Celiac And Anxiety

[Lisa79]

I have sever anxiety since been diagnosed with Celiac.

I am nervous about medications although i am seeing a naturopath and have tried so much to help, I am thinking I may need meds to just get my life back.

I was given prisitq although after speaking with the pharmacutical company found out it has gluten so I dont want them. I have asked to see another psychologist.

What medication have you had for anxiety?

[caligirl2001]

Sorry you are feeling anxious! I understand that feeling well. I was DX with generalized anxiety disorder about 8 years ago, but I had problems with it for much longer than that. Xanax has really been the only thing that worked for me when I was going through a rough patch. Everyone reacts differently to medication. I had no side effects from it, and took it only as needed. I tried every natural remedy for anxiety, but the RX was really the only thing that worked for me.

I was prescribed 1/4 mg, which I believe is the smallest dosage.

I know it may be difficult to consider RX meds, but as a short term solution to help you get your life back, they are not necessarily a bad thing and may be well worth it.

I hope things improve for you soon!

[trents]

An antidepressant may help. Drugs like Xanax or ativan are hepful for acute episodes and for maintenance many of the common antidepressants are helpful such as efexor. From a mental healh perspective, there is a lot of overlap between depression and anxiety. One is almost the flip side of the other.

[cyberprof]

I have episodes of intense anxiety and low-level overall anxiety. I find that I have the most problems when I stop taking my vitamins. There's a chance that it's a placebo effect, but when I forgot my vitamins last week I got really anxious. I take sublingual B-12, plus sub-lingual B6 and folic acid. I take a multi plus a calcium-zinc-magnesium-Vit D supplement. I think it's th B-12 and the magnesium that are the most problematic for celiacs. RiceGuy on this forum is the one who got me thinking about vitamins, he's pretty knowledgable.

If you haven't had your levels checked you should. Even if your levels aren't really low, you could try a gluten-free vitamin plus some sublingual. As long as you don't go overboard and take too much, it can't hurt.

I also don't mean that you should take vitamins and not take drugs or not listen to your doc...just a little extra help..

Best to you.

~Laur a

[Lisa79]

I have found a very good Naturapath has me on quite a few things, prebiotic mix, gut clear, gut repair, something with some vitimins, tranquill for my anxiety and calcium for my osteopenia She does a therapy called myothodics which realigns the muscles along the spine which helps with stress and I get headaches from the stress.

She doesn't want me to take much more until my gut is good, she suspects another month. She said we need to fix the gut before the head as what is going on in the gut affects the head alot, I have a very inflamed gut, which has also caused other food intolerances. My stomach does seem to be settling down.

She has said my nervous system is not very good, which would explain the anxiety.

I am all for natural therapy although I feel I need something more as this anxiety is awful and really does affect my life.

Thanks, I have heard about Xanax and Efexor, but I have heard Xfexor has lots of side affects and is difficult to come off.

Is Efexor gluten free?

Thanks for the replies.

Lisa

[Mother of Jibril]

Just wanted to add my two cents...

As frustrating as it is, I think you just need to experiment and find what works for you. Even the antidepressants are not all the same. Are any of your family members taking them? If there's a particular drug that works for them (and they're genetically-related to you) you might want to give that drug a try.

I went through an episode of major depression in 2007 (following the loss of my second child), but I didn't realize how GOOD I could feel... at least mentally... until I started healing on the gluten-free (plus dairy- and corn-free) diet and taking vitamin D. Wow. Looking back, I think I was struggling with mild depression and anxiety pretty much since puberty. For example, on long car trips I would get soooo nervous about things like hitting a deer or skidding off the road. I would have a hard time sleeping that night because my dreams would be filled with nightmares. Now that I'm feeling better I can take long trips again (I just made a 20-hour round trip from southern Indiana to northern Wisconsin) and it doesn't bother me at all!

Anyway... I just wanted to encourage you that things can get better. There might not be a simple answer, but the advice everyone gave you is a good place to start.

[Korwyn]

I have sever anxiety since been diagnosed with Celiac.

I am nervous about medications although i am seeing a naturopath and have tried so much to help, I am thinking I may need meds to just get my life back.

I was given prisitq although after speaking with the pharmacutical company found out it has gluten so I dont want them. I have asked to see another psychologist.

What medication have you had for anxiety?

I understand and relate. I've been on Wellbutrin and Lexapro, though right now I'm not on anything. I didn't have much luck with Lexapro and was actually having more symptoms while on it. I'm awake right now (It is 11:22 PM) because I'm having an anxiety attack. I got glutened at a neighbors BBQ. I was going through a brief phase where I was starting wonder how much of this is in my head, and is such a little bit as what the 1/2 a pork rib was marinated in going to make a difference. The answer is yes. But anyway, I don't like taking meds either, and the few times I've been on any of the ones for anxiety related issues I've gotten off them as soon as I've felt even remotely better. However since I have been gluten-free (for the last 3 months until Sunday) my anxiety has slowly gotten better. However tonight is really not going well. It is too bad that all the meds seem to have a 'you have to take this for X days before it starts to really have an affect' because I could really use some sleep tonight.

[Lisa79]

Thanks for the replies, sorry to hear you not doing well atm korwyn, although its nice to here others are have attacks and I am not alone.

I tried Lexapro it didn't disagree with me, but it don't think it helped greatly, my mum is on Lexapro although its for depression and not Anxiety (I know they are closely linked), me and my mum have both very different issues, mine is anxiety and especially about my health and fears of bad health, whereas my mum just gets quite depressed at times.

