Panic?

[tea-and-crumpets]

I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, but a couple of times since I stopped eating gluten in October I have had serious, serious panic attacks, much worse than what I ever had before. The interesting thing is that I can be thinking completely clearly but it's like my body is taken over by waves of panic. I was at church one day and completely fine mentally, enjoying myself, but the panic took over my body. Even before, my panic attacks were more mental than physical, with my mind racing, if that makes sense.

I don't think this is because of CC. I eat at home 99 percent of the time, using ingredients that I know are gluten free. I have a gluten free kitchen. The times this has happened I had not eaten outside of the home.

I am experiencing it right now to a small extent and I can think clearly.

Any suggestions? My mom thinks it might be hormonal shifts, because I also have PCOS and maybe my body is shifting back to normal. Maybe so. I just want it to go away.

[Emilushka]

You could have Panic Disorder or another problem that coincidentally popped up when you went gluten-free. Or maybe you were so focused on the glutening symptoms that anything else just wasn't on your radar at the time. Do you have a good doc? There are meds to help you with this kind of thing and it's worth getting some levels tested to make sure it's not a hormonal or endocrine thing (thyroid, etc). There are lots of medical reasons to get panic attacks, but there's also Panic Disorder - all of these things are treatable.

[Skylark]

Is there any chance you're vitamin B12 deficient? Deficiency will do that.

[cassP]

i agree with both girls above- i think you should get your Thyroid checked, and your vitamin levels (esp. b12) checked.

as someone who has suffered Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety, and Shortness of Breath on & off for YEARS, but especially bad the last 5 years (when my Hashimoto's Hypothyroid probably kicked in)-> let me tell you- your anxiety may very well be your body telling you to fix something... dont beat yourself up like i did- thinking it's all you and your mental state- most likely it is a signal from your body that something is not working right.

good luck!!!! i hate Anxiety!

[Marz]

My sympathies, I also suffer from panic attacks- but usually only after getting accidently glutened. I can't think of any reason why you may suffer from it now while gluten-free, except maybe deficiencies, or other issues.

Are you stressed out in general? If you're experiencing a high anxiety level, you may get panic attacks for no reason, even when you're feeling relaxed.

If it gets bad, I've found great relief from anxiety and panic attacks from the Linden method - just google for it. Bit pricey, but very worth it for the coping techniques it teaches.

Otherwise look into supplements, destressing techniques, or maybe talk to a counsellor/psychologist/psychiatrist, who may prescribe drugs to control it :/

[Marz]

By the way, an excellent way to cope with a panic attack during the attack, which helps for me, is to laugh at how powerful the mind can be to cause you to feel so crazy! It's just your mind going "Oh crap, get the adrenalin going, there's something scary here that I need to fight or escape from", but without any reason for it. Or even try to make the attack worse - tell it to give you all it's got - once you realise you're in control of it, it suddenly loses it's grip on you.

Hope that helps!

[thleensd]

Understandable... You're not alone.

For me, one of the things that helped me get diagnosed was gluten-induced anxiety. When I went gluten-free, from time to time I would get the out of nowhere just sitting there and BAM! anxiety. Remember that your body is now in big time repair mode, and it doesn't always discern real danger from fake danger. Sometimes it's right, and sometimes it's wrong. Like Marz says, learn to embrace that moment. (I know, easier said than done) I would think, "Wow. Fascinating. My adrenal system is fascinating." Then, console yourself like you would a child scared of a monster in the closet.

I'm a new BIG believer in the importance of nutrition. Take your vitamins. Eat your veggies, meditate, enjoy quality people.

That being said, keep your eyes open for possible triggers, in case it isn't a false alarm. I found that most of my anxiety happened when I needed to eat (kinda like low blood sugar, but my blood numbers were fine)... hormone shifts also trigger it. Also, when my ferritin or B-12 drops too low.

Best. =)

[T.H.]

I don't think this is because of CC. I eat at home 99 percent of the time, using ingredients that I know are gluten free. I have a gluten free kitchen. The times this has happened I had not eaten outside of the home.

Honestly, I would keep a food journal, just in case, and see if you can notice a pattern, just in case. Eating at home, with gluten free products, is, unfortunately, no guarantee of keeping free of gluten.

Because gluten free products all have low levels of gluten, if you eat enough of them, you'll still get a gluten reaction. Or if you are becoming more sensitive to gluten, or starting to react to lower amounts, that can be an issue, too.

My daughter, we thought, was always emotional, more prone to anxiety attacks and depression. When she went gluten free, this went away. However, a few months in, she started having this reaction to lower levels of gluten and many of our 'safe' gluten free foods were making her react. We had to start calling companies to see if they tested their food, and if they were <20ppm, <10ppm, or <5ppm. We now stick with the lower gluten ppm's and she's safer. If she gets the higher ones, or too much of the lower ones, she still gets ill.

We only figured this out when we started doing a food journal.

Also, the emotional/anxiety reactions are much worse now that we've been gluten free for a while.

[uglybassistx]

By the way, an excellent way to cope with a panic attack during the attack, which helps for me, is to laugh at how powerful the mind can be to cause you to feel so crazy! It's just your mind going "Oh crap, get the adrenalin going, there's something scary here that I need to fight or escape from", but without any reason for it. Or even try to make the attack worse - tell it to give you all it's got - once you realise you're in control of it, it suddenly loses it's grip on you.

Hope that helps!

I think that's some of the best advice I've ever seen for a sufferer of panic attacks. Having a history of anxiety/panic myself, I found that understanding the physiology behind panic attacks greatly helps my coping skills.

As for the original poster, I think everyone here has covered it. I would rule out thyroid, vitamin deficiency, etc and then work on perhaps seeing a mental health professional. Good luck.