Leaving College

[cheesycow5]

I started going completely gluten free a few weeks ago, and I have felt terrible ever since. My doctor has just prescribed Celexa and Klonopin. I'm not sure if I'll be taking the Celexa, but the Klonopin is relieving the anxiety, at the expense of the little energy I still had.

I am a freshman in college, and at this point I can barely focus on or even have motivation to attend my classes. My grades are getting lower and lower. Next week is finals week, then spring break, followed by another quarter of school. I have asked my advisor for the procedure to take a quarter off to recover. At this point, I'm basically hoping I can keep my full tuition and can function better than ever by next year's school term. Any thoughts?

[sandsurfgirl]

Use the search function on here and read about withdrawals.

Make sure you are totally gluten free. Read all labels. Check for wheat ingredients in all your soaps and shampoos.

Most of us also have to give up dairy, soy and some people night shades for awhile. When you first go gluten free your body is spending all its energy healing and it can go haywire for a bit. I also cut ALL supplements and vitamins for now. I just could not digest them.

I started feeling better at week 6, but the first 3 weeks were AWFUL. Also dehydration is HUGE. You need to drink lots of water and I also drink Gatorade. I've posted a bunch of times about this, but I was having severe dizzy spells, nausea, unable to drive, anxiety until I was diagnosed with electrolyte imbalance. I tried several expensive natural electrolyte solutions and they made me sicker.

I would read about Klonopin. Younger kids have died from it. It's an antiseizure med. I haven't heard of it being used for anxiety before. I'm not going to tell you what to take and not take, but do your research. Spend every free minute doing searches on here and read what we have all gone through before.

If you simplify your diet, deal with dehydration, get knowledgable and keep on with it. You might not have to take time off college after all. Give it a couple more weeks.

[cheesycow5]

My diet consists of vegetables, fruits, meat, and nuts. It's hard to get any simpler. And I know it will get better, but I don't know when that will be. My grades are already crapping out at the end of this quarter, and I don't want to waste next quarter feeling terrible and absorbing close to no information.

Would nightshades have an immediate effect? I only seem to get an immediate tired and anxious effect from gluten or very high carb meals.

[Takala]

Please give us a sample menu day for yourself so we can see what's up. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, & snacks.

If you are attempting to do a specific carbohydrate diet that avoids all grains, if you don't eat enough protein and fat and vegetable fiber, you will crash and burn. You must eat dietary fat on these grainless diets. Fat can come from oils, butter, dark chocolate, coconut milk or oil, avocados, nuts, meats, eggs, hard or aged cheeses which have almost no lactose, mayonnaise, etc.

If you add in grain, it should be in small amounts and simple ones like rice, until you get the hang of this. But rice is high glycemic, so don't eat a lot of fruit and rice without a lot of fat and protein or your blood sugar will do a number on you, going up and down. For instance, if you ate a rice cake, you could balance it with gluten-free peanut butter or pure gluten-free yogurt with something else in the meal with fat. My husband makes this spanish rice with rice, corn, tomatoes, and olive oil that sits better than plain white rice, especially if served with a meat. If you don't do dairy, you could try gluten free unsweetened hemp milk (has good fats) mixed half with coconut milk and add a little artificial sweetener. Watch those sugars until you get the hang of this.

You also need to take a gluten free over the counter vitamin supplement with a B complex. We're all low on the B vitamins, in the beginning, because of gut damage, and that impacts metabolism. A calcium supplement like calcium citrate, with vitamin D perks many people up. Too much fructose on one of these low carb diets can also do weird things to your blood sugars.

I'm a "fat burner" for dietary fuel, and can go on a very low carb diet more easily than a regular person, but it takes planning. You really need a fat, protein, and vegetable with each of these meals, if you are active.

If you want to do non grain carbs, well rinsed canned beans are easy and filling, as is the wonderful baked potato with olive oil, mayo, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, or chile draped over it. Or refry the potato with some olive oil, it lasts for hours if you can handle it. Beans and potatoes can both be done in the microwave.

Have you seen those Imagine brand boxed gluten free soups? The tomato is really good, and you can add a dollop of olive oil, basil, and some spinach, rinsed beans and baked potato to it and it's very filling. This is a huge bowl of vegetables and some starch and fat and protein, right there.

