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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mikel on May 6, 2002, at 21:42:42
OK, the plot has thickened. Any one out there suffer from depression and celiac disease? For the past three years I've been under treatment for depression and anxiety,but basically I have had symptoms my whole life(I am 38 years old). I have been on various SSRI'sand have found the most success with Prozac and
SAMe combination.I also just found out I have gluten intolerance aka celiac disease. I am fascinated by the association of celiac disease and depression, which has been well described in the literature.
Basically I have no significant GI symptoms other than chronic constipation (20% of celiacs have constipation rather than the typical diarrhea).
I do have abnormally low cholesterol (125) which is associated both with celiac and depression. I am also borderline anemic.I am about to embark on a gluten free diet. I am hoping that my depression/anxiety is related to
the celiac, and that my mood will respond positively to a gluten free diet, but I also don't want to get my hopes up to unrealistic expectations.Any depressed celiacs out there who found improvement on gluten free diet?
Posted by Rathrbfishn on May 6, 2002, at 23:15:20
In reply to celiac disease and depression., posted by mikel on May 6, 2002, at 21:42:42
Interesting! I spent the better part of saturday researching celiacs disease. I've known of people with panic disorder recovering once they found out they had celiacs and went on the gluten free diet. Apparently this disease causes/contributes to many neurological problems, including bi-polar and autism, amongst others. I'm including a web site for anyone interested. It has tons of info.
www.fastlane.net/homepages/thodge/archive.shtml
It's certainly a fascinating subject, well worth spending some time reading about.
Posted by Lia Mason on May 6, 2002, at 23:54:58
In reply to celiac disease and depression., posted by mikel on May 6, 2002, at 21:42:42
This fascinates me...
I was told that I have allergies to wheat, yeast, and corn. Do you know what kind of testing you had? Mine was something called Igg which I have since heard is unreliable. I was tested because I have fatigue and pain (in addition to depression).
I went gluten free for 6 weeks and didn't improve, but--like I said--I think I may have had an iffy test. I'd love to know how you were diagnosed.
Some gluten free tips: If you have a Whole Foods supermarket, that will help. A company called George's makes gluten free desserts which are great. I eat rice bread which is fine if I toast it twice. I like quinoa pasta. What else? There are 2 gluten free vodkas made from potatoes, if that's your thing. They're names are Chopin and Lukasowa (sp?)
Good Luck,
Lia
Posted by Rathrbfishn on May 7, 2002, at 0:19:21
In reply to Re: celiac disease and depression., posted by Lia Mason on May 6, 2002, at 23:54:58
Lia...assuming you do have gluten intolerance, six weeks on the gluten free diet may not have been long enough to gleen any benefits. It all depends on how much damage has been done to the villi in your small intestine. I know of one individual that had to stay gluten free for around 2 years before he was able to get off meds. That is not to say he didn't improve for two years, just that the improvement accured over a two year period. The longer he went gluten free, the more he was able to reduce his meds until he no longer needed them.
As for the test you took, I haven't quite got a handle on the most reliable one yet. I'm still processing as much info as possible so that when I approach my doc he doesn't look at me like I'm a nut.
Posted by Emme on May 7, 2002, at 7:12:19
In reply to celiac disease and depression., posted by mikel on May 6, 2002, at 21:42:42
Hi there.
Interesting. A friend of mine had been diagnosed with celiac disease and brought the depression aspect to my attention. I wonder how many doctors would pick up on this possibility - not many I bet. Apparently I had some form of wheat intolerance as an infant which I seemed to outgrow by the time I was 3 or 4 and I grew up eating wheat with no further symptoms. My parents had been told it was celiac disease and that I'd outgrow it. That doesn't fit with what I've recently learned about it (which is that you can't outgrow it cuz it's an autoimmune disorder). My internist tested me for the antibodies recently and all was totally normal. I wonder if it is possible that I have some non-celiac form of wheat allergy (I admit I know next to nothing about allergies) with absolutely no other symptoms besides mood disorder and anxiety. Maybe I should try a wheat-free diet for a little while just for kicks...Good luck with the gluten-free diet. I know two people who have felt much better phsically on a gluten-free diet, although neither had mood problems.
