eLaurie

Hi all,

I have been diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure at 28. I already have 3 children thankfully! But I have been rotating through birth control pills that have gluten in them and it is really taking it's toll on my body and my depression!!!!!

I need help, does anyone with Celiacs currently take Birth Control? If so please share your brand with me so I can tell my OB and get on with my life!!

Thanks,

K

If so, has anything helped. Has anyone tried casein free and had success?

I was diagnosed with celiac June 2006 and gut symptoms cleared up within two weeks. I was, however, experiencing non-situational depression that did not resolve gluten-free. Was told by a support group friend who was diagnosed at Mayo that she was told there that it usually takes at least 18 months gluten-free for celiac related depression to resolve (maybe leaky gut?, dunno).

I decided to try to speed up the depression process in January 2007 by eliminating casein as well in case leaky gut was slowing the depression progress (casein free didn't help my depression, btw. It took about 2 yrs totally clear). But I have seborrheic dermatitis that occurs yearly from late winter on into the July. Occurs on eyelids and is severe under arms. In 2007 while casein free, the seb derm didn't flare up at all.

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm flaring up now and about to go back casein free which I hate, hate, hate. Gluten-free is "a piece of cake " for me, but casein free is horrible due to my love for cheese and it's an additive for so many foods - even ones that don't list milk as an allergen at the end of ingredients.

If anyone else has tried and had success with seb derm and casein free?

Thanks much! -L

I was diagnosed with celiac June 2006 and gut symptoms cleared up within two weeks. I was, however, experiencing non-situational depression that did not resolve gluten-free. Was told by a support group friend who was diagnosed at Mayo that she was told there that it usually takes at least 18 months gluten-free for celiac related depression to resolve.

I decided to try to speed up the process in January 2007 by eliminating casein as well in case leaky gut was slowing the process. I have seb derm that occurs yearly from late winter on into the July. Occurs on eyelids and severe under arms. In 2007 while casein free, the seb derm didn't flare up at all. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm flaring up and about to go back casein free which I hate, hate, hate it. gluten-free is "a piece of cake " for me, but casein free is horrible due to cheese.

If anyone else has had success with seb derm and casein free, did you try gradually adding back a few foods such as butter, processed foods with small amounts of casein?

Thanks much! -L

I'm not as worried about the adverse effects of l-glutamine as I am the consequences of gut permeability. I have a master's degree in nutrition, have read up on the pharmacology, and am titrating dosage slowly.

Thanks for your concern; I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but am trusting the professional literature that shows such occurances are rare.

If you'll use a super-fine grind of rice flour, it's much better. Can be obtained online at Authenic Foods or sometimes at Asian grocery stores.

Annalise Robert's book recommends it. She talks about it on her site as welll.

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I've been reading about l-glutamine's benefits for decreasing gut permeability. I've been gluten free for almost a year, casein free for 6 months and still don't have complete resolution of symptoms.

While I realize healing can take 2+ years, I'm ready now to start supplements and herbs (primarly ginger) to hopefully speed healing. I read about l-glutamine on another web site, then read some PubMed abstracts about its role in gut integrity, so am ready to give it a go.

I always like to hear success stories from people who've been doing things a while, so if you've been regularly taking l-glutamine for 3 - 6 months or longer, I'd love to hear your story.

And I don't mind negatives or no response stories if you've tried it for 3 -6 months.

A good link from this board about l-glutamine:

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Bumping this thread up to say I'm about to try l-glutamine.

Thanks for all the info presented in the thread, both positive and negative. Kudos to bean for keeping to posting about the positives in a ...well... 'positive' posting style.

as for the link, you can always get to it through the search, but here it isOpen Original Shared Link

Thank you!

...Tonight I got some rice milk, it's the store brand, labeled as gluten free and lactose free, but also vegan... so I'm assuming that means casien also. i wish they used Dairy free instead of lactose free! I'm still slightly worried.

