Dizziness/lightheadedness

[Niteyx13]

I have been gluten-free for several months now. The last couple of months, though, I have had waves of dizziness and I feel lightheaded much of the time. I was at the mall last night, and I almost passed out. I also seem to get car sick feeling when I ride in the passenger seat. This is really scaring me, and I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a problem like this? My mother who is an RN thinks I may not be getting enough carbs. Opinions? Thank you!

[jmengert]

I could have written what you just posted, my symptoms are so similar. I, too, have been gluten-free for a couple months now, and I'm now struggling with dizziness. I recommend going to the doctor to get your different "levels" checked: blood sugar, thyroid, potassium, iron, etc., as dizziness can be a symptom of these things. However, all my bloodwork came back normal, so I'm just assuming my body is still working things out being gluten-free. It's scary to be out and almost pass out--I can sympathize--let's just hope we start feeling better soon!

[KaitiUSA]

When I get up too fast or am low on food I will get dizzy and have a black out for a few seconds so i usually have to stand right where I am till it goes away. I have never had this outside of my house though and it doesn't happen to often. My blood pressure tends to be on the low side and I was told that what happens to be is a result of low blood pressure. I think blood sugar may be a factor as well. It also could be your body still adjusting to the changes in food.

[jknnej]

I've posted on this topic several times now. I even started one thread on it. Since going gluten-free, I get dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseated. My stomach feels much better pain wise, but these other symptoms are kind of cumbersome. I am hoping the longer I am gluten-free, they will disappear. The dizziness is not as bad as it was at first, but now I do get nauseated after eating.

I'd love to know how to stop it, but I think, honestly, our blood completely changes after going gluten-free; kind of like how your blood thins when you move to a new climate. My guess is, just like when I first moved to Phoenix and my blood thinned because of the heat, it will probably take about a year to subside.

[Guest Viola]

This seems to be a common problem with us. It turned out to be a combination of things for me. Low iron, even though I've been gluten free for many years, I can't seem to keep the iron up. But the big thing turned out to be 'acid reflux disease' Although I didn't have the usual problem with 'heart burn' The acid was going up and burning my esophagus and limiting my breathing. The esophagus was going into spassam and I wasn't breathing deep enough to get enough oxygen in. With daily treatment of this disease, I don't have the dizzy spells quite so often.

[plantime]

Wow! Talk about a timely topic! I spent the last few days with my head just reeling. It turns out I had glutened myself, and it was part of the reaction I was having. I also get lightheaded and dizzy when the weather changes, it is my body's own reaction to the barometric pressure changing. It is scary, I was afraid to leave the house alone!

[Newbie]

Hey all... I've been gluten-free for a year and 2 months now. I just wanted to add to this thread that I've been feeling EXACTLY the same in regards to the dizziness and lightheadedness... I went to my doctor today who gave me some medicine for it, as well as something for acid build up ( which might be causing the pain in my stomach that I still have). He is also sending me to a specialist of internal medicine. Hopefully if I find something out that's helpful, I will let you know. The dizziness and lightheadedness makes me feel sooo nauseated as well. It's the worst in the mornings but is there all day. It's not just when I get up fast either... it's constant. Hope you're all doing ok.

[Niteyx13]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I must have slipped somewhere and eaten gluten. It's weird, because I have never totally felt better yet, so sometimes I think there could be something else wrong with me. Had my thyroid drawn again friday, still awaiting those results (I am hypo). Those with thyroid disease: has anyone found that going gluten-free made their thyroid go nuts? Mine was doing very well with meds before I went gluten-free. Sorry for all the questions.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I have had this problem since going glutenfree, too. Somedays it's bad but most it's okay to deal with.

[KaitiUSA]

My thyroid has been off since I had celiac yes. I first was hypo now it's hyper. It's still in beginning stages so my gland is still in the normal range it is just overactive.

[ianm]

I used to get a lot of dizzy spells and would black out for several minutes prior to going gluten-free. Over the past year that has happened only once. If I get an accidental hit of gluten I start to feel light headed. It usually happens within minutes of eating the poisoned food so I can usually avoid eating too much of it.

Ianm

[jknnej]

The $100, 000 question is: why do we get dizzy AFTER going gluten-free? I never had anything like it before going gluten-free, even though I had a ton of stomach pain.

[KaitiUSA]

I get especially dizzy if I am tired and it got worse the first few months of going gluten free and after that it started getting better but I have been researching about things that cause dizziness. Has anybody had their blood sugar checked? Or maybe it could just be the change in our diet that our bodies are dealing with.

[Niteyx13]

Maybe it is a combination of things. I got some gluten-free shakes that have protein and other vitamins in them, we'll see if they help me feel better also.

[mopsie]

I've had lightheadedness too and had my blood sugar checked and it showed the low end of normal, the dr. didn't think that was low enough to cause my symptoms, yet my symptoms go away when I have something to eat.

