Celiac Causing Other Allergies?

[SOUPS]

I have only been gluten-free for about 4 days but still am finding that other things are causing some ill effects. I find myself feeling dizzy after consumption of artificial sweetners (AS) and Caffeine. I know for a fact that I was able to have caffeine in plenty everyday over the years but it wasn't until a few years ago, for weight loss reasons, that I began having the AS; so I'm not 100 percent sure if I ever could have it without having bad reactions. I find immediately after having any type of AS I feel dizzy afterwards. As for caffeine, I feel great upon ingestion but later feel as if my body is going to snap, like every part... bones, joints, muscles, stomach... Could have I suddenly developed an intolerance or allergy? Is this common among gluten sufferers? I do have a thyroid problem and recently starting taking Tirosint as well... Could this possibly be a third and fourth auto-immune issue?

[StacyA]

Look into 'leaky gut'. Sometimes, if your intestines are damaged, molecules that aren't supposed to pass out of the intenstines can get into the bloodstream and cause reactions. After the gut heals, things can get better. There's a ton of threads around here on that. Or yes, you may be sensitive to other things now no matter how healed your gut is. I now can't have MSG, and I just figured out that Singulair, that I took for years, now gives me problems.

[Marilyn R]

It's so exasperating and confounding, isn't it? My best advice is to give up all processed foods and artificial anything (including sweeteners). Go with whole foods you can trust that you have cooked or prepared raw by yourself in your own kitchen for a few months.

I couldn't tolerate coffee for the first 6-8 months after going gluten-free, never tried the AS. Green tea is worth a try. I can handle coffee again now, but never more than a mug or two. I sweeten it with honey and use coconut milk or rice milk as a "cream".

You may discover more food intolerances and some new allergies. Then again, you may not. You'll have to pay close attention to your body for the next few months and possibly eliminate some things to see what is bugging you. Many of us have had to give up soy (which you probably already know you should do because of your thyroid condition) , dairy, and other foods. Skin prick testing at an Allergist might prove helpful in a few months.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon!

[T.H.]

Although I don't believe it's been studied, my GI doc specializes somewhat in Celiac Disease, and he told me that his Celiac patients seem to be more sensitive to artificial additives and preservatives, pesticides, and dyes. More of them have trouble or feel sick when they eat them. Also, same higher level of problems with genetically modified foods,too.

Like the AS, I imagine.

Caffeine - have you ever looked at caffeine sensitivity? It's a condition that has only been recognized recently, it sounds like, and it can trigger at any time, I believe. For some reason, 'caffeine allergy' has become the catch phrase of this, although it's not actually an allergy. But it might net you some more results on google. How you described your reaction was similar to some of the accounts I've read from people who suffer from this.

[123bree7797]

I have only been gluten-free for about 4 days but still am finding that other things are causing some ill effects. I find myself feeling dizzy after consumption of artificial sweetners (AS) and Caffeine. I know for a fact that I was able to have caffeine in plenty everyday over the years but it wasn't until a few years ago, for weight loss reasons, that I began having the AS; so I'm not 100 percent sure if I ever could have it without having bad reactions. I find immediately after having any type of AS I feel dizzy afterwards. As for caffeine, I feel great upon ingestion but later feel as if my body is going to snap, like every part... bones, joints, muscles, stomach... Could have I suddenly developed an intolerance or allergy? Is this common among gluten sufferers? I do have a thyroid problem and recently starting taking Tirosint as well... Could this possibly be a third and fourth auto-immune issue?

don't eat anything with artaficle flavor a lot of times has gluten in it

[psawyer]

don't eat anything with artaficle flavor a lot of times has gluten in it

Actually, artificial flavor almost never has gluten. I can't recall a single example in over ten years of being gluten-free.

[GFinDC]

I had very bad reactions to coffee and had to stop it. But after I quit soy, my entire system got much better. So I think if I had quit soy first maybe I could have kept on with the coffee. I think soy was the real problem. But I am not willing to test that theory out now. Not my idea of fun, no sir.