Emotional Symptoms

[aldea-muchacha]

Does anyone else find that they have more mental/emotional/behavioral symptoms than physical ones when they get into gluten?? I have been diagnosed and following the diet for a year now and am still learning the effects it has one me. I find that when I get contaminated by gluten most of my symptoms are not physical pain. I get really emotional, sort of bipolar with my emotions. Sometimes I just feel so crappy that I want to die. I don't actually want to do anything to hurt myself, but I just feel so goddamned awful that I just want to die! the only thing that gets me through it is that i know I will feel better in an hour or two and I just need to distract myself. I also find that I get paranoid, anxious and bothered by things that don't usually bother me. Is any of this at all possibly normal, or have i just become insane??

please... someone telling me that this is in fact related to celiac and not some other additional problem i have on top of it would be WONDERFUL!! I don't know if I can handle more health issues...

[Skylark]

Oh, yes. It can be gluten. Last time I got into a little gluten I had only a mild stomachache, and actually thought I got away with it. 24 hours later I suffered through three days of anxiety attacks. I wish I was as lucky as you to only feel bad for an hour or two! I have to remind myself it's the gluten for days on end. It can make me depressed too, although I don't find a couple days of depression nearly as uncomfortable as the anxiety attacks.

[Coinkey]

Absolutely you are NOT crazy, it's the gluten talking and giving you all those things. I have found that without gluten I do not freak out when my fiancee doesn't call, or when he decides to stay after work for a couple drinks with his friends (within reason). Gluten free I have an optimistic attitude and am very positive. When I do get glutened, I have creeping transient suicidal thoughts, anxiety, cry a LOT, wig out if my fiancee turns up 5 minutes later than I expect him (which is very unreasonable because he works in a kitchen is on his feet for 7 hours and suffers with severe arthritis in his ankles- of course he'll walk slow after a shift.). I'll go from super happy to depressed in 6.0 seconds (or seemingly anyway). So, it's not in your head- well, it technically is but the gluten is physically in your head, you aren't imagining it and it's not yet some other crappy disease. be glad it's only an hour or two. I have stomach ache for 4 hours and can feel where the food is at based on where the pain is most acute. Then 5 hours later I get the neurological effects and the next day or two deal with flip floppy bowl movements (C to D and back and forth). Woo.

Hang in there!

[aldea-muchacha]

Of my goodness its so good to hear that I am not alone! i was seriously starting to worry. your stories sound so much like my own! I am a long distance relationship, so the freak outs really have been making my relationship rocky at times. Thank god I have an amazing boyfriend who understands and has dealt well with it so far. It usually all together the symptoms last about a week for me, but the really bad parts, like wanting to just die, usually pass within a few hours. I had to call into work sick today because i literally couldn't stop crying. For the life of me I couldn't stop. Somehow I didn't think the restaurant would want a hostess crying as she holds the door open for people.

anyways, thanks so much you guys. Its those little reassurance that keep us all going and keeps us strong.

have either of you found anything that helps?? or is all you can do is wait them out?? I kind feel like caffeine might help, but I think that i just think it helps because i want to believe that something does help.

[Coinkey]

Of my goodness its so good to hear that I am not alone! i was seriously starting to worry. your stories sound so much like my own! I am a long distance relationship, so the freak outs really have been making my relationship rocky at times. Thank god I have an amazing boyfriend who understands and has dealt well with it so far. It usually all together the symptoms last about a week for me, but the really bad parts, like wanting to just die, usually pass within a few hours. I had to call into work sick today because i literally couldn't stop crying. For the life of me I couldn't stop. Somehow I didn't think the restaurant would want a hostess crying as she holds the door open for people.

anyways, thanks so much you guys. Its those little reassurance that keep us all going and keeps us strong.

have either of you found anything that helps?? or is all you can do is wait them out?? I kind feel like caffeine might help, but I think that i just think it helps because i want to believe that something does help.

