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Dealing With celiac disease And Being An Addict

glutenfreejenny

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glutenfreejenny Apprentice
glutenfreejenny
Posted

I just recently decided to join NA. After I realized I had celiac disease I had a few months of really good feelings and was really happy. Somewhere along the way I lost that. I started taking Benedryl to help me sleep, and I'm pretty sure I became addicted. I started taking more and more. I think what started this all was when I got a medical marijuana card. I would smoke on days when I was sick, and it would help a lot. Recently I have come to the conclusion that this is not healthy. Since deciding to stay free of anything "mood altering" I've been having a really hard time---and this has been without having any brushes with gluten. It scares me to think of what I'm going to do on the days that I am sick. I was self medicating...and there is no medicine to help.

I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem? A lot of the problem is I spent 25 years ill and when I got healthy I didn't know how to cope. I had been dealing with all my health problems, and once those had an "answer" a lot of other things I hadn't dealt with came to light.

Thanks.

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sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

Hi GFJenny - I am so sorry you are going through all this! I have no wonderful words of wisdom or advice, but wanted to let you know that we are hear and this forum is a wonderful place for support. Come here anytime to vent and rage and also celebrate! :D

ksymonds84 Enthusiast
ksymonds84
Posted

I am so sorry that you are dealing with this issue but you are not alone. Celiac disease in itself can cause mood disturbances, depression, and anxiety. A friend who has celiac had a hard time with depression and anxiety and mostly self medicated with Vodka. When he was in a situation where he felt nervous and couldn't find anything safe to eat, he would just do Ciroc (a grape vodka) or gin and tonic and get totally smashed. Of course the next day the cycle would be repeated with depression ect. A couple years ago he decided to take charge with his depression and anxiety with celiac and a doctor put him on a low dose of prozac (20mg) with therapy. He was also given something for the anxiety which most are addictive but he's been able to only use them when he gets super anxious (the freeway was another situation that set him off). Now five years gluten free, he takes a 10mg dose of prozac for maintenance and rarely uses the other. He is newly married and very happy. His poor celiac beaten body just needed time to heal and the heavy duty vodka wasn't helping his intestines or mental faculties get any better real quick.

I'm not saying that you need a prescription drug. If you are in a good NA group you should receive some excellent one on one counseling. Be truthful and careful to your gluten free diet because that will help so much for your healing. An accidental glutening can set you back. If my friend accidentally gets glutened he will only lay around on the couch for 2 days and not want to socialize ect, so he's very diligent with label reading and only dedicated lines and facilities ect for food.

Hang in there and use this forum as your support for getting better. We are here for you!

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    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
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      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

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    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      fwiw, I add nutritional yeast to some of my recipes. since going gluten free I eat almost no processed foods but I imagine you could sprinkle yeast on top.
    • knitty kitty
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Charlie1946, There are many vitamin deficiencies associated with PCOS and Celiac disease and mental health issues.  The malabsorption of nutrients caused by Celiac can exacerbate PCOS and mental health issues. Vitamin B 3 Niacin (the kind that causes flushing) improves sebaceous hyperplasia and PCOS. (300 mg/day) Vitamin B 1 Thiamine improves dysphagia, and with Omega Threes, Sjogren's, and PCOS.     (300 mg/day) The other B vitamins are needed as well because they all work together like an orchestra.   The fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, are needed as well.  Low Vitamin D is common in both PCOS and Celiac and depression.   Deficiencies in Niacin Thiamine, Cobalamine B12, Folate B 9, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D can cause mental health issues.   I wish doctors would check for nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues before prescribing antidepressants.  My mental health issues didn't get better until my vitamin deficiencies were corrected and a gluten free keto/paleo diet adopted.   Though blood tests are not really accurate, you may want to get tested for deficiencies before supplementing, otherwise you'll be measuring the vitamins you've taken and blood tests will show blood levels that are too high. Yes, Thiamine TTFD and the other vitamins are available over-the-counter.  A B Complex with additional Thiamine TTFD and Niacin made a big difference to my health.  I follow a paleo diet, and make sure I get Omega Threes.  I took high dose Vitamin D to correct my deficiency there.   I've run through the mental health gamut if you would like to talk about your issues.  You can personal message us if you would be more comfortable.   Interesting Reading: Nutritional and herbal interventions for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a comprehensive review of dietary approaches, macronutrient impact, and herbal medicine in management https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12049039/
    • cristiana
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Charlie1946 I am so sorry to hear you are suffering with this problem.   Just a few other thoughts.  I had debilitating anxiety prior to my diagnosis.  I was never admitted to a hospital but thankfully had a lot of support from friends and family, and found a couple of publications contained really helpful advice:  for depression, The Depression Cure: The Six-Step Programme to Beat Depression Without Drugs by Dr Steve Llardi, and for debilitating anxiety, At Last A Life by Paul David.  Both can be ordered online, there is also a website for the latter.  If you are deficient in or have low iron or B12 this can cause or worsen mental health issues.  I am sure my own issues were caused by long-term deficiencies.   If you can get your blood tested, it would be useful.  In the case of iron, make sure you only supplement if you have a deficiency, and levels can be monitored, as too much iron can be dangerous. If you have burning mouth issues, very bad TMJ or neuralgia,  I understand the pain can be managed by the use of a certain class of medication like amitriptyline, which is also used to treat depression.  But there again, it is possible with the correct diet and supplementation these issues might improve? I do hope that you find relief soon. Cristiana
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      By trents · Posted

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