Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

New To Gluten Free... Feeling Spacey


Abbott50

Recommended Posts

Abbott50 Rookie

Another question from a newbie here. It has been about a week and a half now since my daughter and I went gluten free. We both went on a regiment of supplements as recommended as well. We both have adjusted pretty easily and are feeling great. My only side effect has been that I feel a little spacey sometimes during the day. It was especially bad the first three days.... it seems to be getting a little better each day. My energy and mood are great... it is just kind of a cloudy feeling. For example during exercise, biking is easy, but with tennis my focus, timing are cloudy. Is it normal for some people to go through this? Is there something I can do about it or do I just have to wait it out until it goes away?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ursa Major Collaborator

Apparently you are going through withdrawal. Be glad you are only feeling spacey, some people feel like they are going off hard drugs! Gluten acts like an opioid on the brains of people who are intolerant. Your brain isn't happy with you 'depriving' it of its favourite drug.

I am glad you are otherwise feeling so much better. I am sure the spacey feeling will be gone shortly, and you will feel sharper mentally than you have in a long time.

skinnyasparagus Apprentice

I feel like that too sometimes where it can happen when I simply talk to someone and then embarassingly ask them to repeat the question; but I get dizzy with it too sometimes. It only lasts for a few seconds but it's stupid.

How long do 'withdrawl' symptoms last, in general?

Abbott50 Rookie
Hi - I would add that besides going gluten free you also started taking some supplements and and for some reason one of them may be causing a slight allergic reaction or just not be the right supplement for you. You may not have the same requirements as your daughter. If it doesn't clear up shortly as you feel better yet, look around and see what else might be doing that to you. I find that when my neck muscles tighten up I get a little spacy. It seems to slow the flow of blood to the brain so I massage and relax the muscles and I feel much more alert.

Thanks Marian..... I get the neck thing some times too, so I know what you mean, so I will try that. As far as the supplements go, I have always taken supplemental vitamins for sports etc. I did not add anything I have not taken before, just shifted a little. I will go back to the normal amounts to see, but I dont think that is it..... Another day and another spacey feeling for me today. A couple people have told me this can happen when first going gluten free...... but a week and a half seems long... Fortunately, my body feeling better makes it feel worth it.

AliB Enthusiast

It can take a while for the body to adjust, after all, if you have been loading this stuff into your body for years, it isn't going to change overnight.

I have been off gluten, dairy, most carbs and sugars for nearly 3 weeks and am still getting detox/withdrawal symptoms.

I had a permanent headache for well over a week until 2 days ago, yesterday I also had a fright with a very sore liver, but as it seems a bit better today, I think it had had a 'flush' out and off-loaded a heap of crud as I was 3lb lighter this morning than I was yesterday! Better out than in, as they say and the less fatty and congested it is, the better.

Are you sure also that there is not something else you are also getting a background reaction to? Sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint, especially if the reaction is delayed.

Abbott50 Rookie

Almost two weeks gluten free now... I feel less spacey today.... definitely getting better, now it is just spells of it here and there, but obviously getting better. Thank goodness....

krebbecca Newbie

I notice the same thing at times - more right after I was diagnosed than I do now. I started checking my blood sugar and found that at the times I felt "spacey" my blood sugar was low. Turned out changing my diet wreaked havoc on my blood sugar. Now that I'm more comfortable with the diet, and eating more variety, I have much more control over it. Anyway, don't want to rain on everyone's parade, but you may want to be careful.

Rebbecca


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Yenni Enthusiast

I felt spacey for a long, long time after I stopped with the foods that made me sick. I think I had additional intolerances that took me longer to figure out that prolonged the process though.

I get spacey every time I get cross-contaminated now.

  • 2 weeks later...
detox Rookie
I felt spacey for a long, long time after I stopped with the foods that made me sick. I think I had additional intolerances that took me longer to figure out that prolonged the process though.

I get spacey every time I get cross-contaminated now.

When i feel the brain fog i take a b50 complex vitamin. For me its a complete life saver.

Its actually quite astonishing how fast it works for me. I think its because my body has

issues absorbing all the appropriate b vitamins and i am deficient. B50 vitamin literally works in

about 10 min to clear my mind and make me feel back to earth.

It cant hurt to try it and from what i understand if you body has to much of the b vitamins you will

just get rid of the excess when you pee.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,684
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Betty Siebert
    Newest Member
    Betty Siebert
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.