I found that taking ibuprofen helps with reducing some of the inflammation and redbull helps to reduce the brain fog. Taking a multivitamin seems to help smooth out my nerves (I'm getting testing done for vitamin deficiencies- hopefully then I'll know how much to take to prevent it). I find a shot of something helps knock me out to sleep if I can't sleep on my own. I'm still experimenting but so far I've had to generally just wait it out and get lots of hugs from the fiancee.

[Harley9999]

[Does anyone else find that they have more mental/emotional/behavioral symptoms than physical ones when they get into gluten??

Oh hell yes!! I didnt figure this out for a while.. but everytime I got gluten my whole mood would totally change and I would feel like crapola. I was beginning to think I was crazy too until it kept happening and I put two and two together. I get very anxious and depressed. It makes the whole getting glutened experience even more devastating. Mine usually lasts a day or two and my only saving grace is knowing it will pass soon. You are so not alone!!! I bet there are alot of others that go through the same stuff.

Hang in there

~H

[Skylark]

Of my goodness its so good to hear that I am not alone! i was seriously starting to worry. your stories sound so much like my own! I am a long distance relationship, so the freak outs really have been making my relationship rocky at times. Thank god I have an amazing boyfriend who understands and has dealt well with it so far. It usually all together the symptoms last about a week for me, but the really bad parts, like wanting to just die, usually pass within a few hours. I had to call into work sick today because i literally couldn't stop crying. For the life of me I couldn't stop. Somehow I didn't think the restaurant would want a hostess crying as she holds the door open for people.

anyways, thanks so much you guys. Its those little reassurance that keep us all going and keeps us strong.

have either of you found anything that helps?? or is all you can do is wait them out?? I kind feel like caffeine might help, but I think that i just think it helps because i want to believe that something does help.

If you feel like caffeine might help, go for it! If nothing else, a favorite tea might be soothing. Red Bull has lots of B vitamins too and some people find it helpful for glutenings.

I don't get crying jags often. For me it's a weird jumpiness, like suddenly I'll have this spurt of adrenaline and be super-worried over nothing. It will happen in the middle of the night and suddenly I'm lying awake desperately worried about forgetting to lock a door or missing a bill payment. (I actually laid awake one night afraid I'd forgotten to lock the door and afraid to get up and check because I'd convinced myself there was a burglar in the yard who would see me turn the light on. Mental illness is an awful thing!)

When the anxiety is bad I put inositol powder from a health food store into my water. My psychiatrist friend said it's safe up to 12g/day. My bottle says how many teaspoons is a gram and I shoot for 1g/hour. It tastes a little sweet. It's not strong but helps a little, especially if you take it for a few days.

I've also used Kava powder when I'm desperate. There's a little worry about liver toxicity but I figure one dose every now and then to keep me from losing my mind won't kill me.

You could also try sublingual B12. One of my friends read an article where she said small doses of gluten interfere change the intestine a little and B12 doesn't get in as well, which causes anxiety and mental problems. I just found the methylated form as a sublingual in a health food store and it was only $10 for 90 pills. I'm planning on trying it next time I'm glutened.

What else? Chamomile tea is nice. Lavender scented lotions are soothing. I find fragrance soothing somehow, so I'll use a favorite lotion or perfume before work. In the evening I'll take a long soak in a bath with a favorite bath salt. If I'm home I'll burn incense. I also try to take care of myself a little, with treats I might not eat otherwise (chocolate!). If I have energy I try to make myself get out to a dance class or yoga because it will distract me.

[minniejack]

If you feel like caffeine might help, go for it! If nothing else, a favorite tea might be soothing. Red Bull has lots of B vitamins too and some people find it helpful for glutenings.

I don't get crying jags often. For me it's a weird jumpiness, like suddenly I'll have this spurt of adrenaline and be super-worried over nothing. It will happen in the middle of the night and suddenly I'm lying awake desperately worried about forgetting to lock a door or missing a bill payment. (I actually laid awake one night afraid I'd forgotten to lock the door and afraid to get up and check because I'd convinced myself there was a burglar in the yard who would see me turn the light on. Mental illness is an awful thing!)

