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Any Suggestions For Anxiety

Fire Fairy

By Fire Fairy
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Fire Fairy Enthusiast
Fire Fairy
Posted

The last 2 times I got CCed I had what I would have to call an anxiety attack that occurred with my usual glutenated symptoms. This is new to me and I do not like it at all. I felt like my fight or flight response was activated despite having nothing to fight or fly from. Any suggestions how to work through the anxiety?

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cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

The last 2 times I got CCed I had what I would have to call an anxiety attack that occurred with my usual glutenated symptoms. This is new to me and I do not like it at all. I felt like my fight or flight response was activated despite having nothing to fight or fly from. Any suggestions how to work through the anxiety?

For anxiety, I think one needs to work on it before the attack, as it's too hard to address while in the middle of one.

I suggest guided meditation, breathing exercises and knowing that it will pass. There are books and CDs and streaming audio to help learn. You could also try sublingual vit B supplements. I find that if I skip my supplement that I have a lot more anxiety. Take extra if glutened.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Gluten anxiety is terrible.

I have it too.

Thankfully only when glutened.

I take Xanax .25 mg. and hope it passes soon.

Without it I would be frantic.

I know it is addicting but I only use it for emergencies like getting glutened.

If I don't have any, I take Melatonin. It has a calming effect. But not really enough to handle the gluten anxiety.

healinginprogress Enthusiast
healinginprogress
Posted

I've had anxiety all my life, and it's true, that having a plan in place is important. Even with the amount of anxiety attacks I've survived, I still forget what helps sometimes when I'm in the depths of bad anxiety. KNOWING THAT IT WILL PASS has been the most helpful for me. It used to feel like I was going to die, and knowing that I just have to wait it out, no matter how much it sucks, is really helpful. Breathing is also a great tool. Specifically, EXHALING COMPLETELY: forceful but slow exhalation emptying your lungs as much as comfortably possible and then releasing and allowing the air to come back in as you inhale, and then repeat. This helps to avoid hyperventilating and I find it helps relieve that feeling as if an elephant is sitting on my chest. But there are many breathing techniques, if this doesn't work for you.

Some people find that doing something that RELEASES ENERGY is beneficial...since your fight/flight response is engaged, sometimes utilizing this response helps to "wear it out" and bring you back to normal. Examples would be doing pushups, jumping jacks, a quick jog...but my favorite is putting some music on my computer or ipod and SINGING my heart out!!! I put on some upbeat songs that are a bit tough to sing and belt it out.

I hope you find what works for you!!! (ativan/clonazepam/xanax are meds that are good to have on backup if it gets really bad)

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

I second the suggestion of B vitamins. Especially B12. It and other nutrients are essential for the brain to make melatonin, as well as serotonin and other things. Also, magnesium is known as the calming mineral, and is vital for neurological health as well. Additionally, magnesium helps reinforce the blood/brain barrier, keeping out neurotoxins which can mess with your brain.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I got really bad anxiety from glutening until I started taking iodine supplements. I eat very few processed foods and sea salt, and I'm from an area where the soil is deficient in iodine. I must have been very deficient. I noticed a big difference when I started supplementing. You could look into that possibility.

larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted

I've only been badly glutened two times, and almost badly two times, and then mildly several times. The bad episodes were like having food poison, heck maybe they were food poisoning. I don't think so though, because I never had food poisoning before Celiac. Anyway, extreme gastrointestinal symptoms. Both ends, so to speak.

So for me, if I sense that coming on, and I'm home (or can get there as fast as possible), I immediately take two immodium AD tablets, a hydrocodone, and either Zanax, Valium, or equivalent.

In serious cases, nothing can stop the inevitable, but I want to be able to go directly to sleep when the bad stuff is over.

best regards, lm

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Fire Fairy Enthusiast
Fire Fairy
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I will get some B vitamins today and if it happens again I'll call my Dr and talk to him about Zanax. I did get some relief during one of the attacks by moving around a lot so if I'm at home I'll try exercise and if I'm at work I'll do the breathing exercise. It's good to know Immodium AD doesn't have gluten I'll have to keep it on hand.

