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Brain Fog

Gluten Free Traveller

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Gluten Free Traveller Newbie
Gluten Free Traveller
Posted

Hi everyone,

I know there have been posts on brain fog before but nothing too recently so I wanted to ask if anyone could help me..

I was diagnosed as celiac a little over 2 years ago and have been completely gluten free ever since. I am extremely careful about what I eat and have been feeling great since all my horrible symptoms left.

Recently however I've been getting really bad brain fog. It makes it difficult to concentrate and I feel as though I'm only half here. I feel spacey and out of it. I have no idea whats causing it. Could it be stress? Something I'm lacking from what I eat? I was at my doctor for a physical less than 4 weeks ago where they did lots of blood tests and everything came back normal except that I have low iron. I'm not anemic as my red blood count is fine but it was suggested I take multi vitamins which I do now.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any tips on how to get rid of it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Laura

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GlutenDude Newbie
GlutenDude
Posted

Hi Traveller. Brain fog is a big symptom for me and really hard to explain to other people, but I totally understand it. While it certainly could be something non-celiac related, my assumption is that it is not. Whenever it happens to me now, and especially if I am also really tired, it means I've been glutened somehow. I'm as careful as they get, but I can only assume some gluten sneaks in at times, whether thru cross contamination or some other innocuous way.

saintmaybe Collaborator
saintmaybe
Posted

Hi everyone,

I know there have been posts on brain fog before but nothing too recently so I wanted to ask if anyone could help me..

I was diagnosed as celiac a little over 2 years ago and have been completely gluten free ever since. I am extremely careful about what I eat and have been feeling great since all my horrible symptoms left.

Recently however I've been getting really bad brain fog. It makes it difficult to concentrate and I feel as though I'm only half here. I feel spacey and out of it. I have no idea whats causing it. Could it be stress? Something I'm lacking from what I eat? I was at my doctor for a physical less than 4 weeks ago where they did lots of blood tests and everything came back normal except that I have low iron. I'm not anemic as my red blood count is fine but it was suggested I take multi vitamins which I do now.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any tips on how to get rid of it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Laura

Have you started using any new skin or hair products recently? Many times, a sudden change can be as a result not of diet, but of the beauty regimen. I would recommend throwing away any gluten-containing conditioners, lotions, soaps, lip balms, makeups, etc. Major, major source of overlooked cross contamination.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I've been going round and round with iron and vit d - blood work shows im low on both.

I noticed a big increase in energy and clarity and "wanna go go go" when I started taking higher doses of them. So maybe the iron will help??

Btw - iron does make me a bit sick at my stomach but it improves every day.

Gluten Free Traveller Newbie
Gluten Free Traveller
Posted
  • Author

Hi Traveller. Brain fog is a big symptom for me and really hard to explain to other people, but I totally understand it. While it certainly could be something non-celiac related, my assumption is that it is not. Whenever it happens to me now, and especially if I am also really tired, it means I've been glutened somehow. I'm as careful as they get, but I can only assume some gluten sneaks in at times, whether thru cross contamination or some other innocuous way.

Interesting. Yes, it really is difficult to explain to others who don't experience it. How long does your brain fog usually last? For me it's currently been over a week but at certain times it's worse than others...not sure why. A lot of people have been suggesting that it could be that I'm not getting enough fatty acids like omega 3. I'm going to try to incorporate more salmon, etc and see if it makes a difference.

Gluten Free Traveller Newbie
Gluten Free Traveller
Posted
  • Author

Have you started using any new skin or hair products recently? Many times, a sudden change can be as a result not of diet, but of the beauty regimen. I would recommend throwing away any gluten-containing conditioners, lotions, soaps, lip balms, makeups, etc. Major, major source of overlooked cross contamination.

I haven't started using anything new as far as I can remember. I'm not a big make-up wearing person and I've been using the same type of shampoo for a long time.

srall Contributor
srall
Posted

The vitamins B and D, plus iron supplements help me a lot. A few weeks ago I was trying to give up coffee. So I switched to tea. I noticed that I was having brain fog, not terrible, but feeling a little "drunk" and out of it. So I switched back to coffee and I feel better. I don't think it was caffeine withdrawal b/c my coffee is mostly decaf. I believe the tea bags were a problem.

I hate that feeling and I really hope you get it figured out quickly.

