened

[jmrogers31]

This is why I wish I would have known about gluten intolerance and celiac 20 years ago. I have always been extremely anxious and kept to myself as a kid and teenager because I was so anxious around people I didn't know. As an adult, I avoided confrontations at all costs even if it meant getting completely walked all over. If someone confronted me about something I would have a panic attack even if it was over something small like being late for dinner. Once I got married, my wife and I started a family and had two beautiful girls. My symptoms started to get worse and I started having this fear of doom all the time and was terrified I was going to die and leave my girls without a father. Keep in mind, I was in my 20's and ran half marathons, so I had no health issues that would indicate impending death. It was so bad by this time I was afraid to sleep at night because I was afraid I wouldn't wake up. This was a catch-22 because of gluten intolerance because I would get headaches, cramping, bloating, and constipation along with my allergies and asthma so of course with my anxiety I was always on death's door in my mind. I was always on WebMd looking up symptoms because I always thought I was sick. Well, I was told to try a gluten free diet for my symptoms and something strange happened. About a month in I was laying in bed one night and had this sense of calm around me. I actually remember laying there and slowly breathing in and out and smiling because I felt so calm. That's when I knew I would never go back. I also know when I have been glutened by my anxiety coming back as well. I do sometimes think how different my life would have been if I grew up gluten free and wasn't crippled by anxiety as a kid. But, I look at my beautiful family and know this was my destined path in life and I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's. Even if a piece of coffee cake or a cresent roll now and again would be nice.

[azmontessoriteacher]

I really appreciate reading everyone's comments. My daughter has been suffering from increasingly severe anxiety and depression for the last few years. We are 10 days into a gluten free diet as a result of her Celiac diagnosis and I am already seeing a small improvement in how anxious and depressed she gets. I am being super careful and our entire house is now gluten free to avoid cc. I am cautiously optimistic that we will continue to see improvements.

Hang in there if you are new to the lifestyle. It takes time to heal!

[wystearya]

I realize this is an older thread, but I was doing an online search for anxiety and gluten to see if there was a relationship. Just 2 weeks ago, I found out I am sensitive to gluten. I had cut it out, only have the occasional bit of bread. But the night before last my Mom made spaghetti, my favorite food. I though, "Oh I can have just a little bit." Famous last words... I was so sick the next morning in the bathroom... I also felt like I was having allergy response. And this morning I woke up anxious...again.

I've been a nervous person all my life. Some of your stories could be me. I also startle very easily and people find it funny. I let it go, but I have known I was not normal. I've always thought that a lot of it was due to how I was raised. My Mom was less that loving and rather mean to me. I've forgiven her, now that I am older and know a little about her own past I don't think she could help it. But I never knew that the gluten could cause alot this!! I get nervous in public and I had been waking up anxious for "no reason" for months.

I just wanted to thank you all for having this forum! I know in the coming days and weeks I will likely have questions as I go gluten free. It's just comforting to know what has been wrong with me all my life! I'm 32, and relieved to know that maybe I can feel 'normal' in time. I sure hope so!

[shadowicewolf]

Indeed it is It sets my axiety off like no tommorow. I do not take pills for it as they do not agree with me. I do however have coping techniques that i was taught to help.

[KMMO320]

I had some toast a few days ago, I figure sometimes since I am "Only" Gluten intolerant and not Celiac, whats the hard (this is just how I rationalize bad behavior..I dont really think like that). Well all day yesterday, I was a nut case. I was crying, and angry and yelling at my family for nothing. I actually forced myself to stand still and breathe deep to try to calm down. I hate when I get like that and it is so rare, pretty much only when I eat what I shouldn't. Definitely going gluten-free helps with my anxiousness.