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

Began gluten-free Diet And Feel Miserable!

Cath724

Recommended Posts

Cath724 Apprentice
Cath724
Posted

I was officially diagnosed this week with Celiac, and on day 2 of a gluten-free diet, I feel miserable! This came as a surprise, for I figured I'd feel better if anything. Is this normal?? I haven't eaten anything that isn't completely gluten-free, nor anything out of the ordinary for me, besides Plenty-O's cereal. I'm very crampy (stomach) and just feel miserably run-down and weak.

PS- I didn't suffer from the usual IBS-type symptoms and was sort of inadvertently diagnosed, so any abdominal discomfort for me is unusual.

Any suggestions/advice?!

Thanks!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Hi Cath, and welcome to this board. Unfortunately, you may be one of those people who get withdrawal symptoms when starting the gluten-free diet. Gluten is very addictive, and many people will feel like going off illegal drugs when going gluten-free.

It could up to two weeks before you start feeling any better. Also, now that you are off gluten, your body may finally realize it can't tolerate dairy, either. It is advisable to eliminate all dairy and soy for the first few months on the gluten-free diet to allow your body to heal.

Cath724 Apprentice
Cath724
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the welcome! I'm so grateful for this site and all of the many members. I've been reading up on Celiac for a couple of weeks and this is the first I've heard of any type of "withdrawal," so thanks for the info. I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over 16 years as well, so suffice to say, gluten has been a major staple in my diet until now, so the withdrawal makes sense. I just didn't expect it so soon!

Removing dairy from my diet would be a double wammy right now with my already-limited diet, so I'm going to try to tough it out for awhile and see if the symptoms subside. A withdrawal never even crossed my mind, so thanks!

ShayFL Enthusiast
ShayFL
Posted

I felt bad for the first month, but then started feeling better. Things healed that I wasnt aware of that was a problem. So dont be surprised if things like your skin looks better, etc. after awhile. Or you have more energy, but didnt realize you were fatigued before.

I def. went through withdrawal. And had GI symptoms when my main symptoms are neurological.

Hang in there. It gets better.

irish daveyboy Community Regular
irish daveyboy
Posted

Hi Cath724,

Here is something you should read, It's entitled

'Adverse reactions to starting a Gluten Free Diet'.

.

After you've read through it will all start to make sense.

.

Open Original Shared Link

.

Best Regards,

David

Cath724 Apprentice
Cath724
Posted
  • Author

Great info, David, thanks for the link! And here I thought I was well read on Celiac-- I have MUCH more to learn yet. I had read of emotional side effects, but never expected to feel so bad--especially only hours into the gluten-free diet!

I have a race planned in a week and a half, so now I'm thinking I should hold off on the gluten-free diet until afterward-- I've put too much work into getting into shape! The rest of my life can wait 2 weeks, I should hope...:)

Cath724 Apprentice
Cath724
Posted
  • Author

Well, I stuck it out, and felt better already by the next day! All the worrying for nothing, just 2 days of feeling so bad. Just thought I'd share this in case anyone else has a similar experience!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


AndrewNYC Explorer
AndrewNYC
Posted
Well, I stuck it out, and felt better already by the next day! All the worrying for nothing, just 2 days of feeling so bad. Just thought I'd share this in case anyone else has a similar experience!

One of the lucky ones...

  • 2 weeks later...
ericjourney Newbie
ericjourney
Posted

Cath--

Withdrawal is common, but it should be short-lived. It varies among individuals to include cramping, gas, headache, fatigue, irratibility, etc.

It's common for folks to turn to comfort food and junk food when they initially start a gluten-free diet. Try to be careful to eat lots of lean meats, and fresh fruits and veggies, before turning to "empty calories" like potato or corn chips, which will only make you feel worse during the withdrawal. And try to remember that you're doing this for your health.

We all seem to have no problem running so hard that we're sore the next day. It makes sense to apply that philosophy to diet, right? "No pain, no gain."

collyflower Newbie
collyflower
Posted

Hi there,

I was really happy to find this thread. I have just come to India to work (I'm from Australia) and was diagnosed a few weeks ago and have probably been purely gluten free for a 10 days now.

About 3 days ago I started to become so emotional, irritable and angry!! I'm ultra sensitive to everything and am craving chapati's/biscuits etc... like crazy I was glad to see that I might be experiencing withdrawals rather than just being unreasonable.

I'm looking forward to feeling 'normal' again.

Erin.

tmb Newbie
tmb
Posted

Is it possible that in eliminating gluten you have also avoided yeast products? Since many baked products and simple carbs are wheat based with yeast, you might also be feeling a candida die-off which is well known. Candida feeds off sugars, simple carbs as well as reacting to yeast itself. Reaction to both yeast and wheat commonly occur together.

Beth41777 Rookie
Beth41777
Posted
Thanks for the welcome! I'm so grateful for this site and all of the many members. I've been reading up on Celiac for a couple of weeks and this is the first I've heard of any type of "withdrawal," so thanks for the info. I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over 16 years as well, so suffice to say, gluten has been a major staple in my diet until now, so the withdrawal makes sense. I just didn't expect it so soon!