[tarnalberry]

you could be displaying mildly hypoglycemic signs - ones that a doc may not point to on a lab result, but ones that are still causing you problems.

try to make sure your meals are all balanced, and that you don't eat anything on it's own that's really high in sugars. (this is different than what a diabetic who took too much insulin would do in a state where their blood sugar is too low.) make sure meals and snacks are balanced between fat/protein/carbs, and light on the sugar! ;-)

[jcgirl]

I have had the same situation sense going gluten-free as well. For me, I notice it more in the morning on my way to work which is scary. I usually feel better after I eat something. My routine is to have some fruit for breakfast once I am settled in at my desk. I should eat before I leave but that would require getting up earlier and I am still having trouble sleeping at night. My mother has tested my sugar level a few times when I felt dizzy and it always comes back on the low side of normal.

[red345]

Verify that your fluids/electros have been checked recently, magnesium included. Ongoing dizziness is most often associated to this fact if vertigo has been ruled out.

[Guest BellyTimber]

This is very familiar to me as well. Sometimes it goes away if I have a substantial "elevenses", sometimes it persists.

Some days I don't get it at all!

Michael

[plantime]

According to my doc, I have normal blood sugar levels, but high insulin levels. I have noticed that I will get light-headed and headachy if I go too long without food, so I have been trying to eat smaller meals more often. I also will get extremely dizzy shortly before storms, so I think maybe I am reacting to barometric changes, as well. Anyone that knows anything about normal sugar with high insulin is welcome to jump in and advise me. My doc only told me to lose weight. Period. That is supposed to be the cure for everything that ails me!

[winki4]

I have been gluten-free for 10 years now and found myself dizzy and lightheaded only when in my nephews car. He told me later he spilled beer in his car many weeks earlier. I only get sick in his car so I correlate the gluten in the beer is hanging around in his carpet and upholstery. I had no idea I was that sensitive!

Wendy

[Lesliean]

You all covered the dizzy end so well I know you are on the right track.

But to Niteyx13 's mom about the carbs. There is a world out there of carbohydrates that are not gluten containing including: corn tortillas, polenta, corn pasta, rice, rice cakes, rice pasta, sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut and acorn squash, gluten free breads, nuts, gorp, beans, corn chips (like Que Pasa with unadulterated oil and no flour).

I know I still crave bananas (potasium) and salt (Braggs Aminos or wheat free soy sauce but not too much). I hear lots of people talk about gluten and rapid heart beat and irregular heart beat and might that tie into dizziness too? My heart rate and BP are down and my irregular heart beat is gone.

[Bill Clar]

The $100, 000 question is: why do we get dizzy AFTER going gluten-free? I never had anything like it before going gluten-free, even though I had a ton of stomach pain.

Mods, I hope the thread bump is okay. I didn't feel the need to start a new topic.

I'm glad I found this forum and that I'm not the only one gets lightheaded and/or dizzy.

I've been gluten free for almost two months. After the first two weeks my dizzy spells began. I dealt with it the best I could by playing web doctor. I thought it was my influx of fish oil or Omega 3s or 5-HTP (for depression) or L-Tyrosine. I cut back on some of these supplements to no avail.

A few weeks ago I caved and talked to a holistic doctor. He suggested a deficiency in potassium and electrolytes. He says I'm taking in a larger amount of nutrients, now that I'm healthy and gluten free. These nutrients require water, of which I drink enough, and electrolytes.

So, I started eating about 1-2 bananas per day and taking "elete" electrolyte mix with water for a total of 1g of potassium added to my diet. The extra potassium immediately reduced the dizziness but didn't get rid of it completely. It was manageable. I could safely drive my car and concentrate at work.

A few days later, my energy dropped, I became irritable, my appetite diminished, and I felt nauseated. In panic mode I played web doctor again and discovered that magnesium and potassium go hand in hand. You can't correct potassium deficiency if you're magnesium deficient. My new symptoms were related to magnesium deficiency. I applied magnesium oil twice a day and within a day the new symptoms went away. I was back to my slightly dizzy self.

I'm on the mend but I hit a dizzy spell this morning that's stronger than previous days.

I've had bloodwork done for various doctors (psychiatrist and general physician) and my thyroid, iron, and sugar levels are good. No actual testing for elctrolytes though.

[Reba32]

avocados are better for potassium, and with less sugars than bananas. A banana is about 14.43 grams of sugar and only 422 mg of potassium each. An avocado is about 975 mg of potassium and only 1.3 g of sugars. Plus, the avocado has lots of healthy fats and fibre, the banana, not so much.

[Bill Clar]

avocados are better for potassium, and with less sugars than bananas. A banana is about 14.43 grams of sugar and only 422 mg of potassium each. An avocado is about 975 mg of potassium and only 1.3 g of sugars. Plus, the avocado has lots of healthy fats and fibre, the banana, not so much.

Thanks Reba. I'll give that a try.