When the anxiety is bad I put inositol powder from a health food store into my water. My psychiatrist friend said it's safe up to 12g/day. My bottle says how many teaspoons is a gram and I shoot for 1g/hour. It tastes a little sweet. It's not strong but helps a little, especially if you take it for a few days.

I've also used Kava powder when I'm desperate. There's a little worry about liver toxicity but I figure one dose every now and then to keep me from losing my mind won't kill me.

You could also try sublingual B12. One of my friends read an article where she said small doses of gluten interfere change the intestine a little and B12 doesn't get in as well, which causes anxiety and mental problems. I just found the methylated form as a sublingual in a health food store and it was only $10 for 90 pills. I'm planning on trying it next time I'm glutened.

What else? Chamomile tea is nice. Lavender scented lotions are soothing. I find fragrance soothing somehow, so I'll use a favorite lotion or perfume before work. In the evening I'll take a long soak in a bath with a favorite bath salt. If I'm home I'll burn incense. I also try to take care of myself a little, with treats I might not eat otherwise (chocolate!). If I have energy I try to make myself get out to a dance class or yoga because it will distract me.

After being gluten free for almost 2 yrs, my son 14 almost 15 decided he wanted to eat gluten again. I let him--he didn't vomit, no mad rush to bath room. BUT...he's back to the arguing, repeating things over and over and over, obsessing over wants. Iphone4, Iphone4, Iphone4....and no, it's not just teenage begging and then sleeping incessantly.

I thought, well, I, too could try it. Stopped at a local Chinese Restaurant, even took some TriEnza (I'm thinking I have the word sucker on my forehead for paying so much for them. ) Before supper was finished, I probably had snakes coming out of head. I was yelling at my son and daughter and I literally could only see red. It took about an 2 hours to calm down. I just couldn't stop witching at everyone.

So no--you are not crazy. And we are back to being gluten free. Even dear son realized what an idiot he becomes on gluten.

We read the same research about the B12, so we got some sublingual B12 complex since it's supposed to be the closest thing to getting shots. We think it does help with many of our problems--maybe that's why none of us had the intestinal issues. They sell sublingual at my local Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, and UNFI.

[cwj-tlj]

Totally gluten. It will get better the longer you are gluten free. The first 2 years if I got glutened I was literally suicidal crying in the bed. Now I am just relly down and lethargic for 2-3 days. Thank God! However when I am in it it feels like am going to be there forever.

[Kim UPST NY]

Hello, I totally have Awful emotional problems when I get Glutened, I get over whelming feeling of Doom, I freak out and believe I'm poisoned Crying and just over all Panic. I'll stay up all night and Just panicing. I know it's worse now then Before I was Diagnosed. Which was 4yrs ago. I know it's cross contam Everytime but i cant figure out the sourse most of the time, So that getts the Poison thoughts flowing. i've gone to the ER during these attacks more then once, of course they just send me home and say don't eat gluten. Well thats my Crazy Gluten feelings, am I alone?

[savvysue]

Hello, I totally have Awful emotional problems when I get Glutened, I get over whelming feeling of Doom, I freak out and believe I'm poisoned Crying and just over all Panic. I'll stay up all night and Just panicing. I know it's worse now then Before I was Diagnosed. Which was 4yrs ago. I know it's cross contam Everytime but i cant figure out the sourse most of the time, So that getts the Poison thoughts flowing. i've gone to the ER during these attacks more then once, of course they just send me home and say don't eat gluten. Well thats my Crazy Gluten feelings, am I alone?

I am so glad to read all of these posts about people who go through the EXACT things that I do; some of those posts were almost as if they were describing me when I accidentily eat gluten. My friends don't understand it, but I sure am glad to know that there are other people out there who go through the same thing when they eat gluten. Thank the good Lord for this forum

[txplowgirl]

Oh boy, when I accidently get glutened, I become the snarly witch bit*h as my sweetie calls me. I snap at the least provacation, feel loopy, like my head is full of mud and just feel this incredible tensness like my body is about to lock up on me. That lasts for about 24 hours.