GFshay Apprentice
GFshay
Posted

I am also curious how you all handle the FEAR of being glutened. I've been gluten-free for 4 months and feel generally great... but some days I get some stomach issues (probably nothing out of "normal" people's usual indigestion or something), but it makes me panic.

When my celiac symptoms first got bad before being diagnosed a couple years ago, the first thing I noticed was my bad anxiety-- exactly what people are saying about simply feeling "aroused" but not having any particular anxious thoughts. I thought this anxiety was causing me to make myself "sick to my stomach". After a lot of work, I got that under control (I'm a Psych PhD student ironically), and the absence of anxiety but remaining stomach issues actually helped me realize there was something physiological going on. But now that I haven't had GI discomfort in a while, when they do come back, it triggers the same panic I had before.

I work with lots of clients with anxiety, but I'm curious if any of you have specific thoughts/ways to handle glutening anxiety. I usually try to think coping thoughts and do deep breathing, but it's tough not to think "what if I get really sick in front of a client suddenly?". I certainly can't rush home any time I suspect I might have been glutened, only to have some mild stomach acid or something. Anyone have wisdom to share on this?

eyeaspire Newbie
eyeaspire
Posted

I have really awful gluten ataxia, which results in massive anxiety and all kinds of other horrible symptoms that I won't get into here. The ONLY thing (apart from calling my psychiatrist for an emergency Ativan prescripton) is a really good workout where I get my heart rate up. All it takes is 15-30 minutes. This is painfully difficult to start when I'm feeling really horrible. But after giving it a try last year (after feeling like I wanted to die - literally), I was stunned by how well my body responded to alternating walking & running on the treadmill for ten minutes.

Now I only exercise to help my brain. The fact that I've lost weight and am really strong are both great side effects.

quincy Contributor
quincy
Posted

The last 2 times I got CCed I had what I would have to call an anxiety attack that occurred with my usual glutenated symptoms. This is new to me and I do not like it at all. I felt like my fight or flight response was activated despite having nothing to fight or fly from. Any suggestions how to work through the anxiety?

Gluten anxiety for me was the worst thing I have ever gone through in my life. I was having panic attacks in my sleep. I called 911 twice thinking it was a heart attack. In addition, after going gluten free the anxiety got worse because I developed ataxia and it gives you the feeling, literally, that you are spinning out of control. so horrible.

after initially having difficulties with the re-bound anxiety that xanax causes, my doc convinced me that klonapin was a better alternative. I used the wafers that dissolve on your tongue and I also use the .25 strength. if the bout is bad I take .5 But I am so happy to say that with my gluten-free living and the vitamin D and b vitamins I take daily, I rarely need the wafers any longer.

but I would highly recommend the klonapin until you get your vitamin levels up again. B6 apparently is the most important component to the calming effect that you lack right now, so lots of green veggies and also omega 3's will help restore your mental/physical state.

oh I also agree that after I was able to recognize my symptoms, jumping jacks or something immediately physical was able to get me through the initial part of the panic attack, or at least until the klonapin took effect. running or jumping or just jumping around will relieve that flight instinct because your body is in a state of hyper alert from the gluten effect.

dbhickma Rookie
dbhickma
Posted

I think having anxiety and anxiety attacks scare me the most of the side effects of being glutened. I can deal with cramps, with migraines, D, bloating,etc. Anxiety is a whole other monster. You can feel it coming, creeping up and standing next to you. The thing that helps me when it's getting there is laying down on the floor face down. Slow steady deep breaths. I start concentrating on my feet. Feel each one of my toes, then up my foot, ankle. Work my way up until I calm down. I try not to cry because once I start crying I hyperventilate and it's hard to get past that. I also keep any white noise away. Crickets, fans, clocks. Staying gluten free keeps the anxiety away. It's amazing how those things on a gluten free day don't even register. Nothings tastes as good as being healthy feels is my mantra. It helped me kick the gluten during the first week.

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