I also got soy delcious icecream in chocolate and peanutbutter flavor, they said it is dairy free with no milk warning.. so I hope the chocolate doens't screw it up! I just had some... yummy! I am wary of the careegean that some say can cause an upset stomach it's self. So far...so good. EDIT: NOPE! Not tolerated by me Boo... I wanted Ice Cream!

I got mi-del's chocolate chip cookies, they said dairy free, and k-toos that looks like they don't contain a thing!

I feel better now... I will try my k-toos's dunked in rice milk tomorrow for breakfast and see how things feel!

Now if i could just find the money to buy water instead of tap!

I can do this! Thanks for all your help!

Good to see you're doing well! Casein free was much harder for me than gluten, although I'm adapting (5 months now). And yes, it's aggravating that casein isn't better labeled. You're safe with vegan, though.

Coconut milk has been a lifesaver for me in recipes because I like creamy. It makes wonderful bread pudding. Just substitute gluten free bread and use coconut milk for the regular milk. I'm excited about experimenting with some cool coconut milk treats this summer. My mom used to substitute melted ice cream for the cold water when making jello and it was yummy. I'm going to try that with coconut milk and lime jello ...maybe mix in some coconut flakes, canned crushed pineapple, walnuts.

My brother got a PUR water filter that is attached to your sink. He really likes it. I am not sure about filters though. You have to watch some of them, because they have charcoal, which can contain gluten.

If anyone knows for certain about this, please correct me. I think cooking charcoal (which is sometimes bound together into the brickette shapes by gluten grain products) is the only charcoal to worry about. I don't think the charcoal used in filters (activated charcoal, I think?) is a problem. I hope not, because I use one of the fridge pitcher filters!

My recipe thread ("As Promised, A Few Recipes") has a number of Gluten-free Casein-free recipes (most are free of other major allergens as well), and you'll probably find some useful things in raw foods cookbooks (like a ranch dressing made from raw cashews that has no dairy).

Please link!!! Sounds like a wonderful recipe thread.

Interesting. I wonder if it's related to dermatitis herpetiformis? Or perhaps, like IBS, it actually IS a celiac-related condition, they just call it bullous pemphagoid because they've never heard of celiac?

That's pretty much my thinking as well. I haven't read much about it - have just been so relieved to know what it was. I've never had dermatitis herpetiformis, but 'autoimmune anything' these days makes me wonder if Celiac is involved.

Interestingly, I felt "glutened" all day Friday (headache, big D all day), and had eaten out (safely, I thought, on Thursday). Saturday at 3 AM I woke up with the blisters. I'm guessing there is a connection.

Bullous pemphigoid is autoimmune in nature and causes skin redness with 1cm or larger blisters.

It usually occurs at 60 years old or older, but I (40yo) woke up yesterday morning with a small patch of it on my torso. I was of course, freaked out, searched my bed for spiders, went to the doctor (general family practice) thinking it was shingles. He said the blisters were too large, and that he reallly didn't know what it was (no recent contact to anything unusual, didn't look like a bite). A friend who is a gerontological nurse practitioner looked at it last night and diagnosed it as bullous pemphigoid. She's seen a few cases since she works with the elderly.

She gave me this link: (picture is in the signs and symptoms section)

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Thank God, mine isn't as bad as this. It looks exactly like it, but I only have a 2 1/2 inch swath of redness and two blisters.

Called and got the results of my pipida. Gallbladder is functioning fine Now they want to send me onto a gastro. The doctor says he is not sure what is going on I'm a bit depressed about all this. I just want to feel better. It scares me to be bounced from Dr. to Dr. again. Reminds me of when I got my Celiac diagnosis......scary!!

Sorry no answers , but kind of glad there's no mention of surgery yet. Hope you get reassuring answers soon!

Personal question from a stranger ...did the technician doing your ultrasound mention seeing gas pockets? Mine did and and had to push around a good bit because the gas limited her visibility. I ask that because even though I had no stones, and had my non-functioning gallbladder removed (see below), I still get sharp gallbladder type symptoms if I'm gassy.

