Celiac And Anxiety?

[S<3]

Can Celiac disease cause anxiety? I've been trying to figure out if they trigger each other, But i'm still not sure. Any advice would be extremly helpful!! Thanks (:

[YoloGx]

Can Celiac disease cause anxiety? I've been trying to figure out if they trigger each other, But i'm still not sure. Any advice would be extremly helpful!! Thanks (:

Absolutely! Besides speaking from personal experience (its one of my number one difficulties with gluten, as well as migraines etc.), it has been shown by various studies to be a very common complaint for those who have celiac or severe gluten intolerance--this and a whole bunch of other neurological disorders that often create psychological as well as nervous system problems. Lactose and Casein can also be contributing factors. Theoretically a very high percentage of those with autism, schizophrenia and ADD have severe gluten intolerance. For myself it also contributed to a racing heart.

Bea

[Skylark]

I get anxious too when I'm glutened. Also a lot of celiacs are vitamin B12 deficient, which causes depression and anxiety.

[TaniaR]

Celiac disease runs in my family, as I also have it and it definitely can trigger anxiety. I overly sensitive to gluten but when i ingest it i get HORRIBLE anxiety. It can also affect your mood and many other symptoms besides just the regular gi ones. So i know how you feel the anxiety factor but the only way to keep it under control is being gluten-free unfortunately. However, I go to freeda.com to get my vitamins and they have a glycine powder that helps with anxiety and I have found that to help somewhat.

[rdunbar]

gluten actually reduces the blood flow to the brain, so it's like your engine isn't firing on all cylinders. brain fog, anxiety, 'depression', ect... all make sense when you consider this.

[conniebky]

I freak out like a banchee in a hurricane when I eat gluten.

[Skylark]

gluten actually reduces the blood flow to the brain, so it's like your engine isn't firing on all cylinders. brain fog, anxiety, 'depression', ect... all make sense when you consider this.

Do you have a reference for that one? Kind of curious as I haven't seen anything like that in the literature I've been reading.

[sandsurfgirl]

Anxiety became one of my worst symptoms in the year before diagnosis. I had anxiety attacks all day long for no reason. After only 2 days gluten free they went away after suffering for a year! Now if I get glutened anxiety is my first symptom.

I could care less what the literature says. The lit is wrong so much of the time. Many of us on here have anxiety due to celiac.

[jerseyangel]

I suffered greatly with anxiety before going gluten-free. I dealt with it for years--panic attacks, too. I have been on the diet for over 5 years, and still get anxious when glutened. It's one of the first symptoms--and the last to go.

[Skylark]

I could care less what the literature says. The lit is wrong so much of the time. Many of us on here have anxiety due to celiac.

So where do you go for accurate information? The National Enquirer? The lit is not wrong much of the time. It does tend to be over-interpreted and/or mis-interpreted by non-scientists. Small or poorly designed studies can get an awful lot of press. The bigger problem is that areas of inquiry are too limited by funding issues that arise from the realities of working within a capitalist framework.

I was just curious about the "reduced blood flow" bit. Sounds interesting.

Oh - and I totally have both anxiety and depression due to celiac. I'm not questioning that at all!

[pbsml]

I was getting some intense anxiety, especially when I was experiencing any pains associated with my intolerance. My GP gave me xanax... well, actually, the cheap imitation version of it, which unluckily for me, contained GLUTEN. Awesome. Needless to say, he's no longer my GP.

[Fey]

My anxiety has decreased about 80% since going gluten-free. Two and a half years ago, I'd quit my job, couldn't drive due to blacking out from anxiety in my car, had problems going to public places like grocery stores, and I was pretty much agoraphobic and depressed.

Took a few months (last year) of trying different medications to get me to the point where I could function in society again.

I have all but done away with my anti-depressants as well. Before if I skipped a dose, it was noticeable, now I got 2-3 days before realizing I've forgotten. Next appointment with my GP, I'll be discussing getting off them altogether

[Marz]

Oh don't get me started on celiac + anxiety

Started having panic attacks out of the blue at the beginning of the year. The trigger was bad food poisoning, but I've been there before and never have I had *panic attacks* over feeling sick! Not a single attack since I went gluten-free, and it's definately a sign I've been accidently glutened when I start getting anxious again for no reason - usually I hunt through all my food for the past few days and find the source.

[S<3]

Thanks so much for your help! I was diagnosed with severe anxiety that caused my life to completely change, but since I was diagnosed with Celiac and have been gluten free I haven't had one episode. I'm so glad to know the anxiety can be controlled!

[Albion]

gluten actually reduces the blood flow to the brain, so it's like your engine isn't firing on all cylinders. brain fog, anxiety, 'depression', ect... all make sense when you consider this.

This also makes sense of the terrible anxiety that comes with detox!

