Mitigating The Effect Of Glutening

[Traveller]

I got glutened for the third time either Saturday or Sunday. It gets worse each time. The first time was slow onset groggyness, sleepyness, some GI symptoms, and it only lasted four hours. The last time was twenty minutes from alert and energetic to so sleepy I literally could not stay awake, groggyness, pain, jumpy legs, anxiety, and other stuff, all for about 36 hours, of which twenty was sleep.

Because I know I won't be able to keep accidental glutenings from happening, this newby has a different question: What can be done to minimize the impact?

I'm racking my brain trying to come up with anything from vitamins to magic potions. Any ideas?

[MySuicidalTurtle]

That is an excellent question. I know some people use teas or peppermint depending on their symptoms. For me, I get diarrhea and don't like to take anything so that my body can get it all out. Your body is reacting for a reason and with the symptoms you describe I can't think of something to help off the top of my head. What did you do before you were gluten-free? Maybe there was something that helped ease your symptoms that you could do now.

Good luck!

[ravenwoodglass]

Sublingual B12 may help with energy and the brain fog. A good gluten-free 'stress' vitamin may also help. The advice to NOT medicate the D if you possibly can is good. You want it out of your system. If your body craves sleep if you can listen to it. I get bone and muscle pain and use St Joseph's baby asprin for the inflammation. Any gluten-free antiinflammatory med like asprin will help with that. To a large extent it is time that will heal. Don't assume you will always have accidents. After you have been on the diet for a bit and learned all the sneaky places that gluten hides you will get better at avoiding it. In the beginning if you can go with whole fresh or single ingredient frozen foods that will help while you are getting the hang of things. I got glutened a lot at first but now maybe only once a year or so. Soon you will be able to say the same.

[Traveller]

Thanks for the advice. With each glutening ramping up in intensity I think I have to try something. Today someone mentioned that I should visit a doctor that specializes in functional medicine.

Vitamin B12 sound like good idea. I'll try it and see if it works. Ditto for tea.

MySuicidalTurtle, before going gluten-free I self-medicated the groggy feeling with coffee and soda. That and the other symptoms I thought were just part of getting old -- the symptoms were similar to those in my family a generation before me.

Of course, now that I understand that gluten intolerance and celiac are genetically linked, I can also understand that some members of the generation before me would display the same symptoms -- DUH!

[mattathayde]

mint is a good natural thing from gi issues, imodium is a good fast answer for it. the b vitamins are great to fight the brain fog and wake you up more, grab some redbull

-matt