Anxiety and depression

[Joepilk]

I recently been diagnosed with celiac and been gluten free  for 3 weeks but i been dealing with really bad depression and anxiety for 2 years before that i was normal  kid i don’t know if celiac was causing the anxiety and depression but being gluten free doesn’t seem to be working and my anxiety keeps me up at night and keeps me home every time i leave the house my anxiety gets bad and i always think” do i feel normal right now “” do i have anxiety right now “ and it’s so hard to leave the house because of this and people keep saying wait for your intestines to heal and maybe your anxiety will go away but it’s so bad to the point where anxiety is on my mind 24/7 but I’m scarred to take antidepressants before my celiac heals because i have a fear of them making me worse or being on them and it being celiac that causing it but regardless the cause the anxiety taken over my life and i don’t know if i should wait to see if it’s the celiac and be misserable till than or go get anti anxiety meds ? Someone please help me out and give me advice 

[Ennis-TX]

2 hours ago, Joepilk said:

I recently been diagnosed with celiac and been gluten free  for 3 weeks but i been dealing with really bad depression and anxiety for 2 years before that i was normal  kid i don’t know if celiac was causing the anxiety and depression but being gluten free doesn’t seem to be working and my anxiety keeps me up at night and keeps me home every time i leave the house my anxiety gets bad and i always think” do i feel normal right now “” do i have anxiety right now “ and it’s so hard to leave the house because of this and people keep saying wait for your intestines to heal and maybe your anxiety will go away but it’s so bad to the point where anxiety is on my mind 24/7 but I’m scarred to take antidepressants before my celiac heals because i have a fear of them making me worse or being on them and it being celiac that causing it but regardless the cause the anxiety taken over my life and i don’t know if i should wait to see if it’s the celiac and be misserable till than or go get anti anxiety meds ? Someone please help me out and give me advice 

Many times the anxiety and depression are the the result of nutrient deficiency caused by the damaged intestines not absorbing things we need for our brains to work properly. This is why many improve after healing. Supplementing can help up, Magnesium and B-vitamins full spectrum are the main ones. Others can vitamins D, iron, vitamin K, etc. Look up deficiency symptoms for magnesium and b-vitamins...I bet they fit many of your issues.
B-vitamins, a liquid full spectrum for ease of absorption, I use Energy & Stress AND Neurological Support from Liquid Health 1tbsp each 3 times a day in a drink before a meal.
Magnesium depends on your BMs, If you have constipation (not going at least once a day) then Natural Vitality Calm dosed to tolerance (start at 2g (1/4tsp) a day and up the dose til each day another 2g til your get loose stools then back it down)  IF you have a normal BM daily or have diarrhea then use Doctors Best Magnesium Glycinate, it is easily to absorb and you take it right before bed...you know its working if you have vivid dreams.

Going gluten free is a bit of a double edged sword, if you do not eat a varied diet or supplement. Fact is most gluten foods are enriched with vitamins. Gluten free alternatives often are not enriched, so if you do not eat a whole foods diet with varied veggies, meats, fruits etc. you will have to supplement.

Wish you luck, and try to stay positive. I found a higher fat intake with stuff like pumpkin seeds, nuts, fish, cocoa, etc. really helps. Some even help with serotonin production. CBD oil might help also if you can find a good source of it, I found eating a hand full of hemp seeds from MyGerbs.com a day helps me.
 

[Joepilk]

Thanks for responding  and thanks for the tips how would i go about how should and how to i go about finding out what I’m deficient in and what i should take 

[cyclinglady]

Joe,

Your doctor can check you for vitamin deficiencies (lab test), but more importantly, you need to have a serious conversation with your doctor about your anxiety.  It seems pretty high from what you described.  You just might need medication for a while and you might see some benefits from taking it.  

Talk to your doctor.  In the meantime, you can consider taking  a multi-vitamin and keep eating foods like meat, fish, eggs, veggies, nuts, rice, and fruit.  

I do not know how bad your symptoms are from celiac disease, but for example, if you have diarrhea, it is NORMAL to be anxious about where bathrooms are.  We get that!  Do not expect to heal in just three weeks.  It takes time.  You reported that it took two years for all this to develop, so it will take a while to heal.  It is hard to be patient, I know.  

Honestly, you should talk to a doctor.  He/She might refer you to a psychologist who is trained to get you through this rough patch.  Getting a celiac disease diagnosis is hard and it is a lot to process.   If you can, sit down and have a serious conversation with your parents, school counselor, or another trusted adult.  Ask  them for help.  

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by cyclinglady

[Posterboy]

Joe,

Both Cyclinglady and Ennis_Tx have given you good advice.

The only thing I would add is being (abnormally) anxious is a separate condition from depression though they often occur together.

What you are describing (Not wanting to leave the house) is more than being anti-social it is condition called agoraphobia.

I used to have similar feeling when/before I knew I was low in Zinc.

