Irrational Anxiety Issues

[Jamesheff]

hi guys.

can any one relate. i am 6 months on gluten-free diet and i seem to have major irrational anxiety issues all day every day ..its gotten really bad the last two months..i seem to be "on edge" all the time.. i lose my train of thought and often cant concentrate on any thing for more than a few moments before i feel "edgy" again..

any ideas??

[ENF]

You may benefit from supplements, such as B vitamins, fish or fish oil, magnesium, etc. I took anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants, before and after diagnosis, but have stopped them and recently started St. John's Wort, which is for mild depression and anxiety. The SJW hasn't started working yet, but I'm hoping that it helps. Good luck, whatever you decide.

[Jamesheff]

You may benefit from supplements, such as B vitamins, fish or fish oil, magnesium, etc. I took anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants, before and after diagnosis, but have stopped them and recently started St. John's Wort, which is for mild depression and anxiety. The SJW hasn't started working yet, but I'm hoping that it helps. Good luck, whatever you decide.

hey ENF..

Thanks for the reply. do u think ur anxiety is celiac related? could it be that the symptom has to get worse before it gets better? i will look into the St Johns Wort..

[Brooklyn528]

hey ENF..

Thanks for the reply. do u think ur anxiety is celiac related? could it be that the symptom has to get worse before it gets better? i will look into the St Johns Wort..

I was diagnosed with major generalized anxiety in high school. Probably 2001. I have been gluten free around the same time, and my anxiety has not improved yet. I'm taking Zoloft for it starting today. I know that this helped my anxiety in high school. Maybe it would help to discuss it with your PCP or GI.

[momxyz]

if you research you will find that gluten intolerance and celiacs has a definite association with depression. The root cause is malabsorption of B vitamins and tryptophane, both of which are involved in how the body manufactures serotonin. Decreased serotonin levels lead to depression. The action of Zoloft is to decrease serotonin uptake, thereby making more serotonin functionally available.

In what I have read the association/ causal relationship between celiacs or GI is less clear. I did find one pediatric journal article that demonstrated that children with functional bowel disorders were more likely to have anxiety. What they did not know is which was the chicken and which was the egg. IE, were the kids anxious because of their gastrointestinal issues, or , were the gastrointestinal symptoms a psychosomatic presentation of their anxiety.

My daughter was diagnosed with depression and anxiety this past July. She has been gluten free since then, and I encouraged use of a good multivitamin along with ingestion of more protein (tryptophane) Her experience was that her depression improved noticebly on the diet; her anxiety less so. She has just been started on a very low dose of Zoloft for this issue. Her psychiatrist has a very hopeful outlook that she is not going to be on this forever, since the depression had improved without the drug, and she may not have to use a very high dose.

There is one thing that we did not try, that I had discussed with a celiac friend of mine, and that is tyrosine. Tyrosine is a precursor to tryptophan. This seem to help her daughter when she takes a mental downturn...

[ravenwoodglass]

You have gotten some good advice and I hope you now know you are not alone in this issue. I have severe anxiety issues due to PTSD that got worse once I went gluten free. Before i was diagnosed and now only when glutened I had issues more with depression than anxiety as far as being related to celiac goes. That started long before any of the GI symptoms started, and I am talking almost 30 years and about the same time I developed ataxia. For some of us gluten can be a neurotoxin and that can make mental disorders more likely to develop, everything from depression to anxiety to even more serious disorders. You can find quite a bit of research on this if you put 'celiac and neurological' into a search engine although much of it is quite technical.

Anxiety has a way of 'snowballing' I agree with the others that you should give some supplements a try, sublingual B12, magnesium, calcium and D3 should be a part of your routine, all gluten free of course. You may also want to consider seeing a counselor and if needed don't be afraid to try meds if the anxiety is severe enough to effect your daily living. Different folks are helped by different types of meds so if the first thing they prescribe doesn't work for you try something else. A combo antidepressant and antianxiety made me a total zombie but a plain antianxiety med has done wonders.

[ENF]

hey ENF..

Thanks for the reply. do u think ur anxiety is celiac related? could it be that the symptom has to get worse before it gets better? i will look into the St Johns Wort..

My anxiety is definitely celiac related, and I probably had neurological damage that can't be measured. It got much better after my GI symptoms improved from going gluten free, but not 100%. Five years ago, I went to a neurologist, after many other doctors had not found my problem, and she Rx'd Zoloft and Xanax. Some types of these drugs contain gluten, but I was not diagnosed w/celiac or gluten free yet anyway so it didn't matter.

