New Here

[justwantrelief]

Hi!

I am new here and I am one week gluten free. I feel like crap. For the last 5 years (after three c sections within 4 years) I have been suffering with depression and anxiety. It has gotten so bad lately that I thought I was going to die during a panic attack. Very scary when you are driving three kids around. I cam across this board and some of the symptoms described here seem like exactly what I have been experiencing. For several years I have always had to stay close to the toilet after meals. I have stopped going out to dinner, etc..That has happened for a few years. I started taking probiotics and my stomach problems decreased somewhat. This year the anxiety started. Is there anyone out there that had more depression/anxiety symptoms that were "cured" by going gluten free? I am desparate for help. Also is there any advice on how to get through the gluten withdrawl? Seems the anxiety is worse since stopping gluten but I think this is temporary...

Thanks in advance for any help!

[jackay]

Anxiety was so severe with no relief from any medication. After going gluten free and being careful not to get cross contaminated, the anxiety went away very quickly.

It sounds like you definitely can be gluten intolerant. No doctor even considered that for me until after I suffered from diarrhea for quite some time. It was all in my head up until that point. I lost so much weight and one doctor yelled at me that I wasn't eating enough. The more I ate, the worse the D got.

Definitely get tested for gluten intolerance and Celiac. Don't give up eating wheat, barley or rye until after the testing. Once all testing is done and even before you get the results, eliminat all glulten. Besides wheat, barley and rye, don't eat oats as they are often cross contaminated (cc). You will need to get a new can opener, cutting board, non-stick cookware, etc. as they are easily cc. Keep reading posts to this forum about cc issues for more tips on how to avoid it. Be sure you check all shampoos, make up, hand soap, etc. as often they have wheat or oats in them.

Good luck!

[justwantrelief]

Thanks for your reply. Since I have been having awful withdrawl I am not sure I want to go back to gluten just for testing. From what I read the diagnosis is really hard even with test results. If I feel better in a few weeks I think I will just chalk it up to gluten, huh? I also read that a gluten free diet is good for everyone, even if they don't need it? I am looking for a few good books about celiac/gluten intolerance...any ideas?

Thanks!

[Hyacinth]

HI!

I'm new here too. I also have taken myself off gluten, and have been off it for one week now. My dad was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about two years ago. I have suffered from chronic headaches and also migraines for many years. Suddenly about a week ago my boyfriend came up with the idea to take me off gluten and see if that helped. Holy Cow! what a wonderful improvement! Instead of having my pain range from 4 to 10 every day, this week I have an average pain rating of 3! I'm amazed.

I too have depression. I've been on medication for that for a couple years. I'm going to wait for a couple months, adjust myself to being gluten free, and then talk to a doctor about maybe trying to go down in dosage for depression and see what happens.

As to the gluten cravings, don't even get me started! I'm craving things with gluten in them that I haven't eaten in years, just because I can't have them! I would love to know how people can deal with that too!

Hyacinth

[BRUMI1968]

My CURE of anxiety attacks was so profound upon gluten free that I tell all my doctors that if they have any patients at all with generalized anxiety disorder, they should give them the celiac test. I have had zero attacks after about 2 weeks gluten free...well, I had two, but both were after being glutened.

If you have noticed it helped so far, go with it. It profoundly changed my life to get rid of those anxiety attacks. Good luck!

[Cheryl-C]

Hi!

I am new here and I am one week gluten free. I feel like crap. For the last 5 years (after three c sections within 4 years) I have been suffering with depression and anxiety. It has gotten so bad lately that I thought I was going to die during a panic attack. Very scary when you are driving three kids around. I cam across this board and some of the symptoms described here seem like exactly what I have been experiencing. For several years I have always had to stay close to the toilet after meals. I have stopped going out to dinner, etc..That has happened for a few years. I started taking probiotics and my stomach problems decreased somewhat. This year the anxiety started. Is there anyone out there that had more depression/anxiety symptoms that were "cured" by going gluten free? I am desparate for help. Also is there any advice on how to get through the gluten withdrawl? Seems the anxiety is worse since stopping gluten but I think this is temporary...

Thanks in advance for any help!

I would say that yes, there is a big connection between gluten and anxiety. I developed a rotten stomach in high school (constant nausea, constipation, etc) and at the same time developed anxiety and panic attacks. Looking back now, this was at a time when I was practically living on bagels and pizza! I was tested for lactose intolerance (neg) and sent to a child psychologist to learn "coping skills" for the anxiety and panic.

FF a few years, and here we are: the last two years I developed really bad bowel troubles (gas pains, cramps, sudden BM urges, D, etc) and heightened anxiety. Now of course, constant bowel trouble itself is going to cause anxiety, but having recently gone gluten-free, I can tell that my general anxiety is decreasing. Because of the bowel issues I do still have anxiety when leaving the house (where is the nearest toilet? lol) but I'm hopeful that once my stomach settles down, my anxiety will too. BTW, I can totally relate to your issues with eating in restaurants ... a few cramps in the stomach and it's a loooooong drive home sometimes...