Blood Sugar/Low Carbing and Depression

[mollymom]

I just did the Blood Sugar Symptom Test in DADNR book. Wow I could not believe how many symptoms of depression/panic attacks appear in his list. To name a few: drink alcohol, can't fall asleep easily, wake easily in night, fearful, diffuculty making decisions, excessive fatigue, lack of concentration, poor memory, feel insecure, worry a lot, moodiness, poor motivation, trouble starting in the morning, etc. etc. etc.

Due to a doctor diagnosed severe depressive episode that had lasted months, I started on 20mg Paxil on the first of November. By mid-December while my "mood" had improved (six weeks is reasonable length of time to expect improvement), I was still thinking I wasn't feeling as better as I should be and as recently as last week I was considering requesting a higher dosage. Then about Dec. 28th I started exploring Atkins and hit it full-force Dec. 30th. In the past week, after being STRICT with myself regarding my eating, I find my mood elevated incredibly. I am sleeping better, and have thrown out my sleeping pills. I feel much more cheerful and calmer. I deal with crises better. I actually have the word "hopeful" in my vocabulary again.

I was wondering if anyone else who suffers from depression has had this PLEASANT side effect of low carbing?:)

[muweek]

Hey Mollymom, I have the same thing happen to me! When I have been having too much sugar on a daily basis, after about two weeks, I will start to be anxious and fretful.. and just cant think straight. Al I want to do is come home from work and sleep. Every time I cut it out altogther, I start to feel so good that I wonder why I EVER go back to eating sugar and junk?????
My dr. was the one who sugested I do this sugar thing and keep track..boy was she right!

[cs_carver]

WAY more stable on the LC WOE.

Painful to realize, actually, when I'd heard people talk about it for years. I just never saw the connection before, although I certainly whined about similar symptoms before.

Now, I can be useful to myself (I want to say "work" but I actually mean a lot of "play") until I'm ready to quit and I don't have ANY of that mind fog that would send me to the couch, too tired to even get up and shower on the way to bed. Completely different experience of living a life that is otherwise identical to what I've done for at least the last 5 years.

And then there's the bonus--the more I live productively, the more I am able to imagine myself doing, and the more I imagine, the more I can do. Good compounds.

[sophiesmom]

Hi Mollymom,
You are on the right track. I have suffered from depression for years. Started on Prosac, gained 40 pounds in 4 years while on that. Went off it for about 2 years, had my daughter, then went on Zoloft for 2 years. I switched to Lexapro back in late November b/c the Zoloft was losing effectiveness. Just when I started to feel a bit better mentally, after the holidays, I decided to start LC'ing again (had done Atkins in the summer). After about 2 weeks now, I feel better and have more energy already.

For me, more than anything, it's getting off the sugar merry go round. I am such an addict to sugar, and I become its slave when I'm not eating low carb. Today I barely ate at all because I was so busy-- I didn't feel shaky (from sugar lows, you remember those?) and didn't even think about food. That's a HUGE success for me!

Hope to talk to you again soon!

[lissa uk]

HI Molly mum,

I have found the Atkins WOL has made my mood far more stable. I was on anti depressants for about a year , but finally came off them ( very very slowly) Aug/ Sept time last year. Was really scared about whether I would manage with out them but so far so good. I still have some 'grey cloud over my head' days but I seem to cope far better. In the old days on one of my down days I would have turned to food and started binging and then the vicious circle, of depression, hating myself, and my insecurities would kick in. However, fingers crossed, I have had to deal with some real stressful personal issues over the last couple of months and not once have I turned to food, which is a real bonus to me !!

Im convinced that the atkins WOL is responsible for my change in eating patterns, and attitude towards food, and im sure it is to do with keeping my sugar levels stable!! I cant deny Im still battling with my insecurities about myself, but as the weight continues to decrease, that is slowly improving !!

So overall Atkins gets a big thumbs up from me !!

Lisa x

[amym]

Hi mollymom

I was on antidepressants for three years. (Prozac, ,wellbutrin,and then celexa)They all worked ok but caused weight gain. This summer in AUG. I went off my celexa. I did a lot of research online and read a few books on depression. I have come to the conclusion that diet is almost 90 percent effective in keeping my depression away. I take vit B,omega 3,cal/mag,5htp,and DL phenylalnine. I am not sure if these are making a difference i will begin to taper off in a few months to see. I did notice that over the holidays I ate so much bad stuff (sugary,chocolate,carb loaded) and felt the overwhelming feeling come back. I was irritable,sad,tired,down,feeling worthless and ready to give up on everything. I had the why bother feeling back, the can't get out of bed in the morning life sucks too much attitude. It really scared me! But after a week of being on track with my eating (i try to follow the SP) I feel great again. I get up early and feel refreshed and ready for the day. I am able to cope with life better and I know it is because of the way I eat. I wish I had tried this sooner because I gained 40 pounds to learn this lesson but if it had not been for the weight gain I would not have looked for an alternative and found this WOL so in a way it is a blessing! ;)