[AeroJ]

It's great to know that I'm not the only one going through this.  When I eat gluten, which I have been tempted to do lately due to birthdays and out of temptation, I pay for it a day or two later.  Like other people have mentioned, I get very emotional, depressed, feeling like life is not wroth it anymore. And I am prone to fits of crying.  It's so odd.  I didn't make the connection as to why I was feeling like this two weekends in a row, until I realized that my emotions came up a day after eating gluten on both occasions.  It's good to know that it passes, but darn it, eating gluten is like running into a wall. And as much as I've wanted to hope my symptoms would pass, at least I know what causes them. Unfortunately I learned about my allergy about 10 years after I started dealing with all those symptoms, after going many doctors who did not know how to help me with my IBS and ulcer problems (which have gone away on a gluten-free diet).  Better late than never, I suppose.

[across]

Since going off gluten six months ago, I've been calm as can be.  I got glutened this morning accidentally. This afternoon, I'm back to self-condemnation and anxiety. I hate gluten!

[Seifer]

YES! When I eat gluten and/or cheese, within minutes I am completely effed up in the head. My main symptoms are on mood and behaviour, digestion-wise it's not that bad.

Here are some of the wonderful symptoms I get: irritation, aggression, paranoia, scizofrenia (talking to myself like a crazy person), foggy brain, cant focus on anything, on the edge, will start fights about anything, impaired memory, mind wandering, delusions of grandeur, mania, ego-centricity, tourettes, outbursts, obsessive rambling (often in foreign languages), can't smile, feel dazed, like high on opiates, impaired communication (autism like).

For a long time I thought this horrid mess was my real personality! I'm 29 years old now and slowly trying to reclaim my life.

As other people have stated, when off gluten and caseine I'm as calm and well-mannered as they come!

I was addicted to opiate painkillers for a few years, which I think is very much related to this, my brains opiate receptors having been already sensitized to the exorphins of gluten and caseine.

Now when Im off gluten for about 10 days I feel like the fog has lifted, I am slightly depressed but so much more calm and functional.

I believe gluten and caseine, being the staple foods that they are, are main factors behind mental disorders in our society. Sad but true, these are the monsters humanity have created

[ch88]

I have a question, for anyone here who had mental problems as a result of eating gluten. How fast did your problems resolve after you went gluten free? Did you immediately revert to being normal or did it take a while for your brain to readjust?

[GF Lover]

As you can see from my sig., I have bi-polar depression.  Have most of my life.  Unfortunately gluten free did not change anything for me.  My disease has been confirmed with brain scans.  I do think some lesser degree issues can be reversed with gluten-free as I have read stories about it here.

 

Colleen

[cyclinglady]

I would imagine that like every gluten-causing-symptom, it would take weeks to years to resolve. Everyone is different depending on their damage. I know this really does not help. Based in input I have seen on this forum, for those with NCGI or celiac disease, a minimum of six months is needed.

[emsimms]

So interesting and helpful!

Does anyone get emotional/mood symptoms after foods OTHER THAN GLUTEN that you cannot tolerate?

[knitty kitty]

Nightshades. I thought all the fuss about nightshades was a bunch of hooey, until I ate some green potatoes. I had the worst experience in my life. I thought I was going completely mad. Very scary.

Curled up in a ball and waited for it to pass. It took days.

When I could think again, although still foggy, I reseached nightshades and found they have an anticholinergic effect on the brain. The brain needs lots of choline to properly function. The nightshades have anticholinergic chemicals that plug up the choline receptors and the brain can't think. The more anticholinergics in the system, the worse the effects. It is an additive effect called the anticholinergic load.

There are a wide variety of drugs with anticholinergic effects, like antihistamines, medicines for digestive upsets, hormones, antibiotics, steroids, vaccines, antidepressants, and blood pressure medicines, and also diabetic glucose control medicines.

