Help Me?

[Ew...Gluten.]

I've been gluten free for a little under a year. To spare gory details, I have depressive symptoms and "the foggy head." I am obsessive and follow the gluten free diet to the best of my ability, and still no improvements? The first few months we're better, but it went down hill from there. I believe I possibly have small slip ups, but I don't know where/when these occur. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I feel hopeless. Could depression/fog be caused by something else?

[Welda Johnson]

Hi,

I'm 64 and have had Celiac symptoms since age 8 (mine manifested as asthma, and, later, depression, anxiety, spastic colon, ulcer, etc.). I conducted food elimination tests on myself, since scratch skin tests and 3 years of allergy shots didn't help. I stopped all grains and felt better. Then all milk & dairy, then egg whites and yeast, along with casein and whey. Modified food starch also bothers me. My life is so much better now. I'm usually upbeat and positive, and am able to say that I am now truly "happy," after many years spent suffering after every meal that contained those foods to which I proved to be intolerant.

Now we are learning that family members have Celiac as well, and I am sometimes able to be of help in their quest for good health. I hope that you find success on this, YOUR journey to good health. Welda

[missy'smom]

Gluten causes depression for me but I learned that depression can be triggered by other things(non-food) and was at least once when I had been completely and strictly gluten-free for a long time. The brain fog, in my experience, and I know other have different experiences, is only with gluten, but I do have more difficulty thinking when my blood sugar gets low. There are many things that effect our brain/mind/emotional functioning and energy levels. Sometimes if we have low energy for a long time we don't realize it and get depressed or low because we don't have the energy to accomplish what we want or need to but we don't always realize it because we're so used to feeling low in energy. It would be a good idea to get a CBC panel done if you haven't had one in a while.

[Jenny (AZ via TX)]

Ew..Gluten,

Depression and brain fog can be caused by other things, but for many of us, gluten is the culprit. Have you had bloodwork done lately? You could also be deficient in B12 and D3.

Check all of your supplements and meds to make sure they are gluten free.

I also switched my skincare, shampoo etc to gluten free products. Supposedly, you cannot absorb gluten through the skin. But, if you use a lotion that has gluten in it and you still have some on your hands when you eat, you can ingest it that way.

I didn't change all of that at first, but after reading more about it, I didn't want the risk.

Also, did you change your pans out (if not stainless steel), your plastic and wooden spoons, cutting boards, etc. Also, if you have baking powder, baking soda, sugar that you used prior to going gluten-free, you may have cross contaminated them by using measuring spoons that had gluten on them.

If you have a support group, you may want to ask for someone to evaluate what you are doing.

Do you have a shared kitchen?

You probably know most of this, but thought I'd put it out there to see if there is something you missed.

I hope you feel better soon!!!

[dilettantesteph]

I think that you are probably getting gluten without realizing it. To give an example, I'll tell you about what happened yesterday with my son. He got sick but the only new thing that he had tried was Chebe bread made in a gluten free facility. We suspected two other things that he has been eating all along without problems. One of them, Amy's pizza I searched and found that other people on this forum had reacted to it. Their website says that they do tests to make sure that their foods are below 20 ppm as suggested by the FDA guidelines. My doctor says that some celiacs react to as little as 0.5 mg of gluten. At 20 ppm that is a 25 g piece, which is a 13th of one of those little Amy's pizzas. I tested it with a home test with a sensitivity of 10 ppm and it was positive. Now we think that is what we need to eliminate from his diet. Let's just hope he gets better and can attend school again soon.

Some celiacs are sensitive to very small amounts of gluten. If you are that sensitive you may need to eliminate all food processed in facilities that process wheat. That isn't always on the label. It is voluntary whether a company choses to label their foods that way or not. You may also have to eliminate vinegar and alcohol made from gluten grains. Also watch for wines, some of them have trace gluten from barrels or yeast, or the filtration process.

After the first while the body seems to get more sensitive to trace amounts of gluten. Depression sucks. I get it really bad when I get glutened.

I hope you get well.

[whitball]

I do acknowledge that part of my depression and anxiety are from being a celiac. But I have realized that I cannot continue to live my life with the depression and anxiety always at my doorstep. All of that said, I have had alot happen in my life, not all positive, so I have decided that antidepressants are what I need for now. I have also sought counseling. These are also options if the gluten free diet is not taking care of your depression, anxiety, etc. Don't let these feelings run your life. Not trying to tell you what to do, but just sharing my experiences. Hope this helps.

[mef]

If possible, you might want to have another panel done to check for antibodies. Have you checked for any other intolerances? Also, what types of gluten-free foods are you eating? When I eat too much of the gluten-free substitutes (ie the pastas, the breads etc) and not enough fruits/veggies/proteins, I find myself tired and drawn out.

I hope you can find some help here!

[tom]

Could depression/fog be caused by something else?

Yes.

Dairy & soy did it to me.

Have you tried eating free of those?

For me it took 2 entire weeks free of soy before I knew I was on to something.

I'd previously gone w/out for 4 or 5 days, per common recommendations, and didn't see a diff so went back to eating it.

Caused me to lose yet another yr or 2.

[happygirl]

If you were diagnosed via bloodwork and/or biopsy for Celiac Disease, it may be worth it to have your Celiac panel re-run to assess the status of your healing.

[GFinDC]

I agree about the elimination diet idea. If you don't find anything in your diet that contains gluten, you may need to do an elimination. Maybe try eliminating some foods and see if you start feeling better after a week. I found that wine and dairy are problems for me, in addition to gluten. I think it is either yeast or sulfites in the wine that cause problems for me. Wiki says the diary casein protein molecule is similar to the gluten protein. I guess it might cause a cross reaction. Some people have problems with corn or taters etc too. You might have similar intolerances or different ones. I have been taking calcium and vit D each day but my doc says I am still low on vit D. Seems to be typical for celiacs to be low on vitamins, expecially D and B. So it might help to take a little extra of each beyond the minimum daily requirements for normal peeps.

[Ew...Gluten.]

thank you to all- helped me out