[glutout]

I dealt with severe anxiety and panic attacks for 8 years. Lost my job, ability to drive, very bad dizziness, etc., I had all types of symptoms doctors could not explain with just "anxiety disorder" or any other condition. I was finally diagnosed a year and a half ago with Celiac Disease. Now that my body is healing,my mind is healing too. I am not 100%, yet, but getting there. Before no matter how much I tried, no matter what techniques I tried I couldn't shake the anxiety. I woke up everyday with it. Everyone was telling me it's "in your head", and I know some of it was--but I always felt something was physically wrong. It has been slow coming, but it is getting better. I believe after dealing with it for so long I now have to get over what the anxiety has done to my mind!!! Stick with it-it took me well over a year to notice I was feeling better--don't give up!

[pondy]

I was getting some intense anxiety, especially when I was experiencing any pains associated with my intolerance. My GP gave me xanax... well, actually, the cheap imitation version of it, which unluckily for me, contained GLUTEN. Awesome. Needless to say, he's no longer my GP.

May I ask what the "cheap imitation version" of Xanax was?

I'm on Alprazolam - generic form of Xanax.

Please tell me this doesn't contain gluten!!! How do I find out?

[Reba32]

your pharmacist should be able to look it up to find out what the ingredients are. I ALWAYS ask them to look up stuff. It bugs them, and makes them grumble, but it's their job and that's what they're there for.

(howzat for an awesome representation of their they're and there! )

I used to have daily anxiety attacks before going gluten-free, now it's a very rare occurrence.

[jerseyangel]

May I ask what the "cheap imitation version" of Xanax was?

I'm on Alprazolam - generic form of Xanax.

Please tell me this doesn't contain gluten!!! How do I find out?

If it's the one by Sandoz, it's definitely gluten-free.

I always call the manufacturer myself--the name is either on the bottle, or the pharmacist can tell you who it is.

[RoseRed]

This also makes sense of the terrible anxiety that comes with detox!

Thank you for posting this!! I have been going 'round the bend trying to figure out why coming off gluten is making me more anxious than the White Rabbit. You have made me feel better, because I felt a bit like a freak. Do you know of any skin issues that can appear during detox other than the celiac rash?

[coeliacrecipes]

As a patient with celiac, I too have suffered with anxiety. I find that the capsule form of the herbal remedy Lemon Balm greatly relieves my anxiety, muscle aches, neck stiffness and headaches. I take 2 capsules in the morning, 2 in the afternoon. I tried one each time and that doesn't quite do it. These capsules have 400 mg of the herb each. A doctor tried to put me on an antidepressant and that was hit or miss in terms of its effectiveness (most times miss) toward alleviating my headaches, the main symptom at the time. I still had to take a great deal of Excedrin to just be able to cope. I find that when I miss my dose, I pay for it in muscle and headaches plus neck stiffness. Going to the chiropractor (a good one) about once a month helps plus doing neck stretches on both sides relieves the tension. Staying away from caffeine (esp. coffee for me) is vital too. Oh, and don't forget exercise, a good balanced diet, fiber and plenty of water to flush out toxins. Enjoy your road to health, coeliacrecipes.

[mommyto2kids]

My experience is the same as Fey. For me what set off anxiety this week was having a margarita, just one. The next day I didn't eat breakfast and almost passed out driving. Not sure about that, but am making sure to eat something and am going to stay away from the margaritas. Nothing is worth the price of anxiety. It is worse than the bowel issues.

[RoseRed]

Thank You, Fey and Mommy. You're giving me hope. I haven't driven in years, and needless to say, it makes me terribly embarrassed and makes life much more difficult. I look back and can't believe that was me zooming down the freeways. For me, the anxiety started a few months postpartum, I'm not sure why, or how it ties in. In fact, postpartum is a whole different world in terms of levels of problems. I have been very ill since my incredible daughters birth 6 years ago. I guess the reason I'm mentioning it in this thread is because it started a lot of mental issues that weren't there, or probably were dormant before.

[rustycat]

Rose, you may find that personality you vaguely remember from pre-celiac days.

In my case, my gluten free personality is much happier, sociable and optimistic. I had forgotten she existed.

[Avalon451]

I'm really happy to see all these personal examples. My 3 daughters and I are getting ready to go gluten-free this weekend, after my oldest's endoscopy. We have all had positive bloodwork for celiac. My middle daughter, 13, has had anxiety disorder for 2 years. It was to the point where she couldn't stay in school without a family member nearby. She has gotten much better at managing it, but she's getting ready to move from a tiny private Christian school to a large public high school, and that has her completely spooked. While she rarely has a full-on (curled into fetal position, shaking and crying) panic attack any more, she is making herself sick worrying about panicking in a big school with multiple classrooms. I'm really hoping that going gluten-free will alleviate the anxiety, and help her realize that she is a strong, smart, wonderful girl who can do anything she puts her mind to!