There is a saying for the symptoms of anticholinergic syndrome and toxicity. Red as a beet, hot as a hare, mad as a hatter, dry as a bone, and the heart runs alone. (Skin rashes, fever, dementia, dehydration, and tachycardia.)

One research article mentioned celiacs have a hard time breaking down anticholinergics and they build up with these horrible effects. I had been on eleven drugs with anticholinergic effects over the course of the end of last year prior to my "mad as a hatter" episode. Guess the green potatoes were too much. I doubt it was cross contamination because I was cooking from scratch in a gluten free home. The solution is to eat more acetylcholine, found in egg yolks.

Does anyone else have an experience with this?

[badcasper]

I spent the last week wishing I was dead and im still crying all over a sample of popcorn 6 days ago. thoughts in my head keep beating me up and verbally abusing me. cryed all day at work. I thought it was menopause , ill be 50 tomorrow. years ago when I didn't know what was wrong with me, I wrote a poem. Take me to the hospital, you can have the doll. She won't cry, she won't die, mabey she won't fall. She won't get lost, she won't cost, she'll never run away. But if she does and just because, you'll never have to pay. Take me to the hospital, let the dolly stay. Now it's time for me to go cause I don't want to play. I feel like this every time I get gluten. im too scared to celebrate my birthday. like going out to eat or anything.

[cyclinglady]

Well, first you are pretty sick! Who knows what damage has been done to your body as a result of your celiac disease? On top of that you are are perimenopausal! A double whammy!

I can completely relate!

I was 51 when I was diagnosed. Two years later, I am so much better! But I am sorry to report that I am struggling with my post menopausal symptoms. I made it through that final menopause year suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, and 30 days periods that made me severly anemic (not to mention the inability to recover my iron stores because of the celiac disease and having Thalssemia another type of anemia). Now, I am struggling with insomnia and crankiness due to the hot flashes on top of a thyroid that is running hyper. It is a battle! But I will get over it!

Hormone Replacement Therapy might help you. Something to discuss with your doctor. I have been on and off it for over a decade. I went back on it right after my celiac disease diagnosis to help build bone. My new doc wanted me off after a year, so now I am back to struggling with post menopausal symptoms again. Time to get back on them again.

I used to think that menopause would be the end of my perimenopausal symptoms. But talking to older women led me to believe that it can take much longer for them to resolve. I just watched a lecture from the University of California, San Diego and the latest research shows that women do suffer from symptoms up to a decade after going through menopause. Especially thin women! Ugh! So doctors, are starting to prescribe HRT again.

Something to consider. Talk to your doctor. Get some help. This is tough time for someone with celiac disease and is perimenopausal. Hang in there! Things will get better!

Hugs!

[badcasper]

I wrote a reply but its not here so im trying again. I probably couldn't see the right button for all the tears in my eyes. It's been 5 days now and im still going back and forth from tears to extreme anger and cusing. My parents always said it was cause im stupid so that doesn't help.

my imaginary friend who I've had since I was 3 becomes my worst enemy and makes me want to die!!!!! My imaginary friend stays on the inside and has always. Its the worst feeling ever when you can't get away from yourself. Last night I wondered if a person would die if they put a shock light to their heart [its like a tazer]. I walked around for hours till I was exhausted so I could go to sleep. and so I wouldn't disturb my neighbors and get evicted. I've nothing but cry all morning. tomorrow my birthday and ill be 50 right now I don't want to do anything but be alone.

[badcasper]

just read your reply. after the first month of gluten free I hardly had any period so I quit taking the pill. I was taking the pill cause of nonstop periods after the third month and getting anemic I wernt on the pill. ok I've been off the pill and felt great till last Monday. swelled up, moody and no period. never missed one or been late except when I was pregnant. by the way I only have night sweats and hot flashes if I drink or eat anything spicy or take any medications.

[cyclinglady]

Casper,

Please call this hotline number now! I am sure they can help you. I care!

1-800-273-8255