This Anxiety Is Stopping Me From Functioning

[Jackpru]

For years since I have been ill I have suffered with severe anxiety. Although I have been gluten free for 3 months it doesn't seem to have gone down and it has got to the stage when I cannot make plans even to go on holiday abroad or in this country with my family because I just go into complete panic mode.

My daughter and my husband are planning to go on holiday abroad in about 3 weeks time and I desperately want to go with them but as soon as I think about flying or being in a different country I am a mental wreck.

Last year I made it to a hotel and half way through the holiday my nerves got the better of me and the rest of the holiday was ruined.

Is this part of the illness or is this my insecurities that I seemed to have carried around with me for years?

[mushroom]

I wonder if your panic/anxiety comes from thinking about food and what you are going to eat? If it does not seem to be that and you have been gluten free for three months, I would consider it time to seek some helping in dealing with these feelings because they can be so disabling. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

[RiceGuy]

Are you taking any nutritional supplements? B vitamins (in particular B12), vitamin D, and minerals like magnesium are vital for neurological function. Malabsorption often makes supplementation necessary, to get everything the body (including the brain) needs. Make sure the B12 is methylcobalamin, and a sublingual lozenge/tablet. Take at least 3-5mg per day. There is no known level of toxicity for B12, so take all you want. IMO the liquid ones are not as effective.

[Jackpru]

Hi Yes

I have taken supplements like calcium/magnesium and B. Vitamins for years although I have only just started taking the sublingual B12 in the last week, so perhaps when that really gets into my system I might get some releif.

I did have very bad experiences when I was a child about being and feeling safe and lots of other issues. I suffered with my nerves horrificly and my mother used to call me highly strung.

I have been working with an alternative practioner for a lot of problems including the safety issue but this is the one that I am having the biggest difficulty in shifting and obviousley the one I want to get rid of the most.

I just thought that if I was celieac when I was a child perhaps coping with stressful situations were made ten times worse and the issue is embedded in my brain now.

[zeta-lilly]

That totally sucks. I had anxiety for years so I know how bad it can be. The gluten free diet did help me though. Have you looked into the possibility that yeast has played a part in this? I started having frequent yeast infections and started doing research on it a couple of months ago and found a lot of resources that said that yeast can cause major anxiety. Definitely look into this as a possible cause. After I went gluten free I started eating more dairy and more sugar to make up for the lack of bread in my diet. I think the yeast level increased and caused some problems.

[jerseyangel]

I feel for you so much I suffered terrible anxiety for years--panic attacks, couldn't plan trips because as the time grew closer I couldn't go through with the plans, etc. It was awful.

When I first went gluten-free, I immediately felt more calm, and the morning anxiety improved. For the first time in such a long time I woke up not dreading the day.

It still took about a year and a half to two years for the anxiety to get better to the point where it only gets bad if I get accidently glutened. I was prescribed Zoloft soon after being diagnosed but didn't stay on it due to the side effects.

I just toughed it out--can you maybe speak with a therapist? I wish I had back then.

Best of luck--I hope you get some relief soon

[summerteeth]

I have had horrid panic attacks for as long as I can remember. I saw a therapist for a very long time and only stopped seeing her after 6 months of being gluten free - that is how long it took me to feel somewhat stable. I still have those panic attacks, but they are much better now than they were pre-diagnosis (one of my longest lasting symptoms of a glutening is anxiety). It takes a different amount of time for everyone, so don't be discouraged if you are still feeling anxious. But I definitely support seeing a therapist and "talking it out" - it truly does help.

But I definitely agree with your post - anxiety is a big part of celiac disease. In the beginning, the overwhelming task of planning, whether it be meals or, like you, vacations, can cause anxiety BIG TIME. For me, it was the frustration and I would get extremely ornery when I would go grocery shopping because I had no clue how to shop.

Hang in there - hope you are feeling better soon

[jkr]

I've had anxiety all of my life so I know what you're going through. I big part of my anxiety is the anticipatory anxiety. I also have health anxiety which is a little better now knowing that I have a definitive diagnosis, which is celiac.

I had no idea it went along with celiac disease until I found this forum. I still go to therapy to manage it. And I think the supplements I take help, for example the sublingual B-12.

Good luck to you!

[JillianLindsay]

I have been gluten-free for 3 months and am still waiting for the anxiety to at least go down a bit. I don't have anxiety around eating unless I'm at a party/social gathering and am very hungry and trying to figure out what (if anything) is safe to eat. I seem to be in a constant state of anxiety with seemingly no direct cause and it's very distressing and impedes my concentration. I play hockey and soccer and feel great when I'm active, but the anxiety returns shortly after

I take vitamin B12, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D supplements. At last check, my iron was still low (but improving) and my red blood cell production was just in the normal limits. My fatigue has greatly improved (basically gone) but my anxiety is driving me to drink (literally lol).

Sorry to whine all over your post, thought it might help to know you're not alone. The only advice I have is being active! Also CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) techniques can be very helpful for people who have circular thinking patterns (you go over and over the same anxiety-provoking thought in your head again and again) -- it involves interrupting the circle, evaluating the rationality of the thought, and coming up with counter-arguments to them.

Planning ahead as much as humanly possible will help reduce your anxiety when on holiday. Start coming up with ideas for how you will cope if anxiety starts to rear its ugly head. When you're clear-headed, make yourself a list of strategies you can try when feeling anxious, then use them when you need them.

Good luck to all of us

Jillian