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GlutenDude Newbie
GlutenDude
Posted

Interesting. Yes, it really is difficult to explain to others who don't experience it. How long does your brain fog usually last? For me it's currently been over a week but at certain times it's worse than others...not sure why. A lot of people have been suggesting that it could be that I'm not getting enough fatty acids like omega 3. I'm going to try to incorporate more salmon, etc and see if it makes a difference.

It really varies, and I'm pretty sure it all depends on how much gluten I ingested. It's been five years and I still can't figure this crazy disease out.

o2guy Rookie
o2guy
Posted

I seem to have more brain fog when my B12 levels are low I have been on B12 injections for over 10 years and that's one of the symptoms I have when I'm low

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I get brain fog as an indication of contamination. I've recently been doing a bunch of eliminations to get rid of mine. I eliminated stuff one thing at a time for a few days each to see if it went away. I finally figured it out. It was my tea. Glad I did. I need a clear head for my work.

Leper Messiah Apprentice
Leper Messiah
Posted

Hi Traveller. Brain fog is a big symptom for me and really hard to explain to other people, but I totally understand it. While it certainly could be something non-celiac related, my assumption is that it is not. Whenever it happens to me now, and especially if I am also really tired, it means I've been glutened somehow. I'm as careful as they get, but I can only assume some gluten sneaks in at times, whether thru cross contamination or some other innocuous way.

I agree with GlutenDude, this is a surefire sign for me that I've been glutened. It's never actually eating gluten so to speak for me - avoiding directly eating gluten is generally the easy part of my daily gluten fight, it's always CC, I have to be uber careful with food and food preparation areas. Hope this helps you start avoiding the fog - oh and I generally correlate brain fog with having just been glutened (as opposed to a delayed reaction caused by a historic glutening) my reactions last for 2 weeks so this distinction is vital for me, it might be that your reactions are shorter/different though.

Katrala Contributor
Katrala
Posted

and I generally correlate brain fog with having just been glutened (as opposed to a delayed reaction caused by a historic glutening)

I'm the same way. I get brain fog and usually pinpoint it to a recent CC.

The best thing I've found that helps me is lots of water. I've tried caffeine, etc. but nothing else seems to help. The water thing could be completely mental, but it does seem to make a little bit of a difference.

cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

Hi everyone,

I know there have been posts on brain fog before but nothing too recently so I wanted to ask if anyone could help me..

I was diagnosed as celiac a little over 2 years ago and have been completely gluten free ever since. I am extremely careful about what I eat and have been feeling great since all my horrible symptoms left.

Recently however I've been getting really bad brain fog. It makes it difficult to concentrate and I feel as though I'm only half here. I feel spacey and out of it. I have no idea whats causing it. Could it be stress? Something I'm lacking from what I eat? I was at my doctor for a physical less than 4 weeks ago where they did lots of blood tests and everything came back normal except that I have low iron. I'm not anemic as my red blood count is fine but it was suggested I take multi vitamins which I do now.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any tips on how to get rid of it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Laura

Others may be right about the CC but some sub-lingual B12 couldn't hurt. The tested levels may not be accurate. Magnesium is another one that I take that could be helpful.

Leper Messiah Apprentice
Leper Messiah
Posted

I'm the same way. I get brain fog and usually pinpoint it to a recent CC.

The best thing I've found that helps me is lots of water. I've tried caffeine, etc. but nothing else seems to help. The water thing could be completely mental, but it does seem to make a little bit of a difference.

Yeah water helps me too, takes the edge off it, although need to be near a loo :)

George Knighton Apprentice
George Knighton
Posted

Have you tried eating more foods with iron in them?

Gfresh404 Enthusiast
Gfresh404
Posted

It's a little scary how much you sound like me. I'm having the same exact issues and people were suggesting that it might have been my thyroid but all tests came back normal except my iron was low. I've started taking iron supplements and i can't tell yet if they're working or it's just placebo effect.

For me mild brain fog is not CC. Severe brain fog is when I am glutened.

I really don't KNOW what causes it - I think it's just from having a slightly damaged gut - I know that's really vague but I am sorta out of ideas at this point

Gluten Free Traveller Newbie
Gluten Free Traveller
Posted
  • Author

Have you tried eating more foods with iron in them?

I'm eating a huge spinach salad right now. :)

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