[Rand]

Atkins has made my outlook on life change for the better :)

Although its still a little early to be 100% ( only on day 10 ) the changes have been so positive. I was in the process of letting my psychiatrist prescribe a different anti-depressant but I'll have to tell him to wait a bit longer :)

Cant wait to see my therapist next week and tell her the good news :yay:

[SusanL]

I'm interested in knowing how much of the Vitamin B, 5htp and DL-phenylalmine you take each day. I am wondering if i may be helped with my depression...........i'm so tired of the anti depressant roller coaster!

Thanks

[skeeweeaka]

Hello All..I have manic depression and have been really going through a difficult time... Lately I have been following the 6WBMO and felt a little better... Now I know that it is because of the potatoes that I consume twice a day...with lunch and dinner...plain...I use sweet potatoes because they are better... Recently, I read a book called, "Potatoes Not Prozac." The book basically says that diet can change your depressive symptoms, as well as keeping a food diary and how you feel for a couple of weeks to eliminate foods that worsen your symptoms. For me it is caffiene, sugar, and sugar substitutes... I combat that my following the CAD, CARD ADDICTS DIET, when I want to consume sweets... Basically, the last meal of the day, or lunch if you want is balanced with a salad, nonstarchy vegetable (1/3), high carb item(1/3), and protein(1/3)... I simply use the high carb item as my sweet sometimes or bread, etc.... You can go to the forum to see other info...

Recently, I tried to switch to Atkins, and on the 2nd day I have a major depressive episode...needless to say when I switched back to the potato immediately, it went away within a couple of hours... Our bodies are strange and react differently, so try different things and keep track...

TJ

[Melanie4]

This is one of the major reasons I chose low-carbing. I too, was on Paxil at one point in my life. I have low-carbed a couple of years ago and remembered the lack of depression/anxiety. I have been back at Atkins for 6 days now, and that feeling is back. I am not yelling at my kids so much, I am not delving into depression at all. I still have a bit of social anxiety, but I have learned to live with that.

[ms_fortune]

mollymom- definitely one of the things i look forward to aside from weight loss on LC! Before I read Atkins, I knew very well that carbs affect my mood and weight negatively- mood swings, poor sleep, no energy, rapid weight gain, hunger, craving, binges- so it was no big surprise that cutting out the "bad" carbs will have positive effects. I think that a combo of diet and medication is what doctors should be prescribing, because often the medication can have negative effects opn the appetite and weight that have to be addressed with diet. I wish iI had known beore I had started my medications. I am glad to see everyone is doing so much better, it gives me a lot of hope.

[pastaJunky]

YUP... me too! I have been on and off my meds since Feb. 2000 when I was diagnosed bi polar. My first experience low carbing, I also cut the caffeine as well as cigarettes. I did really great not riding any of those rollercoasters.

This time I am also off my meds (since Dec 04) but I'm smoking and having some caffeine. I am still doing quite well. I am going to cut out the smoking and caffeine but one major change at a time for me!

[acohn]

Carbage magnified my baseline depression. I still have to take an anti-depressant, but low-carbing makes feel lighter, emotionally as well as physically.

[skeeweeaka]

You know it angers me somewhat to know now after years of therapy and various cocktails to find out that diet can help my manic depression... Doctor's, however, practice what they are taught...and what they are taught is that medication and therapy is the key... As someone suggested the focus should be on meds, diet, and exercise... Although, when depressed it is difficult to manage any of those...it is a pure roller coaster ride for me... But the potatoes do something for me that I can't explain, they calm me somehow...it is a peacefulness that I cannot understand...as soon as I consume them...plain of course...most times... This way of eating has helped me to wake up early and I ama in awe... When I consume sweets...I am unable to get up on my own... I have a long, hard road ahead, but am hopeful...for once in a long time... Good luck all...

TJ

[ms_fortune]

skeeweeaka- I agree that most doctors completely disregard the impact of diet when it comes to mood regulation. I know that what I put in my mouth can have tremendous impact on how I feel. But you're saying that you cannot do a very lowcarb plan like Atkins because you need the calming seratonin effect from potatoes? I was wondering, if very low carb plans are not good for those dealing with severe depression or on SSRIs because of the connection between carbohydrates and seratonin production. I mean I am sure that feeling less bloated, losing weight, and having more energy will make me feel less depressed about myself, but in the long run, will low carb upset the chemical balance because it interferes with/suppresses seratonin production? Or do I have the whole carb/seratonin/depression connection confused. Can you please tell me what you learned from the Potatoes not Prozac and your personal experience? thank you

[IvannaBFit]

A lot of people report depression in the early stages of a low carbohydrate diet. This is because high carbo diets have so much seratonin, etc, and low carb is hard to get used to.

