Anti Depressants

[realmaverick]

Hey guys,

I've suffered with constant fatigue, anxiety, sore eyes and various other issues most of my adult life. The idea of going to my GP made me anxious. I finally forced myself to go, he right away prescribed 10mg of celexa for my anxiety. He also did a blood test for hypothyroidism, which come back negative.

He wasn't interested in testing for celiacs or any further testing at all. Which left me feeling pretty distraught. Anyway I was convinced I had celiacs and so did a home test, which is the same reliability as blood tests carried out in a lab. I tested positive for celiacs, twice(I wanted to be sure). I've been gluten free since, (1 week). I've been advised to visit my GP and have a biopsy. However I'm not going to, as he'll want me to start eating gluten again. And for what? So he can confirm what I already know and then recommend doing what I'm already doing. Hmm

Anyway for the past 4 weeks, the celexa has floored me. I can't get out of bed or focus at all on work. I've not noticed any positive change in my anxiety. If I continue feeling this way, I'll lose my company. I've literally been unable to work.

I also just don't want to be on an anti depressant. I have a strong feeling my gluten free diet is going to solve the problems I have. I think my GP was too quick to prescribe celexa.

My question is; do you think I'm wise to stop the celexa? Do you think the celiacs could perhaps make us more senstative to medications? I have really sensitive skin, sensitive to strong smells etc

Thanks

[ravenwoodglass]

It is becoming more well known that celiac disease can be responsible for depression and anxiety and that once we have healed those symptoms can go away. If the med is making you worse then you should talk to your doctor as to whether you can just stop it or whether you have to taper off. You have only been on it a month so you shouldn't have any issues with going off it but ask your doctor to be on the safe side.

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Coeliac disease should be taken into consideration in patients with psychiatric disorders, particularly if they are not responsive to psychopharmacological therapy, because withdrawal of gluten from the diet usually results in disappearance of symptoms. In recent years, an increased incidence of subclinical/silent coeliac disease has been reported. Psychiatric symptoms and psychological behavioral pathologies could be the only clinical manifestation of coeliac disease

[cassP]

its so frustrating how unhelpful doctors are

ok- you need to be very careful when getting off antidepressants... you're "supposed to" consult your doc first cause of side effects. it can be very serious. that being said- i have taken myself off paxil twice. call me OCD- BUT- when i took myself off the paxil- i was slowly doing it every few days or every week- i would lower my dose/cut my pills down further and further so i would be ok. especially if you're on like 40mg or something... its best to cut the pills and cut them so u dont get too dizzy.

ALSO- i did good on Paxil the 1st time, the 2nd time- i was really comatose.... i tried Celexa for a month- and it shot my anxiety up so much i thought i was gonna run someone over- it was AWFUL!!!

i THINK sometimes these pills help- but the experts have even admitted: they dont know why they work...

that's not safe!

so, its up to you how u want to get off of Celexa- but you're absolutely smart about testing yourself and recognizing what's hurting u! i dont know why these docs are SO DISMISSIVE

hope u feel great soon

[Mari]

I had that kind of reaction to Librium and an over the counter intestinal spasmotic. I would stop taking it. I have had considerable relief from anxiety and depression by taking turmeric (see instructions online) as much as you can tolerate. Shigella and some E. coli produce toxins which cause depression and turmeric wont allow them to grow. Also advised is cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, hot peppers which may also help reduce the numbers of Samonella, yeasts and other toxin producing organisms in the gut. My depression lifted within a few days with turmeric. Consider having a Metametrix Lab enteric panel done. DNA analysis can show whether harmful organisms including parasites are in your intestine. Recently medical Drs have developed some good tests and treatments which treat specific organisms or groups of similar organisms. Because I react to so many Rx s I use alternative and herbal programs to deal with these invaders.

[jackay]

This doesn't sound too encouraging to me. Just this week I started generic Paxil and generic Xanax as my anxiety was once again extreme. Possibly it came from a severe glutening because I had quite a few days of D, which only seems to happen with cc. I was getting such little sleep and not really able to function.

I am scared to be on these meds. In the past five years, I have tried plenty and none of them worked. I am hoping now that I am gluten free that they will. Right now the Xanax is controlling the anxiety. The idea is to use that just until the Paxil kicks in. I started with 5 mg. Paxil for two weeks since I am very chemically sensitive. I don't know how high I dose I'll end up going to but hope I can keep it low. I've heard both good reports and horror stories from this drug.

[realmaverick]

Thanks for the replies

After much thought, I decided to go "cold turkey" and just put up with whatever symptoms I get as a result. I've not taken a tablet now for 48 hours and so far no bad ill effects. *touch wood*.

I am hoping to wake up tomorrow morning, a little less exhausted. Maybe I'll even be able to get some work done.

I guess we all react differently to drugs. For me, 4 weeks solid of zero motivation is enough to tell me it's not right.

Hopefully within a month or so, the diet will start to help with symptoms. Though I realise it maybe much longer.

Thanks again.

[burdee]

I had that kind of reaction to Librium and an over the counter intestinal spasmotic. I would stop taking it. I have had considerable relief from anxiety and depression by taking turmeric (see instructions online) as much as you can tolerate. Shigella and some E. coli produce toxins which cause depression and turmeric wont allow them to grow. Also advised is cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, hot peppers which may also help reduce the numbers of Samonella, yeasts and other toxin producing organisms in the gut. My depression lifted within a few days with turmeric. Consider having a Metametrix Lab enteric panel done. DNA analysis can show whether harmful organisms including parasites are in your intestine. Recently medical Drs have developed some good tests and treatments which treat specific organisms or groups of similar organisms. Because I react to so many Rx s I use alternative and herbal programs to deal with these invaders.

I've been diagnosed with and treated for 5 different pathogenic bacteria, 2 parasites and candida, mostly through Metametrix Microbial Ecology Profile tests (DNA identification of gut bugs). If you have opportunistic bacteria or fungi, MM lab results will identify the specific drug or botanical treatments which can eliminate your specific gut bug. However, if you have more pathogenic bacteria (like Clostridium difficile or H. Pylori) or parasites, you need a doc who has experience with those gut bugs to prescribe the best treatment for your specific infection.

If your doc doesn't prescribe the most effective treatment, you may suffer recurrences of that infection. My doc prescribed a drug for 'mild' c-diff infections, after I had that bacteria for at least 2 months. So my c-diff proliferated and I had 6 recurrences before I read about tapered and pulse dose treatments for c-diff. Following online research I designed my own treatment schedule and just requested enough vancomycin to follow that schedule and eliminate that bug. Unfortunately I didn't look for another doctor until after I had 3 more infections. Fortunately my new doc looked for what caused my vulnerablity to so many gut infections. She's now treating the causes of my impaired immunity.

As for depression and anxiety, I experienced highs and lows each time I was diagnosed with a new gut bug. For awhile I believed I would be well after I eliminated that bug. After 5 infections I began to feel rather hopeless about ever having healthy intestines. I'm a resourceful person who doesn't easily give up. However, until I found a doctor who was willing to do more than chase gut bugs with drugs, I lost hope for complete recovery.