I do have some valium which I have used occasionally to help calm me at night before bed, although its only a short term thing, just waiting on a referal from my GP for a new psychologist who can hopefully help.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

[ravenwoodglass]

I am someone who has extreme problems with anxiety. It actually got much worse after going gluten free, in part because my reactions to gluten are so severe and because I have PTSD. Doctors have been trying to shove antidepressants down my throat for years and I react very badly to them. I become serisously suicidal on them. I finally got a doctor to actually listen, or humor me, whichever it was he prescribed just an antianxiety med. He prescribed alprazolam, the generic gluten free version of Xanax, and the difference is incredible. I do have to be careful with it and have been instructed not to take it every day as it is addictive. I skip it if I am not doing anything that I have to leave the house for or if my anxiety levels are not real high and I also cut the dosage in half some days. The difference for me is incredible and hopefully that combined with talk therapy will enable me to live a more normal life eventually. I don't know if it would help you as much as it has me. In my case any depression is directly related to gluten consumption and it was very hard to get a doctor to listen to that fact. There is such a mind set that depression and anxiety are always connected that it is difficult sometimes for them to realize that yea folks can have one without the other. I hope you find something that helps.

[RiceGuy]

Do try some good quality, gluten-free nutritional supplements. Especially vitamin B12, B-complex, and magnesium. All of these (and others) are vital for neurological function. And many celiacs seem to have trouble absorbing them. Make sure the B-complex is a co-enzyme form. The B12 should be a methylcobalamin sublingual lozenge, and take at least 3-5mg per day. For the magnesium, there are a few different types, which you may want to try. Some have more of a stool-softening effect, but try to get at least 400mg per day.

Some brands to look for include Source Naturals, NOW Foods, and Country Life. They're generally pretty good about labeling gluten-free and such.

[Lisa79]

Thanks riceguy, I will take all them down and ask my naturopath for them.

I am going to discuss Xanax.

Thanks

Lisa

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks riceguy, I will take all them down and ask my naturopath for them.

I am going to discuss Xanax.

Thanks

Lisa

You can get the vitamins Riceguy mentioned at any drugstore and most grocery stores. Make sure the label says they are gluten free.

If you decide to try the Xanax make sure you don't get the name brand as it is not gluten free but the generic is. The generic is also really inexpensive, I just paid a little over $8 for a 3 month supply that my doctor wrote as a 1 month script because I am on a really restricted budget.

[aphexphonics]

The amino acid l-glutamine,also known as "nature's valium" really helps me with anxiety.in addition to that it also helps keep the intestines healthy and evens out your blood sugar.i've also found it extremely helpful to fight off carb cravings,especially after i first went gluten free.i take 2000 miligrams in the morning on an empty stomach.(with all amino acids they must be taken on an empty stomach,otherwise they will try to "compete" with the amino acids from food that is being digested and won't be as effective.)and then another dose later in the day between meals.it's a miracle supplement for me and has surprisingly helped me more than any perscription drug for depression or anxiety that i have ever used.

[jackay]

The amino acid L-Theanine has given me the most relief. I take 200 mg. at bedtime or whenever I get extremely anxious. Since going gluten free and avoiding cross contamination, my anxiety has gone way down.

I did not get relief with prescription anxiety and depression medications. They just seemed to compound my problems. Also tired herbal remedies with the same results as medications. My system is extremely sensitive so I tried to avoid medications if at all possible.

[ravenwoodglass]

The amino acid L-Theanine has given me the most relief. I take 200 mg. at bedtime or whenever I get extremely anxious. Since going gluten free and avoiding cross contamination, my anxiety has gone way down.

I did not get relief with prescription anxiety and depression medications. They just seemed to compound my problems. Also tired herbal remedies with the same results as medications. My system is extremely sensitive so I tried to avoid medications if at all possible.

It's funny how we are all so different. I tried the L-Theanine with horrible results. I tried all kinds of different supplements and nothing helped. I never had relief with any scripts because the doctor kept insisting I was depressed and medicating for both the anxiety and the depression at the same time. It wasn't until they realized I was really not depressed off gluten that they finally tried a straight antianxiety and it has made a world of difference. I guess what I am trying to say is if one thing doesn't work keep looking. If anxiety is severe a therapist can also do a lot of good in helping us retrain our brains. Between the med I am on, in minimal doses now, excercise and my therapist and psychiatrist I almost feel normal now. I'm so much better I am even starting volunteer work tommorrow, this time last year I had barely left my home for 7 years.

[digmom1014]

I also use sublingual B-12 daily as well as Holy Basil. A naturopath suggested it to me and it really calmed me down.

[jackay]

It really is something how our bodies react to different supplements and medications.

For years doctors tried to tell me I was just suffering from depression, which was the cause of my anxiety. I tried so many antidepressants and medications for anxiety. I didn't get better from any of the antidepressants, in fact, I got much worse from some of them. The answer to that was try higher doses. Medications for anxiety didn't make me worse, but didn't bring me any relief. It wasn't until I went gluten free that both my anxiety and depression went away. Psychiatric counseling may help some but did nothing for me. I'm so lucky to have found a doctor who believes 90% of our health is related to our gut. Even with that, it has taken a couple years to get to the root of my problems.

I find it very frustrating that physicians and mental health counselors just try to treat the symptoms and don't look for real causes for the anxiety and depression. It is a shame that some people suffer for years and years from anxiety and or depression and simply avoiding foods can be the answer. It sure takes a lot of trial and error with diet, supplements and medication to find what works for each person.

Don't give up. If you react to any supplement or medication, don't continue taking them but try something else.

[ravenwoodglass]

I also use sublingual B-12 daily as well as Holy Basil. A naturopath suggested it to me and it really calmed me down.

Do make sure they are keeping a check on the B12 levels. After we have healed many of us can metabolize it again and super high levels of B12 can have the side effect of causing anxiety. I am not saying not to take it just to keep an eye on the levels. My last blood work showed my B12 levels to be far,far above what they should be so I dropped the sublinguals down to once a week.