However, if you think about it, no other culture in the history of humankind has eaten as much sugar as "we" (Westerners) do today. Yet there are VERY high reported incidents of depression. Some of it is societal pressure turned inward (as is the case in many many women) but I believe a lot of it also has to do with our poor diets and lifestyle.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is that a LC diet could be like eating spicy food . . . if you eat spicy food every day, you stop really tasting it. But if you NEVER eat spicy food, a little bit of flavour will go a long way. So perhaps when, after LCing for a while, our bodies become trained to expect and accept the nutrition we give them, our chemical balance will even out.

[Weezer160]

It's really and awesome feeling to know you can eat as much as you'd like and shrink at the same time. it's also good to know that you can fall asleep and wake up much easier. I remember before I dieted, getting up in the morning was a chore, but now it just takes a little nudge to get me out of bed.

Those rising and falling insulin levels can probably mess up your body's chemistry - promoting it to go in to hyper/happy mode to slower/depressed mode.

[Rain1272]

My own personal history on this...

I have been on anti-depressants for nearly 10 years. I started off with Zoloft which I built a tolerance to after about 2 years. I was switched to effexor. That made the depression worse. Then came the wellbutrin. Same thing as the effexor. Finally, I was put on Prozac and stabilized.

I had the misfortune of losing my job and therefore my insurance and couldn't afford to self pay for my medications. I was able to control (barely) the depressive episodes but thinking back I realize this was mostly due to the high carb (typical American)diet I was on and of course my husband who has been instrumental in helping me learn to recognize the signs of an immeninent "crash" and getting me to use the skills I learned from my therapist. There were times however, when I thought I should just go to the hospital before I did something stupid.

Then my husbands insurance kicked in and I was able to go back to the dr. Sadly, my diabetes was out of control and facing the issues of that I decided that I had to stop playing games with my diet and began Atkins. The first few weeks of carb reduction wrecked havoc on my serotonin levels and I was cycling hard and fast on the depression roller coaster but I (and my family, god love them)toughed it out. Now, I get my serotonin boost from my exercise. My body and mind has adjusted and seems to be using the serotonin that is produced naturally much more effectively. If I do carb load, either by accident or on purpose, I find that I easily fly into uncontrolled rages (one of the first signs I was getting ready for a crash). For me I have to stay away from bread, pasta, and potatoes. Not just for the depression but also for the diabetes. It seems I am quite sensitive to them. Like one other poster mentioned, everyone's body responds differently and YMMV.

Depression, like the diabetes, is something I will always have to live with. I am just better able to face and deal with the issues behind it than I was before. I dont have to mask and deaden the pain of the depression with meds anymore. As hard as it is I am facing them head on and trying to deal with them the best I can. Once the diabetes, weight, and depression are under better control, I will tackle the anxiety issue. One (or 3 ) things at a time lol. I think having this board has been a key tool for me, to managing the stress of lifestyle changes. It really helps to have a "safe" place to sound off on and to be able to read that there are others going through the same thing and that by gosh if they can make it so can I.

Thank you all for selfishly sharing your stories of suffering and hope. You give me courage to face myself everyday and the hope that one day having to deal with depression and all of this will seem just a bad dream.

[Carmen_172]

Hi all,

Low carb is helping me a lot to keep myself sane but I had to drop the *obsession* about it in order to feel better. I feel I need almost all my energy to function well at home (married and mother of 3 kids....13, 15 and almost 18 y.o.kids) and follow intensive therapy (16 hrs of group therapy a week + 1,5 individual), so stressing about doing it totally right (I was totally obsessed for the first two months) just made me even more depressed.

Btw, I'm not taking any meds (I took meds from my 7th till I was 20y.o. and survived without them till last summer when I crashed and was *institutionalized* for a short while and put on meds. After some months I convinced my doc to get me off the meds since I didn't have myself under control) but therapy and this forum have helped me a lot. I don't have much weight to loose (just what I gained while on meds) but I mainly read this forum because it makes me feel I'm not alone...doesn't matter if you are struggling with weight, depression, etc. we are all struggling and we all want to feel better.

Well....it think this is it for now.....I'm not the *sharing* type but had to learn to do it during group therapy and I think I like it (even though it scares me like he**).