White spots in your nail bed (sometimes called stars) might be prevalent if you have a Zinc deficiency.

Using/taking Zine lozenges letting them dissolve once or twice a day for couple weeks to a month might help your abnormal fear.

They will become metallic in your mouth when you have enough Zinc. ... a neat trick really.

Eating Pumpkins seeds is also a good way to get Zinc in your diet.

Begin low in Zinc is similar to what an obsessive compulsion might experience . ... like taking 20 minutes to leave your home for fear (an unnatural fear) of leaving your stove on etc.

Zinc can help this un-natural fear.  Some fear is healthy but when it effects your normal life routine (negatively) like not wanting to leave your house it is usually a medical problem.

But I found taking Zinc helped my OCD issues!

I don't worry (as much) again. . .some is normal and healthy.... but now I can enter and leave a building without worrying I left something on etc.

I Hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included

2 Timothy 2:7

Posterboy by the grace of God,

[ch88]

I would talk to you doctor about taking antidepressants. Your anxiety level seems really intense. Antidepressants could help a lot with that. 

I think just about all prescription medication is gluten free and should be fine to take. You could post the name in this forum and someone can check it for you. I haven't heard of antidepressants interfering with the gut healing. 

Do you eat oats? Do you eat out? Is there a way you could be getting cross contaminated? All of these things may prevent you from healing properly. 

[ravenwoodglass]

Anxiety can be tough and often help is needed to get through it. Do ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist who can help you deal. If the anxiety is mainly because of fear of having a D attack while out I found taking a dose of Immodium before I went out to be helpful. If it is a generalized anxiety then talk therapy can be helpful. Your psychologist may decide you need an antianxiety med but I would hesitate to take a med your GP prescribes especially an antidepressant. The reason I say that is because a GP is not trained to deal with that type of issue and you need to be throughly evaluated to figure what med, if any, is appropriate.  It can also take a few tries to figure out what med is going to work and some can have bad side effects and not are appropriate for everyone. For example some antidepressents can cause suicidal ideation in young people. In addition although most meds are gluten free there are exceptions. I had severe anxiety and was agoraphobic for years. I finally got help but it took years to face that I needed help. My psychiatrist called pharm companies while I sat there and on the third try finally found a company that had gluten-free alprazolam. Getting that help saved my life. I still take it when I absolutely need it and my pharmacy changed providers for their generics. It took me almost 6 months to figure out that med from that company wasn't gluten free. If I didn't have DH breakouts I would have never figured it out. My doctor called the pharmacey and they got back in my med from my old company. If I was taking it daily I would have known sooner.

For many of us anxiety and depression can be a symptom of celiac and will resolve gluten free but for others (like myself) it is a seperate issue.  If your doctor, or insurance, will not cover testing for vitamin levels taking a stress level B and C vitamin along with a good multi will not hurt and may help. That with time and healing along with a good psychologist or therapist may help you get through this rough patch. Just don't hesitate to ask for help. It is not a weakness to need help with dealing with a disease. I hope this resolves for you soon. You are very early in the healing process but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[cyclinglady]

Listen to Ravenwoodglass.  She is wise.

[Posterboy]

19 hours ago, ch88 said:

I haven't heard of antidepressants interfering with the gut healing.

Ch88,

Some SSRI's can cause Villi associated Atrophy.

Here is a thread about it.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/117685-atrophy-associated-with-ppis-nsaids-and-ssris/

Knitty Kitty who is a good researcher first posted this research.

It is fairly new research less than 2 years old so it is understandably

nobody has heard about it.

the "artan" class of BP medicines can also cause Villi blunting.

Here is a thread about it.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/119462-what-else-can-cause-villi-blunting-has-any-body-had-expereince-with-losartan-and-villi-blunting/

I had a bad reaction to Losartan.

I hope this is helpful but It is not medical advice.

As always, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things”

2 Tim 2:7

Posterboy by the grace of God,

[ch88]

I think that study is poorly designed and the results can be very misleading. The conclusion of the study was just that more study is needed. That is probably true in any case.  I wouldn't draw any other conclusion from the study though. 

A correlation does not mean that the antidepressants are causing the damage to the intestine. Likely there is a third thing that is causing both the depression and the lack of healing the the intestine. Correlation does not mean causation.

Also some people have bad reactions to medications, but it doesn't mean that everyone will or that it is a celiac disease thing.

The study included people with non-responsive celiac disease. If you don't have non responsive celiac disease the results don't apply. 

Antidepressants and other medications can save lives. I would hate for someone not take medication because they read something on this forum. 

There are ways to verify if a medication has gluten in it or not. One is to phone company and ask them. Another way is to ask on this forum if anyone has gotten a reaction. 

Antidepressants work for a large percentage of the population. Also chronic anxiety can be a debilitating disorder. It seems to me on this forum there are a lot of people who are very hesitant to take any sort of medication or only take it as a last resort. 

https://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20060612/study-ssri-antidepressants-save-lives#1

That is my two cents anyways. 