The type of St. John's Wort that I am using is called Kira, is standardized and very high quality, and this brand is imported from Germany where it is only available by prescription - and over there it's considered by health professionals to be better than prozac, and other antidepressants, because there are few, if any, side effects. SJW is for mild depression and anxiety symptoms, which is what most people who use it have.

Xanax kills anxiety dead in it's tracks, at least it does for me, but it's very habit forming. I never developed a physical dependence, or addiction, but rather a psychological need and it was very hard to go without it for more than two or three days. I've been off it for about 7 1/2 months, except for one time when I had a high pulse rate a few days before having (non-celiac related) surgery and I took some to see if it would bring it down, and it did.

[ravenwoodglass]

Xanax kills anxiety dead in it's tracks, at least it does for me, but it's very habit forming. I never developed a physical dependence, or addiction, but rather a psychological need and it was very hard to go without it for more than two or three days. I've been off it for about 7 1/2 months, except for one time when I had a high pulse rate a few days before having (non-celiac related) surgery and I took some to see if it would bring it down, and it did.

There are many people who have a hard time getting of Xanax, it does work wonders though if it is needed. I try not to take it every day and most days when I do take it I take only half a dose. I was really scared to take it because of the addiction risk but my RN daughter pointed out that I was unknowingly given Valium for a couple of years in Librax and weaned myself off it with no issues when I started the elimination diet. I had no issues with that weaning so I am not so fearful about taking in now. It is always best to try nondrug remedies first if you can. Acupuncture was very helpful to me for a long time prediagnosis. That might be another thing to try.

[ang1e0251]

I saw on TV once that Vtiamin C can help with person's that suffer from depression. My DS has bouts with depression so I bought some for him. I don't know if he kept up with it but I don't believe he has had an episode since. That was 2 years ago.

I looked it up and this link was interesting. It talks about other deficiencies too and what symptoms can result from them. It's includes our friend, magnesium and others. I hope it's helpful to you.

Open Original Shared Link

[jkr]

I totally agree with all of the responses. I have had anxiety all of my life and I do take Xanax like Ravenwoodglass does; only if I need it and I have no problem with dependency. It really does take the edge off, so to speak.

Sublingual vitamin B-12 has helped also.

[MDRB]

Has anyone else found that anxiety has actually gotten worse since going gluten-free?

I have always had a mild anxiety problem, perhaps the stress of going being diagnosed and the difficulties in going gluten-free have made me stresses, paranoid about food and exacerbated the anxiety?

FYI re St Johns Wart - it reacts to a lot of different medications, so anybody considering it should really check with a Dr first.

[ENF]

FYI re St Johns Wart - it reacts to a lot of different medications, so anybody considering it should really check with a Dr first.

If you don't take other medications, you probably don't need to check with a doctor about St. John's Wort. I already looked up the drugs it interacts with, and the one Rx drug that I take, Quinapril (for BP), was not on the lists. Most doctors, at least in the U.S., probably don't even know anything about SJW, anyway. They almost never do, regarding herbs. I'm going to a new GP next week, and will mention that I've been taking SJW - but I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response.

[K-Dawg]

This discussion is interesting to me. I first noticed that I had a very rapid heart rate when I was about 15 years old. A few years after that I was diagnosed with graves disease and the fast heart rate was supposedly explained by that diagnosis (but it reamined fast even when I was in remission and now that I'm in my 30's the dr's are more concerned about how fast it sometimes beats).

Okay..so here's the thing. I have noticed that my heart rate beats rapidly MORE OFTEN now that I am gluten-free. I now feel anxious in situations where, when I was eating gluten, I felt no anxiety. I have noticed I am having these stress responses...sometimes for no good reason.

I have started to exercise more often and was considering taking some meditation classes or something. Jeesh. Maybe I will just take some Vit B.

[RiceGuy]

I agree completely with the recommendations of B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D3, etc. Vitamin B12 is involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin, as are numerous other nutrients. Taking these in supplement form has helped me immeasurably, and that includes neurological functioning. Magnesium is also known as the calming mineral. Look for the methylcobalamin form of B12, preferably in a sublingual lozenge/tablet. Make sure your B-complex has the co-enzyme forms, as this is needed for effective absorption.

[angieInCA]

I agree completely with the recommendations of B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D3, etc. Vitamin B12 is involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin, as are numerous other nutrients. Taking these in supplement form has helped me immeasurably, and that includes neurological functioning. Magnesium is also known as the calming mineral. Look for the methylcobalamin form of B12, preferably in a sublingual lozenge/tablet. Make sure your B-complex has the co-enzyme forms, as this is needed for effective absorption.