For anyone following this thread, if you don't have gallstones, aren't gluten-free or haven't been gluten-free long and your PIPIDA or HIDA scan shows a non-functioning gallbladder, going strictly gluten-free will restore function according to the findings in this study.

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I had my gallbaldder out in 2000 because my HIDA scan showed it wasn't functioning ...wasn't diagnosed with Celiac until last year. If I'd known, I could have avoided the pain of surgery, risk to my body and saved lots of $$$.

Thanks everyone, and power to those who can tolerate Redbridge. As I said before I applaud Anheuser-Busch for its efforts to create a gluten-free beer. I like the beer, but it made me sick so I thought I'd post to see if others had similar reactions.

I had no problems with it; am sorry you did.

Update to say thanks to those who encouraged me early on. I'm still casein free and feeling better. Not sure if some of that can be attributed to outdoors and sunshine, but I'm not going to challenge with casein anytime soon. And thankfully, I'm feeling better though I'm taking in a good bit of soy, so that doesn't seem to be yet another needed restriction.

Some subs I love: coconut milk bread pudding with a cinnamon topping, Toffuti sour cream, Follow Your Heart soy cheese (I don't use much, because it's ...well, not cheese... but using it sparingly and broiling to melt and brown it as their website suggests makes me feel happy.

I just learned today that Amy's Kitchen Spinach pizza is now available gluten free, casein free!

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I have anxiety/depression and SSRIs (Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac) didn't help. Welbutrin made me nearly crawl out of my skin.

Finally have gotten great results from Seroquel which is actually classified as an anti-psychotic but has more and more research backing it as a good anti-depressant, especially when the depression is accompanied by anxiety and insomnia as mine is.

WARNING IF YOU TRY SEROQUEL: DO NOT let your doctor start you out on the doses suggested in the package insert!!!! You will be knocked out for several days. Ask to start out at a small dose, 50mg say, and titrate up by 25-50 every few days. The first doc that started me went by the book and I literally had to think about picking each foot up to take a step for several days. Thank God, another doctor several months later convinced me to try starting it more slowly. It has been a lifesaver.

Permanent Gluten Damage, after gluten free what damage is not reversible for you?

I'm 8 months out gluten free.

Diarrhea and gas - only occasionally a problem, used to be horrible.

Anxiety and depression - no real change yet (although I've been told this can take 18 mo - 2 yrs for some)

Headaches - much improved

Seborrheic dermatitis - continued, gradual improvemnent (I'm supplementing with a muti-vitamin, B complex, B12 and biotin)

Premature Ovarian Failure - last period at 33 (I'm 40 now). Please God, don't let this reverse!!!

Bipolar II or 'soft' bipolar is my diagnosis. I've had alternating anxiety/hypomania/insomnia and non-situational depression since childhood.

I've only been gluten free for 7 months; from what I understand from others, it can take 18 months gluten-free for symptom resolution. Then others have told me they're much improved years out, but still feel they have some permanent neurological damage with associated psychiatric symptoms.

Here's a link to an old thread which has a link in the last post to yet another related thread.

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Thanks for the responses and encouragement ...sorry I'm late acknowledging them (my hard drive crashed and I just got my 'puter back yesterday).

I can't begin to tell you how much it means to come here and find that others persevered and finally found recovery. This place is a haven from frustration!

In my case, they were right about on target.

It took me about 18 months to finally get a handle on my anxiety and to a lesser extent, depression.

Thank you! In the middle of waiting, with depression and anxiety as symptoms, some days I can't see the light ahead. I feel like I've worked so hard for so little at this point. I'm glad gut symptoms are better, but I'd happily take back the Big D (got better within a couple of weeks) in exchange for the head stuff.

Your feedback is encouraging.

A woman in our local support group was diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic and was told that it would take her 18 months strict gluten free before her mental symptoms would resolve. She said she got some better before 12 months but that it did seem to take her a good year and a half before she felt her old, pre-symptom self.