Removing dairy from my diet would be a double wammy right now with my already-limited diet, so I'm going to try to tough it out for awhile and see if the symptoms subside. A withdrawal never even crossed my mind, so thanks!

Not to discourage you, (or anyone else who is "waiting" to feel better) but it took about 2-3 months of being gluten free before I felt BETTER. Now this may be because my body takes longer to heal or perhaps I was unknowingly ingesting gluten, which happens from time to time. It does get better, just be careful and don't cheat. The smallest amount of gluten is enough to throw your body into "celiac reaction mode." Has this happened to anyone else? I always hear about people feeling better right away or within a few weeks. But not me, and I am CAREFUL. Beth

tmb Newbie
tmb
Posted
Not to discourage you, (or anyone else who is "waiting" to feel better) but it took about 2-3 months of being gluten free before I felt BETTER. Now this may be because my body takes longer to heal or perhaps I was unknowingly ingesting gluten, which happens from time to time. It does get better, just be careful and don't cheat. The smallest amount of gluten is enough to throw your body into "celiac reaction mode." Has this happened to anyone else? I always hear about people feeling better right away or within a few weeks. But not me, and I am CAREFUL. Beth

I have only recently gone gluten free recently so am new to the impact when I cheat or make mistakes. I am assuming that the rate of recovery varies to the severity and duration of the symptoms. My stomach reacts quickly and seems to recover (at least superficially) within a couple of days, my skin (the dermatitis hetc reaction) seems to take longer. My skin was not that advanced and although not entirelly clear yet after just a few weeks, it has improved and I expect it to be clear within another few weeks (assuming no accidents). Within a couple of weeks my digestion has improved significantly, although I have still to see weight coming back, I have read of others to began gaining weight after a month or so.

What I am not clear about is the real impact of accidents and cheating. I assuming that despite stronger reactions due to higher sensitivity, that occasional accidents do not put you back to the starting point. If the some people need to go on a gluten challenge for several months to see intestine damage, this means that a well healed intestine can tolerate a few accidents better than one that is still being continuallly battered.

I am curious to know about your specific symptoms, how long you have had them for etc.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,543
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    yfuvhg
    Newest Member
    yfuvhg
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
    • Jsingh
      Protein or fat?

      By Jsingh · Posted

      Hi,  I care for my seven year old daughter with Celiac. After watching her for months, I have figured out that she has problem with two kinds of fats- animal fat and cooking oils. It basically makes her intestine sore enough that she feels spasms when she is upset. It only happens on days when she has eaten more fat than her usual every day diet. (Her usual diet has chia seeds, flaxseeds, and avocado/ pumpkin seeds for fat and an occasional chicken breast.) I stopped using cooking oils last year, and when I reintroduced eggs and dairy, both of which I had held off for a few months thinking it was an issue of the protein like some Celiac patients habe mentioned to be the case, she has reacted in the same fashion as she does with excess fats. So now I wonder if her reaction to dairy and eggs is not really because of protein but fat.   I don't really have a question, just wondering if anyone finds this familiar and if it gets better with time.  Thank you. 
    • Chanda Richard
      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      By Chanda Richard · Posted

      Hello, My name is Chanda and you are not the only one that gose through the same things. I have found that what's easiest for me is finding a few meals each week that last. I have such severe reactions to gluten that it shuts my entire body down. I struggle everyday with i can't eat enough it feels like, when I eat more I lose more weight. Make sure that you look at medication, vitamins and shampoo and conditioner also. They have different things that are less expensive at Walmart. 
    • petitojou
      Frequent nausea after gluten-free diet

      By petitojou · Posted

      Thank you so much! I saw some tips around the forum to make a food diary and now that I know that the community also struggles with corn, egg and soy, the puzzle pieces came together! Just yesterday I tried eating eggs and yes, he’s guilty and charged. Those there are my 3 combo nausea troublemakers. I’m going to adjust my diet ☺️ Also thank you for the information about MCAS! I’m from South America and little it’s talked about it in here. It’s honestly such a game changer now for treatment and recovery. I know I’m free from SIBO and Candida since I’ve been tested for it, but I’m still going to make a endoscopy to test for H. Pylori and Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Thank you again!! Have a blessed weekend 🤍
    • knitty kitty
      Unusual bright yellow but odourless discharge

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I, too, have osteoporosis from years of malabsorption, too.  Thiamine and magnesium are what keep the calcium in place in the bones.  If one is low in magnesium, boron, selenium, zinc, copper, and other trace minerals, ones bone heath can suffer.  We need more than just calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones.  Riboflavin B 2, Folate B 9 and Pyridoxine B 6 also contribute to bone formation and strength.   Have you had your thyroid checked?  The thyroid is important to bone health as well.  The thyroid uses lots of thiamine, so a poorly functioning thyroid will affect bone heath.  
×
×
  • 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.