Gluten withdrawal symptoms

Sue777 · Post by **Sue777** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:46 am

Never saw this discussed here so if it has been, sorry to bring it up again - must have missed it.

Anyone notice gluten withdrawal? My gut and intestines feel better already but there are other strange things happening that may or may not be from going "cold turkey" on gluten so was just wondering if withdrawal exists. I imagine it does because I have been eating gluten since I got my first tooth and have been having it all day, every day, for decades. To suddenly take away any element that has been a core part of my existence has got to cause some reactions, right?

I'm a little more antsy and hyper (but that could be the Entocort), I'm more sleepy (could be from being so hyper, then I crash) but the main one is headaches and a stuffed up head and ears. Not sure why that would happen but my eyes are also very dry. It's muggy as hell out here so it's not the weather.... coincidence or lack of gluten?

I'm obviously going to ride it out but was just curious if anyone else noticed withdrawal when they removed gluten.
Sue

Post by **tex** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:16 am

This is copied from a post made almost 6 years ago:

Wheat is addictive - it contains gliadomorphins, that's one of the reasons why no one wants to give it up. Casein also contains casinomorphins, so it's also addictive, and it's harder to give up than wheat, for some individuals.

That's from post number 6 in the following thread:

Newly Diagnosed Newbie

Here's a quote from post number 2 in the following thread made a couple of years age:

When wheat gluten is ingested, the digestive process produces certain peptides that cannot be broken down any further into the respective amino acids. Some of these peptides are the ones that cause our immune system reactions (such as gliadins and glutelins), but there are also peptides known as gluteomorphins or gliadorphins. These peptides are similar to morphine, and they can attach to opiate receptors in the brain, to cause effects similar to morphine. IOW, gluten can be addictive due to it's narcotic effects in the brain. And my best guess would be that this addictive quality is responsible for the exaggerated effect of a re-exposure. The digestion of casein in dairy products results in peptides known as caseomorphins, and these have an effect similar to gliadorphins. So dairy products can be addictive also, and avoidance can lead to an amplified response if a re-exposure occurs.

Rotating foods

I never noticed the effect — I'm not sure how many people get withdrawal symptoms, but the effect is documented by research.

Tex

Sue777 · Post by **Sue777** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:21 am

Thank you to the Search Engine King! :bigbighug:

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:34 pm

Hey Sue,

I'm glad your gut is feeling better! Not to scare you or any other newbie that may come along (I know you're not a newbie :cool:

) I had severe gluten withdrawal. Now mind you, I always had a level of anxiety (knowing now that it was mineral deficiency and food allergies). I may have also reacted to the Pepto treatment I was doing, but looking back I don't think that was it. About 10 days going GF I started shaking in my limbs. Just a little to start, then it was a period of a week with no sleep because I would start shaking uncontrollably as I would start to doze off. I had to be put on Klonopin, a benzo that did not help the shakes but would put me in a trance for a very short while, while the shaking continued. I felt this shakiness for 6 months before it abated. I had to dig deep to learn to "live" with it.

I read in Jennifer Esposito's book a year later that her withdrawal from Gluten landed her in the hospital because she shook so bad at the beginning!

I felt like oh my gosh that was me. And like everything in the MC world we are all so different. I think Gluten had really damaged my nervous system for sure, so of course I have to be different and withdrawal from it like Heroin.

Sue777 · Post by **Sue777** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:11 pm

Thanks for sharing, Vanessa. I've Googled withdrawal and it seems it is fairly common, most especially the anxiety part of it. I, too, have been plagued with anxiety and GI issues from a very young age - maybe it was always the gluten. :(

Six months is such a LONG time to go through those symptoms - you poor thing! But I guess the more ingrained the substance is in our cells, the longer it takes to get it all out.

Nothing seems to be easy, but as long as I keep taking two steps forward and one back, I'll keep stepping. :)
Sue

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:14 pm

Sue
one of my main mottos this past 5 years has been

progress not perfection

Sue777 · Post by **Sue777** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:29 pm

Gabes-Apg wrote:Sue
one of my main mottos this past 5 years has been

progress not perfection

I love that - can I borrow it? What I usually tell myself is "this too shall pass" but I like yours better. :)
Sue

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:33 pm

write it in big letters on a sheet of paper and put it on your fridge or somewhere where you can see it everyday

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Thu Aug 03, 2017 6:09 am

It wasn't as intense through that whole 6 months. It fell off little by little. But felt like forever. Just like coming off of a drug. I couldn't beleive it! But I held on to all the information I could. I remember in Texs' book he wrote how Gluten works on the same receptor sites as Heroin. It was a scary time for sure, just because I really didn't know of anyone else (at that time) that had went through a withdrawal like that.

But you are doing great Sue. This is the best place to be for info and support! I wanted to write about this experience so its in the books somewhere in case anyone else has these symptoms going cold turkey GF!