Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Anxiety And Vulnerable Feeling When Glutened

rustycat

By rustycat
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

rustycat Rookie
rustycat
Posted

I had an incident with accidental cross-contamination this week. When I realized what had happened, I watched carefully to see what was going on with my emotions because I had always suspected that there has been a major change in my emotions since going gluten free.

From 5PM when the incident happened, I tracked the following:

-felt fine until bedtime at 10PM

-woke up feeling a little vulnerable and sensitive

-by about noon, I was convinced that everyone I work with thought I was a hopeless incompetent and an awful person. This made me withdraw and feel very defensive.

-by late afternoon, the full anxiety hit full force and didn't go away until about 9PM. The anxiety is debilitating and makes it hard to make logical decisions.

-the next day I felt fine

Wow, I can't believe I spent most of my life feeling that way. I had no idea how abnormal it was to feel so much anxiety. I get excellent ratings at work, so my thoughts were far from the truth.

Has anyone else experienced that similar changes in their emotions with/without gluten?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Yep. I used to be bipolar from the effects of gluten on my mind.

Nowadays if I get into gluten I wake up at 3 in the morning frightened of a noise in the house or I can't stop worrying about something stupid.

Muffy Rookie
Muffy
Posted

I have also been CC'd this week and noticed the big change in my mood. I get anxiety with hopeless dark moods as well. And I also get really paraniod and have serious brian fog. It gets increasingly severe if I get CC'd frequently and don't have a lot of time to get it out of my system in between - a cumulative effect. dry.gif

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

That has been my biggest relief on going gluten free: Finding out that the internal angst, underlying sense of despair, and a grief-stricken sense of loss for no reason have all gone away. Anxiety no longer happens unless I get glutened.

rustycat Rookie
rustycat
Posted
  • Author

Yep. I used to be bipolar from the effects of gluten on my mind.

Nowadays if I get into gluten I wake up at 3 in the morning frightened of a noise in the house or I can't stop worrying about something stupid.

That's something else that I used to have, now that I think of it.

I have also been CC'd this week and noticed the big change in my mood. I get anxiety with hopeless dark moods as well. And I also get really paraniod and have serious brian fog. It gets increasingly severe if I get CC'd frequently and don't have a lot of time to get it out of my system in between - a cumulative effect. dry.gif

Paranoid feelings have been with me from the gluten, as well. I was scared to share that with anyone because I don't think I ever wanted anyone else to know how bad it was and the paranoia, of course, made that all worse. Cutting back on gluten made it less severe, but it didn't go away until the gluten was banished.

That has been my biggest relief on going gluten free: Finding out that the internal angst, underlying sense of despair, and a grief-stricken sense of loss for no reason have all gone away. Anxiety no longer happens unless I get glutened.

I thought those types of feelings were a part of my being. It's all that I had ever known. Now, I just need to learn coping skills for when cc happens again.

Now I find out that I'm actually a pretty happy, upbeat person. Who knew? :)

revenant Enthusiast
revenant
Posted

feeling vulnerable... woah! I have a fear of vulnerability, I can look back on my childhood and feel a horror filled vulnerable feeling for no reason, and have always wondered where it came from.. But, looking back, I always felt that way too!! Thankyou for sharing :) Good that it only lasted a day

  • 1 month later...
OasisFlyer Newbie
OasisFlyer
Posted

Yep. I used to be bipolar from the effects of gluten on my mind.

Nowadays if I get into gluten I wake up at 3 in the morning frightened of a noise in the house or I can't stop worrying about something stupid.

How interesting! I'm new here (untested and undiagnosed, hoping to change that at the doc tomorrow), but have been diagnosed with bipolar in the past (currently untreated) and wonder if going gluten free could help with my mental troubles as well. This forum is amazing!!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


txplowgirl Enthusiast
txplowgirl
Posted

Ever since I was a kid I had had a knot in the pit of my stomach. Social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, no matter what kind of anti depressants I was on that knot never went away. After kicking out the gluten, soy and dairy everything went away even the knot that I thought was natural. 6 months after kicking everything out of my system I tried to do a gluten challenge. Oh lord, everything came back with a vengeance even the knot, except mine lasted a whole week. I never want to experience that again.