Emme
> OK, the plot has thickened. Any one out there suffer from depression and celiac disease? For the past three years I've been under treatment for depression and anxiety,but basically I have had symptoms my whole life(I am 38 years old). I have been on various SSRI'sand have found the most success with Prozac and
> SAMe combination.
>
> I also just found out I have gluten intolerance aka celiac disease. I am fascinated by the association of celiac disease and depression, which has been well described in the literature.
>
> Basically I have no significant GI symptoms other than chronic constipation (20% of celiacs have constipation rather than the typical diarrhea).
> I do have abnormally low cholesterol (125) which is associated both with celiac and depression. I am also borderline anemic.
>
> I am about to embark on a gluten free diet. I am hoping that my depression/anxiety is related to
> the celiac, and that my mood will respond positively to a gluten free diet, but I also don't want to get my hopes up to unrealistic expectations.
>
> Any depressed celiacs out there who found improvement on gluten free diet?
Posted by mikel on May 7, 2002, at 14:20:24
In reply to Re: celiac disease and depression., posted by Lia Mason on May 6, 2002, at 23:54:58
> This fascinates me...
>
> I was told that I have allergies to wheat, yeast, and corn. Do you know what kind of testing you had? Mine was something called Igg which I have since heard is unreliable. I was tested because I have fatigue and pain (in addition to depression).
>
> I went gluten free for 6 weeks and didn't improve, but--like I said--I think I may have had an iffy test. I'd love to know how you were diagnosed.
>Lia, I was diagnosed by an antibody screen and a genetic marker. The genetic marker
I found out as a volunteer for a research project. It is not common to do this test,
but as a "bonus" of participating in this project, I found out that I was positive for
a protien called DQ2, which they now know is present in 95% of all
celiacs (but also 20% of the non-celiac population). I also found out that one of my 1st
cousins had celiac. So I decided to ask my doctor to test for the antibodies.
The IgG you refer to above is a class of antibody (antibodies come
in 4 "flavors"- IgG,IgA,IgM and IgE). When they test for antibodies they are testing
for the specific protein that the antibodies are attacking. In the case of
celiac they are protiens of your intestinal lining. The antibodies used are anti-gliadin, anti-reticulin,
and anti-transglutaminase. Your body makes IgG versions and IgA versions of these
antibodies, and in the case of celiac, the IgA is generally
more specific for celiac. I was strongly positive for both Gliadin and Transglutaminase
IgA antibodies, which together are essentially 100% specific for Celiac disease. Many doctors
will tell you you need a biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis, but I don't buy it. With
my antibody titers, even if the biopsy was negative, they would still tell me to
go on a gluten free diet. I can follow my progress by testing my antibodies again in 6 months, they should go down.
I believe the only reason to get a biopsy is if the antibodies
are weakly positive, or you are only positive for gliadin, which is the least
specific of the 3.> Some gluten free tips: If you have a Whole Foods supermarket, that will help. A company called George's makes gluten free desserts which are great. I eat rice bread which is fine if I toast it twice. I like quinoa pasta. What else? There are 2 gluten free vodkas made from potatoes, if that's your thing. They're names are Chopin and Lukasowa (sp?)
Thanks for the tips. I'm going to need them.
Mike.
>>
Posted by Thrud on May 7, 2002, at 21:42:49
In reply to celiac disease and depression., posted by mikel on May 6, 2002, at 21:42:42
Hi Mike1.
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 6 months ago and also have depression and panic disorder.
I have strictly adhered to the gluten-free diet since the diagnosis but have experienced only moderate improvement in symptoms. It has helped a bit but not much. Maybe it just needs more time.
I hope things work out better for you.
Thrud
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