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Celiac And Anxiety

applegirl03

By applegirl03
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

applegirl03 Rookie
applegirl03
Posted

I find myself in the past month or so struggling with anxiety and mood swings. I have been very careful to stay gluten-free and to the best of my knowledge I have been doing so for several months. I am anxious to go anywhere alone with my 2 small children(they are 5 and 2) because I am afraid I am going to get sick in the middle of a store(trust me its happened more than once). So now I'm not going anywhere alone. I am trying to tough it out since it isnt everyday, but my Mother has suggested I get on an anti-anxiety medication. With the Celiac and bad reactions I tend to have to medications I am really hesitant to take any kind of drug. I was wondering if anyone else was having these types of problems and what they took/did to stop them? I used to take Effexor about 5 years ago after I started having severe Post Partum Depression after my son was born. Took that for about a year, and titrated off under Doc supervision, but still had a hard time coming off of it...also have severe endometriosis and severe bowel problems still, and dont know if maybe that is the cause of this yucky/anxious feeling. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

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txplowgirl Enthusiast
txplowgirl
Posted

After I went gluten free my anxiety eased somewhat but it was when I took out both soy and dairy also my anxiety totally went away. I had depression and social anxiety disorder since I was 7 years old. I am off my all my meds now and depression and anxiety dosen't come come back unless, i get glutened, soyed or dairied. Have gone caffine free and it's brought it back some from the withdrawals but gettin better by the day. Just a thought. Hang in there and hugs.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Get as strict as you can with the diet. For many that will help. There can be a sort of PTSD reaction if you have been sick for a while and have had accidents. If you have gotten to that point it might be helpful to see a counselor who can help you cope with the anxiety reactions. Sometimes medication can be helpful.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

How strict have you been about being gluten free? Like Txplowgirl, my anxiety went away after a few months of a gluten free, soy free and dairy free diet. However I mostly notice the anxiety comes back when I get some accidental gluten. If you have been really strict and don't think you are getting little bits of gluten somewhere, then I would see a counselor and possibly look into meds if you really need them.

applegirl03 Rookie
applegirl03
Posted
  • Author

I am very strict with the gluten. I do notice that it is worse after I accidently gluten myself. Put I think I am just nervous because of how fast it hits me and getting sick in public. I had to go in to the hospital today for severe stomach pain. My doc did an emergency cat scan and blood work. Everything was normal, or "okay"...what the heck "okay" means is debatable...I also notice the anxiety is at its worst the more constipated I get, so I think there may be something there...idk. I also have bad reactions to almost all medications, so I am really weary about going on anything...thanks for the support guys, I really do appreciate it...

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I had bipolar, insomnia, and some anxiety attacks that hung around after I went gluten-free for quite a while. What helped me was a high-dose, strong vitamin supplement with plenty of B complex, minerals, and trace elements, plus some fish oil. The supplement I take is in my signature and profile and it's fairly expensive but works really well for me. My nervous system seemed well behind the rest of my body as far as recovery and when I'm low on B vitamins, it hits my mind first with anxiety and insomnia.

Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

I agree with the B-complex and fish oil.

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plantime Contributor
plantime
Posted

B complex and Lexapro for me. My messed up intestinal tract does not produce enough serotin, so an SSRI is needed.

WheatChef Apprentice
WheatChef
Posted

Benzodiazapenes are pretty fun drugs but they're not too good for you, are severely habit forming and very sedating. SSRI's are some of the worst things you can do to your brain and I still hold a grudge against every doctor of mine who prescribed me yet another one of those terrible things. Gluten-free doesn't automatically equal a healthy diet. Get yourself tested for nutritional deficiencies, many of which can take a very long time to correct without specific intervention. Additionally if you're having anxiety problems the #1 best thing you can do is to cut carbs asap.

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

I also have bad reactions to almost all medications, so I am really weary about going on anything...thanks for the support guys, I really do appreciate it...

That's actually not uncommon in celiacs. My GI doctor told me that we should remember that foods aren't the only things we digest poorly. Medications are, too. But he said we can absorb less of parts of a med, and MORE of parts of them, due to leaky gut, and so on.

I'd always wondered why meds either didn't seem to work, or I got nasty reactions to them and just wanted to keel over. That explanation made sense to me.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I have tried going off my anti-depressants but it didn't work and now I am back on them full strength. grrr.

applegirl03 Rookie
applegirl03
Posted
  • Author

Well after several visits to several totally clueless doctors, I think i may have an answer. It turns out I have a massive Fungal infection in my gut and my doc told me that that kind of severe yeast infection in the body can cause severe anxiety, due to the endotoxins being released as the fungi die...apparently its called the "die off effect". Now my doc has put me on Diflucan for 1 month and its supposed to cure me of all my symptoms....I guess I can keep everyone posted to see how it goes...:)

  • 3 months later...
Kim69 Apprentice
Kim69
Posted

How did it go?

Also, how was the fungal infection diagnosed?

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    • SamAlvi
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      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
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      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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