In working with my endocrinologist I was put on all of these supplements as well. A few weeks later she added SAM-E which is a great mood leveler. I take a daily dose of 400 (mg?) which I get at CVS (their brand) and is Gluten free. I have noticed a hugh differance in my anxiety issues and can tell if I forget to take it.

[K-Dawg]

RiceGuy -- thanks for the tips

Is it necessary to have a B12 pill AND a B Complex? I take D, calcium (and iron) daily -- that's it. nothing else so I"m not very knowledgable about supplements

thanks

I agree completely with the recommendations of B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D3, etc. Vitamin B12 is involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin, as are numerous other nutrients. Taking these in supplement form has helped me immeasurably, and that includes neurological functioning. Magnesium is also known as the calming mineral. Look for the methylcobalamin form of B12, preferably in a sublingual lozenge/tablet. Make sure your B-complex has the co-enzyme forms, as this is needed for effective absorption.

[Vollaire]

I have been gluten free for about 2 months and dairy free since April. Changing my diet to battle my RA. It has been a hard transition to give up pizza, cheese of my burgers etc. I am the only one in my family with this disease and it makes family dinners hard. Trying to accomodate the needs of my family with mine. My husband has been supportive and once I bought a book and we both read it, it was easier for him to understand and then to make some serious changes. But it gets hard and anxious always reading labels (having nto put back old favorites), saying no thank you when offered a homemade treat from a well intending friend. Always double checking and never really free to trust how something is made. I am nervous about eating out and having to scrutenize every step of my dinner process, so have not been out to eat since having to change eating habits. The adjustment has been a crazy roller coaster and emotions are always ready to spill. The best advice I could give you sounds cheesy but it works for me. Find something, anything to smile about. The simple beauty of a flower, nice blue sky, nicely trimmed lawn, a courtious driver. Hold the door for someone and make then smile. Smiles have an almost magical way of making one feel better. Each week gets better as I add recipes and learn to bake my own goodies for parties, etc. I stopped looking at is as giving up foods and began enjoying the challenge of finding great replacements. Having a body with joints that love me back is great. Just keep smiling even small things count.

[eyeaspire]

The increased heart rate might also be due to your thyroid. When my levels are too high, my heart races and it feels just like anxiety. After my medication is adjusted, my heart rate returns to normal.

[beaniebabe]

Hi there! Just thought I would comment about this as well. I think these guys are right and you got some really great advice. I went to a seminar a couple of weeks ago where a doctor spoke to us about many health related topics. One of the most important things he talked about was magnesium. He says virtually everyone is deficient in magnesium and he recommended that everyone take magnesium. But not just any kind. The kind he most recommended was magnesium lotion. From what he explained, magnesium is getting increasingly hard to get in our diets due to modern farming techniques. Crops are planted and re-planted in the same spots over and over and causes the depletion of nutrients. Magnesium is also harder to get through supplements and has a low rate of getting into our systems. There are many kinds of these supplements though and he said the best kind out of those is to get magnesium taurate. This is supposedly the least likely kind to give stomach upsets which is a common side effect of magnesium supplementation, but still takes many months for the body to get back to normal levels of magnesium.

There are many kinds of magnesium lotions that can be found online. I've bought the kind the doctor recommended which he uses with his patients and have been having great success with it so far. The kind I get is Dr. Shealy's brand. The anxiety has gone down so much and I notice that if I don't use it every day, it comes back. If I use it only once, some of the anxiety comes back but still much less noticeably than without it at all. But there are many other kinds online too which I am sure you could research about. The stuff is really great and it has helped so much with the stomach issues I sometimes have still even after 3 years on the gluten-free diet. I hope this helps you!!!

Oh and I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who talked about the B vitamins. I think I will get some myself!!

[cabrea3]

I was diagnosed with major generalized anxiety in high school. Probably 2001. I have been gluten free around the same time, and my anxiety has not improved yet. I'm taking Zoloft for it starting today. I know that this helped my anxiety in high school. Maybe it would help to discuss it with your PCP or GI.

I was diagnoised with Celiac Disease just over a month ago...Ive suffered severe anxiety n depression cuz I have been sick for over 2 years n they just barely found out whats wrong.I am not sure if its related but I know how hard this all is.I will going to see a NaturoPath doctor who specializes in Celiac Disease..U may wnat to look into that.I may have had this for years.I suffered infertility issues as well as having a thyroid issue all of a sudden.Which Celiac Disease causes those issues.But I think going the vitamin natural route will be better.U dont know all that crap they put into meds n stuff.