Extreme Anxiety

[kyga2]

I am definitely gluten intolerant (which is another story), but it takes so long for symptoms to show up that there often isn't clear what or when I ate that did it. Recently I have been travelling a lot, eating out and in other people's homes. I had such terrible anxiety after being out of town two days that I barely slept. I got a haircut and I didn't like it much, but this was objectively speaking probably not enough to send me completely around the bend (sweaty, racing pulse, wanting to jump out of my skin.) This extreme anxiety and/or depression will happen to me, and then maybe the next day, or even later on that day, I will feel fine.

I am trying to decide if I should go on medication. If the anxiety is indeed related to gluten, then would medication even help? There is a possibility that it's not, but I just can't know. I am afraid of medication because of the side effects, especially constipation, which is a constant problem for me already. I'm also concerned about fatigue because I am already fatigued. I will admit that I avoid gluten and dairy but I am not as careful about cc as I should be (shared cabinets, countertops, etc) with my gluten eating husband.

[AVR1962]

A family member of mine who suffers from anxiety had been gluten-free for over 2 years and just recently started taking anxiety meds which we were just talking about last night. She said it has made an amazing difference for her. There was no mention of it making her feel more fatigue.

[IrishHeart]

One of the many symptoms I developed from celiac was severe anxiety. Depressed moods, too. I had never had anxiety in my life. So, it was perplexing and frightening. It lasted for a few years as I desperately looked for answers to my declining health.

Before I was DXed (and did not know that anxiety was related to gluten intolerance), I tried xanax at the lowest possible dose, because I was so sick and meds always affect me deeply. I found it made me calm and sleepy at bedtime, but then, I was wired from gluten and would sit awake most of the night, trembling. Then, I would need more--- as soon as it wore off. Then, it gave me constipation, which was the last thing I needed. So, I stopped using it and suffered through the anxiety.

The thing is-- GLUTEN fueled the anxiety.

After a few months gluten-free, the anxiety started to cease.

The only time I feel anxious or weird is when I am CCed (out of the house somehow) like last week. One of the first things to return? That awful anxiety and a depressed mood!

So, maybe you are getting trace gluten in your system--which may explain your continuing fatigue and anxiety? If you are still constipated, have you tried using probiotics? They work wonders for healthy gut and bowels.

and P>S> Have your vitamin and thyroid levels been checked? They can contribute to both C and fatigue.

[totalallergyman]

the best 'medication' is making sure that you don't have gluten in your diet.

It's difficult at first, listen to the gut.

[revenant]

Hi, I get intense unwavering anxiety when glutened. I've been gluten free now for about a year and have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety, as well as depression when I was still eating gluten. I used to not be able to get on a bus because I was too anxious to say "hello" and "thankyou" to the bus driver when I got on/got off. I used to take walks at 3AM because I was too scared to take walks in the daytime. I also dropped out of school because I was too anxious to go to school.

I removed gluten and dairy and my intense physical jump-out-of-my-skin-want-to-die-24/7 type anxiety almost disappeared immediately (within a week of eating NO gluten or dairy, not even a trace.) Then I removed corn, soy and eggs, all of which I am intolerant to and found out through elimination and the intense physical anxiety (the kind that feels like you want to kill yourself because you feel like you're on fire inside) disappeared.

So my physical anxiety was gone! And I was able to smile, and feel relaxed, and enjoy things. I still had anxiety, but it wasn't unbearable and it didn't feel physical, it didn't feel like it was in my blood and through my whole body. Then I discovered that I have a candida yeast overgrowth that feeds when my blood sugar is spiked. Candida yeast overgrowth is known to cause anxiety and nervousness, as well as apathy/depression which I still suffer with but on a very lesser and uncomarable degree. I am 99% sure that my remaining anxiety is caused by this, because when I stick to a diet of meat, beans, vegetables nuts and seeds and no sugar, my anxiety is at an all time low of 2/10, I can go outside and hang out with friends with ease, I feel more at ease than a lot of people around me and people tell me that I come off now as extremely calm all the time.

In my opinion, there is always an underlying cause to anxiety, it is natural to feel completely comfortable unless you are in an actual life threatening, or safety threatening circumstance. I would have never believed that I would feel as calm and laid back as I do when I stick on this rather strict diet. I would recommend that you try just 1-2 weeks of an anti-candida, grain free, dairy free diet. I know it sounds strict but for 2ish weeks as a test, if your anxiety dramatically reduces, it is so worth it! Try the paleo diet without fruit (vegetables, meat, nuts, seeds) only for 1-2 weeks, and if you don't feel at a new level of calm then consider the anti anxiety meds. I would try first to discover the cause before you rush into something like meds, which could be difficult to get off of.

[eatmeat4good]

I have severe anxiety and depression if I have been glutened. All the years I was sick the Dr.'s couldn't figure out why depression medication did not work for me. None of them worked. It was gluten. Anyway having said that, I found Xanax very helpful for those gluten anxiety attacks like you are describing. I take a very low dose only when I have those episodes like you describe. Xanax can be addicting but I only take it when glutened which isn't very often thank god. Talk to you Dr. about it. In the early months of recovering and learning to be gluten free it was very helpful to me. With no negative side effects like fatigue. It just made life a little more bearable during a horrible reaction. It is true that avoiding gluten is the real answer. But if you are in an anxiety episode that is particularly bad, sometimes you need some help.

[simonpj]

Oh dear. Now it all becomes clear. Just read an article on allergic psychosis. Very worrying if you're celiac. Diagnosed last week but been gluten-free for a couple of years. Somehow ate something wrong yesterday and a few hours later freaked out at someone I love very much. Not good. Up all night with dreadful anxiety, confusion and stomach cramps that are only just abating nearly twenty four hous later. What are the implications of that I wonder.....? How many multi national pharmas have made billions on anti anxiety/depression meds when gluten-free was the real fix?????

[1desperateladysaved]

You may want to have your adrenal function tested.  This can be tested using orthostatic blood pressure.  That is taking blood pressure while lying down, and suddenly standing and retaking the blood pressure.  If the adrenals work right the pressure would be lower when lying down, rise somewhat  when suddenly standing, and go down as you stand there.  Mine use to dive when I stood up.

 

I take herbal adrenal support.  This helps me feel less stressed and fatigued.  According to an osteopathic doctor, 30 years of celiac will stress your adrenals without any further stress in your day.

 

D

[GF Lover]

You may want to have your adrenal function tested.  This can be tested using orthostatic blood pressure.  That is taking blood pressure while lying down, and suddenly standing and retaking the blood pressure.  If the adrenals work right the pressure would be lower when lying down, rise somewhat  when suddenly standing, and go down as you stand there.  Mine use to dive when I stood up.

 

I take herbal adrenal support.  This helps me feel less stressed and fatigued.  According to an osteopathic doctor, 30 years of celiac will stress your adrenals without any further stress in your day.

 

D

 

Orthostatic Hypotension, which is what taking the blood pressure lying down and sitting up is for, is not diagnostic of adrenal fatigue.  It measures how quickly the blood flows back to the heart after pooling in the legs.  This has many causes.  Adrenal Fatigue is not one of them.  Maybe you have some reasons why you think this is true?  

 

Colleen