I'm asking this because I'm 7 months out gluten-free and 6 weeks casein-free without much mental improvement. My GI symptoms were much better within a few weeks gluten-free, but there's no change with mental symptoms.

Am looking for some hope!

Congratulations!

I'm an aunt to a 3 1/2, 3 and 2 year old. My sister (mom of the oldest) received what we found to be an wonderful gaget with all the babies - a baby wipe warmer. The newborns hate the cold baby wipes and diaper changing with cold wipes always involved crying, whereas the warm wipes changings were much better tolerated.

I've since given them several times as gifts and one friend had her baby prematurely, so I wasn't able to get it to her until a couple of days after the baby arrived. She was amazed at the immediate difference and says she's going to start giving these as gifts as well.

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Continued thanks for the encouragement.

I am mourning this and understand that I'm right smack dab in the middle of the anger/depression stages of grief about restricting the favorite part of my diet. Heck, I'm a renal dietitian by profession and talk with my new dialysis pts about the stages of grief when teaching their restrictions, but understanding it and being in the midddle of feeling it are two different things. (And if anyone tells me at this point, I'll be a better dietitian down the road for going through this, I will not like you very much! This is undoubtably true but I'm extremely irritable at present and don't want to hear it!)

As I said, gluten free has been incredibly easy for me, though I am miffed that perfectly eliminating it hasn't made me the "new person" I've read it has others. The only thing I've really missed is Chik-fil-a chicken sandwiches. But dairy ranks fourth behind air, water, and sleep as an at least a perceived 'essential' for me.

At this point, I'm not going to consider eliminating soy, diary is so huge. Since my predominate issues have been psych (depression, anxiety, insomnia), even before diarrhea started in my late 20s, I'm making an educated guess that casein is part of the reason the psych things haven't improved gluten free. And I'm finding casein to be more pervasive than gluten as a food additive. How a product can be called "dairy free" and include casein is completley beyond me.

Thanks all for letting me rant. I can't remember who made the statement, "The best way out is always through", but I love the quote and am just going through unfun times right now.

I've been gradually switching to nut/soy/gluten-free rice milks and went shopping last night for some other dairy replacements that taste pretty good, but they're not the real thing that I crave. The cravings are what worry me that casein sensitivity my issue. I'll get up and get dressed some sleepless nights late with no dairy in the house for a Wendy's Frosty run. My mom jokes that when I'm home visiting, she has to buy twice the milk that she and my dad usually drink.

I just read a post by a high functioning autistic guy on another board that doing a challenge after several weeks casein-free will let me know if it's casein I'm craving. He said drinking a couple of cups will cause spacey, neurological symptoms followed by increased fatigue and generalized feelings of ill health.

Thanks for the responses; I know I'll need your encouragement.

I've been gluten-free for six months and potty time has dramatically decreased, but I'm still achy, depressed/anxious and having trouble sleeping.

I suspect from lifelong dairy cravings and having casein sensitive autism spectrum relatives that I'm also casein sensitive.

Gluten-free has been so easy for me because I love to cook and have easy access to gluten-free products. But dairy ...I'm about to cry typing this. I can drink cream straight and ate chunks of butter on peppermint sticks as a child. And cheese...

If anyone who is dairy-free can give me hope that yes, it was hard for you, but it truly made a difference, I would so appreciate it.

My husband and I are invited to a 'redneck' party. You're supposed to dress and act like a redneck, and everybody is required to tell at least one redneck joke. It sounds like fun. Too bad I can't go, because they have cats and dogs, and I am severely allergic to those. My husband will go by himself, and I might just join you in hanging out here.

ROFL ...I'm live in Mississippi, just outside of Memphis; that sounds like a boring party! Same old, same old.

Church and Communion this morning (wine only ...thanks to Catholic friends for letting me know months ago that taking only one element 'counts', though I sort of already figured God's Grace had me covered ), then Mimosas and movies with a couple of friends tonight. Very low key since I don't care for parties.