 

 

 

 

[Posterboy]

52 minutes ago, ch88 said:

The conclusion of the study was just that more study is needed

ch88,

I agree it is controversial. .. and more studies are needed.

I have taken antidepressants myself and often had to switch from one to another once the side effects became too much to bear.

Or take more than one to accomplish the same effects.

My mental state got better after I addressed my nutritional deficiencies.

Vitamin D, a B-complex, and Magnesium were all helpful too me!

Here is a study on the use of Vitamins in Pschycriatry

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046018/

I have found I do not tolerate medicines well..... it is nice to have options other than medicine.

Zinc as I noted earlier helped my generalized anxiety.

Again I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

Anybody thinking about using antidepressants need to work with their doctor's to find out what works best for them.... but Vitamins are well tolerated by most people unless you a have MTHFR gene defect. ..then you should use a Methyl form of Folic Acid and B-12 etc.

Here is an article about the MTHFR gene defect.

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/journal-of-gluten-sensitivity/journal-of-gluten-sensitivity-winter-2018-issue/the-mthfr-mutation-r4344/

Posterboy,

[kareng]

2 hours ago, Posterboy said:

Ch88,

Some SSRI's can cause Villi associated Atrophy.

Here is a thread about it.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/117685-atrophy-associated-with-ppis-nsaids-and-ssris/

Knitty Kitty who is a good researcher first posted this research.

It is fairly new research less than 2 years old so it is understandably

nobody has heard about it.

the "artan" class of BP medicines can also cause Villi blunting.

Here is a thread about it.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/119462-what-else-can-cause-villi-blunting-has-any-body-had-expereince-with-losartan-and-villi-blunting/

I had a bad reaction to Losartan.

I hope this is helpful but It is not medical advice.

As always, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things”

2 Tim 2:7

Posterboy by the grace of God,

I would never advise someone who needs antidepressants not to take them because they maybe, might , cause some intestinal distress.  I think the alternative to not taking them could be soooooo much worse.

[Posterboy]

kareng,

I am not advising them either way. .... I am not a doctor and can't offer medical advice.

I was personally glad to take them for a season of time until other side effects of the medicine made it clear that .... they were making my anxiety and depression worse.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/266958-can-depression-meds-cause-anger-issues/

I had a similar reaction to Zoloft before I found Lexapro which worked for a couple years until I developed stomach pains from taking it... .then onto another antidepressant type I went and so it went till I had a bad reaction that made it clear to me that Vitamins were the better answer for me.  Magnesium Citrate made such a difference for me I wish I had known it 10 years earlier and why I share my experience.

Posterboy,

[ravenwoodglass]

Perhaps the reason they are finding that some folks are showing villi damage after taking antidepressants is because those people are undiagnosed celiacs with a predominately neuro presentation.  I had years of DH and severe depression before GI symptoms were more than an occasional issue. I have had no clinical depression symptoms since I healed and had severe reactions to SSRI's as did my children. One became suicidal and began cutting. Both also celiac. I am not saying that folks should not seek assistance with depression or anxiety but the choice of med should be left up to a doctor trained in treating those issues and in carefully monitoring the patients reactions. In addition the OP has indicated that their problem is anxiety and anxiety and depression are not always both present. Only a doctor can tell if he needs antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds. He also is very new to the diet and still healing. The problem may resolve itself with healing and talk therapy.

[frieze]

1 hour ago, ravenwoodglass said:

Perhaps the reason they are finding that some folks are showing villi damage after taking antidepressants is because those people are undiagnosed celiacs with a predominately neuro presentation.  I had years of DH and severe depression before GI symptoms were more than an occasional issue. I have had no clinical depression symptoms since I healed and had severe reactions to SSRI's as did my children. One became suicidal and began cutting. Both also celiac. I am not saying that folks should not seek assistance with depression or anxiety but the choice of med should be left up to a doctor trained in treating those issues and in carefully monitoring the patients reactions. In addition the OP has indicated that their problem is anxiety and anxiety and depression are not always both present. Only a doctor can tell if he needs antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds. He also is very new to the diet and still healing. The problem may resolve itself with healing and talk therapy.

this is why a COMPLETE physical, BEFORE beginning any psych med, is necessary.  read up on Dr Abram Hoffer.

[DrakeHeyman]

I also had depression and anxiety after I was diagnosed. I did not want to take antidepressants because I had taken them before and after that it was very difficult for me to give them up.

[Scott Adams]

@DrakeHeyman welcome to the forum! This thread is older, so some of the original posters may not reply, but your symptoms are common among those with untreated celiac disease. Have you been diagnosed with CD, and if so, are you on a gluten-free diet?

The good news is that many of the symptoms will disappear in most cases, provided a person with celiac disease follow a strict gluten-free diet.

Here are some research articles we've summarized on this:

• Depression and Celiac Disease