  • 2 weeks later...
aliasyncope Newbie
aliasyncope
Posted

Oh my Goodness!!! There are people out there like me!!! I just started switching from gluten filled food to gluten free food. I noticed almost right away that I can control my emotions and not get confused, angry, cry, and every other unwanted emotion in the world. I am so amazed at what not eating Gluten filled foods have changed my life!!! I have two other people who witnessed this change as well. I used to get upset if I couldn't find a hair tie at times and other times panic because of someone not wanting to speak to me or something so irrational it wasn't even funny. The days or following day after eating gluten filled foods, make me more able to cry if someone says something that is hurt full. It is amazing how "normal" I act after trying to avoid gluten. Milk doesn't seem to have any effect on me as of yet when I do have it. If I eat a little gluten I can at times still control my emotions but I have to be so careful now with it. I think my Mother is gluten intolerant too. Not eating gluten has changed the darkness into light so far. I am about two weeks into this food restriction and feeling great!!! I was looking on a nutritionist Guru Gary Null's website www.garynull.com. It said that those with bipolar most likely need to reduce gluten and dairy if not totally cut it out of their systems. I have yet to try anything else yet. But this has helped me so far and I am slowly working up to adding the vitamins and minerals that I need to help this disorder. Just with these to things being carefully limited has made an incredible different in my life. I am just amazed.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Welcome! I'm so glad eliminating gluten is doing good things for you! It is important for you to know that once it is out of your system, you might become ever more sensitive to it. Many of us have had this happen. So limiting gluten may not be enough. You will need to watch for cross contamination and even a little speck of flour dust can make you have a reaction if your are truly gluten intolerant. Limiting it helps, but being really strict about it helps even more. I just wanted to warn you about this because it may not be obvious to you that it could be tiny cross contamination happening if you do start to react again.

Yes! There are people out here like you! I'm so glad you found out about gluten. It will change your life and certainly your emotions for the better!

  • 4 months later...
Sheriinwi Newbie
Sheriinwi
Posted

I wanted to reply to this post because for years I have been going back and forth about the whole gluten thing. First of all, I have been constipated for nearly all my life and it was detrimental for me as a child because I never felt like I was like everyone else. Things started to change at age 25 when I had my son. There were periods of time when I would eat and I would be so sick and nauseous that all I could do was rock back and forth to try and eliminate it. I finally headed off to the GI specialist where he told me I had IBS. I was always a very thin person up until I had my kids and now I am so much heavier and miserable. This brought me to try the South Beach Diet where I eliminated all carbs for 2 weeks. I felt really great up until I started adding in "healthy carbs." Immediately after eating a healthy bagel did I realize it wasn't going down so well. I did at one point get tested for celiac but was avoiding it and it came back negative. Overall, I have avoided gluten because it makes me feel so much better but every now and then I will fall off and eat gluten. You think I would learn by now but no. As of right now, I am going through terrible irritability and can't even stand myself and my throat and ear hurts. I can't wait until this is over. Also when I eat it, especially at night, I will wake up with the sorest tender stomach and I can't even touch it. My medical history also includes endometriosis (hysterectomy at 31) and thyroid nodules. I am wondering if anyone else suffers from severe PMS when on gluten. My daughter has really bad PMS also where she is paranoid, moody and it really affects her.

  • 2 weeks later...
Austin Guy Contributor
Austin Guy
Posted

I recently dealt with CC and while driving was paranoid that I would die in an auto accident. I was scared of every car on the road.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,905
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Croissantl0v3r
    Newest Member
    Croissantl0v3r
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Methylprednisone treatment for inflammation?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Methylprednisolone is sometimes prescribed for significant inflammation of the stomach and intestines, particularly for conditions like Crohn's disease, certain types of severe colitis, or autoimmune-related gastrointestinal inflammation. As a corticosteroid, it works by powerfully and quickly suppressing the immune system's inflammatory response. For many people, it can be very effective at reducing inflammation and providing rapid relief from symptoms like pain, diarrhea, and bleeding, often serving as a short-term "rescue" treatment to bring a severe flare under control. However, experiences can vary, and its effectiveness depends heavily on the specific cause of the inflammation. It's also important to be aware that while it can work well, it comes with potential side effects, especially with longer-term use, so it's typically used for the shortest duration possible under close medical supervision. It's always best to discuss the potential benefits and risks specific to your situation with your gastroenterologist.
    • Scott Adams
      I think I am gluten intolerant

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Based on what you've described, it is absolutely possible you are dealing with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).  Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS.   Your situation is a classic presentation: a negative celiac panel but a clear, recurring pattern of symptoms triggered by gluten. The symptoms you listed—particularly the extreme fatigue, bloating, neurological-psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety, and even the skin manifestations like facial flushing—are all well-documented in research on NCGS. It's important to know that you are not alone in experiencing this specific combination of physical and emotional reactions. The only way to know for sure is to commit to a strict, 100% gluten-free diet under the guidance of a doctor or dietitian for a period of several weeks to see if your symptoms significantly improve. It is also crucial to rule out other potential causes, so discussing these symptoms with a gastroenterologist is a very important next step.
    • Scott Adams
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • Xravith
      Taking Probiotics but Still Getting Sick After Gluten – Advice?

      By Xravith · Posted

      Yes, you are right. Indeed, I’ve been feeling anemic since the beginning of this week, and today I felt horrible during a lecture at the university, I was trembling a lot and felt all my body incredibly heavy, so I had to come back home. I’ll do a blood test tomorrow, but I’m just worried about the possibility of it coming back negative. I’ve been eating two cookies in the morning as my only source of gluten over the past two weeks—could that affect the final result?
    • trents
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.