A fast bread "bun in a cup" can also be done in the microwave. And this can be done with almond meal or flour for a non grain version. It's one egg, a quarter to a 1/3 of a cup of nut meal or gluten-free flour mixture, salt, a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, a half teaspoon of pure apple cider vinegar, and a spoonful of olive oil. Sweeten to taste (can use Splenda or honey) A pinch of cumin, cinnamon, or a quarter teaspoon of coco powder for flavor. A little more water to make it mix together, depending on the egg size. This is mixed up in a microwavable bowl and then just cooked right in the bowl for one and a half minutes. And it makes a chunk of hot gluten free bread that is quite tasty and fast. ( you can also search for this recipe thread, mine is a little different because I like to use vinegar/baking soda. ) I keep a blender dedicated to grind my own almonds, which is much cheaper than buying almond flour.

I've been using almond meal and amaranth seed flour, both high protein, sometimes with sorghum.

The only other thing I can think of that is super fatiguing is birth control pills for some people, the artificial progesterone is just too much, and over the counter NSAIDS such as ibuprofen in large quantities.

[sandsurfgirl]

You could be eating too low carb and going into ketosis which is BAD for someone healing from celiac.

Maybe add some rice and some rice pasta to your diet. corn tortillas too.

If you aren't getting enough calories it can cause all of that too.

[AKcollegestudent]

On the other hand, I went gluten free this past summer, and there was one chunk of me healing that involved me, being utterly lethargic and dizzy, curled up on a couch in Seattle staring at my friend going, "What the hell is wrong with my body?" for about five days straight. That portion of my vacation takes the prize for the least productive (or happy) I've ever been on a vacation. I remain really, really grateful that I started the diet during the summer because I could not--even though I was eating simple foods, making stir-fries, making soups--have been functional enough for school while going through withdrawal and getting used to the diet.

From where I'm sitting, it's entirely possible that you're doing all the right things and still going to be sick for a while. I do caution against the meds--I've been playing drug roulette for years given that I have migraines (and for a very long time appeared to have depressive tendencies), and those two meds, especially in conjunction with each other, are not the best things in the world. Also, one thing I learned when I was starting the diet was that a) it is possible for your meds to interfere with your healing progress and b ) the dosages go really, really weird as healing actually happens.

And I want to reiterate: check everything. Cut out soy and dairy too if you can. Make certain your body wash and your lotions and whatnot don't contain gluten.

Take the quarter off from college, get better, and then you will be at the top of your game next year.

[Lgood22573]

My doc prescribed Klonopin for anxiety about a year ago. I had good results with no side effects. It is easy to become dependent, so just be careful. Klonopin is a common med prescribed for anxiety.

[T.H.]

Another thing to add to the list of 'might be this' could be food allergies.

I never thought I had any food problem, then when I was diagnosed with celiac disease and went gluten free, I felt absolutely horrifically awful. No energy, mood problems, sick to my stomach, all sorts of good things.

It turns out that I had undiagnosed food allergies to a lot of my diet. I never got hives or itching, just general 'bad stuff' happening to my body. My doc said that's not uncommon for newly diagnosed celiacs.

I started suspecting the food when I fasted for a couple days and, aside from hunger, started to feel much, much better. A series of blood tests confirmed multiple allergies. If you don't think fasting, or cutting your food to the bone, would hurt...maybe it's worth a try?

So sorry you're feeling so bad, though! I can honestly say I sympathize; just when you think you'll feel better and it all goes kablooey. Wish you good luck!

I started going completely gluten free a few weeks ago, and I have felt terrible ever since. My doctor has just prescribed Celexa and Klonopin. I'm not sure if I'll be taking the Celexa, but the Klonopin is relieving the anxiety, at the expense of the little energy I still had.

I am a freshman in college, and at this point I can barely focus on or even have motivation to attend my classes. My grades are getting lower and lower. Next week is finals week, then spring break, followed by another quarter of school. I have asked my advisor for the procedure to take a quarter off to recover. At this point, I'm basically hoping I can keep my full tuition and can function better than ever by next year's school term. Any thoughts?