If I was too much off topic....sorry!!!! :blush:

[baby_me]

Low carbing isn't helping me with my depression at all

[Carmen_172]

Hi there!

I just read you other post and I'm so sorry you are feeling so low :(

Couple of questions.....when did you start feeling this way? have you talked to your doctor about it? how old are you? I'd love to be able to give you advice and/or support -like many other people in this forum- but I think you need to give us a bit more background info because like this we might be giving you the wrong advice.

Hope to hear from you soon :wiggle:

[baby_me]

thanks for the reply.. im 23 turning 24 this year.. i've been feeling this but this time is really. No, i havnen't talked to my doctor coz i dont have one.

Pm me if you need more info..
thanks again

[Carmen_172]

Hey!

I think low carbing helps a bit......excercising helps another bit....good friends help another bit but if you are in the middle of a full blown depression you need to see a doctor because what you might really need is therapy and maybe meds. I read today that a study about depression proved that therapy helps as much as meds as long as it is done soon after the depression started, so maybe you won't need meds if you could get therapy soon (if prescribed by a doc, of course).

Look, there could be so many reasons to feel down (physical as well as having a sh*** job!) but you need to take yourself seriously and find out what's going on with you right now. In the meantime maybe you could start a journal in this forum. You'll get a lot of support and maybe you can get things more clearly for yourself.......just a suggestion :)

[xotcbabe]

goodluck to you

[baby_me]

thanks Carmen.. Im thinking of going to the therapist but its about $40 per session and i dont know how long the session would be. I dont think having a journal is a good idea because i dont wanna send a bad vibe or a negative thinging here in the forum.. Thanks for that suggestion though.

I know that the med will just change me and i dont want that to happen at all.. I just wanna feel normal but happy at the same time.

[Carmen_172]

Hope you don't think I'm too much sticking my nose into your business....but here I go again (don't worry...it's the last one coz then I'm going to bed...it's 10:30 pm here in Holland).

Anyway......wouldn't it be worth it to take a couple of sessions and see what happens? Maybe that's all you need....and if not....wouldn't you want to know if you have something more serious or potentially dangerous? I know $40 is a lot of money but girl..... you are worth it!!

About the journal........I don't think people would feel you are sending a negative vibe if you share how things are going with you while traveling the LC road......there are plenty of people just doing that!!! And there are plenty of people like me that would love to help you and support you when you need it :wave:

[baby_me]

thanks Carmen.. no you're not in my business at all.. It makes me feel that you care.

about the journal, i'll think about it. You should start your journal too...

Okay have a good night..

[Carmen_172]

[QUOTE=baby_me] about the journal, i'll think about it. You should start your journal too...QUOTE]

he he you got me there :roll:

I haven't yet coz I'm a CHICKEN!! ...a very *reserved chicken* but I'm trying :D

[baby_me]

I dont think you are at all.. I might ran out of words in my journal :)

[Equinox]

In my experience the only time people even bother to see if you have a journal is when you've posted either in theirs or somewhere else. What I mean by that is that you won't send a bad vibe, people will wonder what you're like or wonder about your progress because they've heard from you, and then they will check out your journal. Seeing it requires that they go looking. If they do, then it's on them if they feel bad, right?

And I'm also feeling really depressed lately. I just re-saw a movie I love; Girl, interrupted, and I realized that I never before truly identified with the main character. The first time I saw it I was too busy wondering what it would feel like to be crazy, but this time I was crying and thinking how that could really honestly have been me...

[skeeweeaka]

Well for me I have realized that I do much better on low carb than normal low fat diets...but replacing the "bad" carbs helps me much more. When I use the Potatoes Not Prozac approach which is simply eating a small potato an hour before bed without any added fat. The first time I tried it I was quite skeptical, however, I woke up the next morning much easier and was oddly calm... I don't remember the science behind it but you can get the book at your local library...I'm certain that it somehow increases the level of serotonin available... When I do Atkins induction I get very depressed and nothing helps...but nothing helps much anyway...and I am on about 6 different medications for being bipolar. Because of all of the medications I have gained a lot of weight and have a difficult time exercising and losing the weight. After this induction phase, I am going to go back to adding the potato at night and adding that to my carb count. Even in the day when I consume the potato along with a good source of protein such as a no fat cottage cheese on top (since I am not supposed to have fat with the potato)...I feel much calmer...it's really strange but it does work...

[joez777]

I have noticed the same effect. Strangely calmer, less anxiety. As soon as I get a little sugar my mood really crashes. I have suffered from bouts of depression for many years and suspect that it is a bio chemical thing rather than a psychological issue. Makes it real easy to stay on low carb. :)

After discovering this beneficial side effect I have been taking St. Johns wort and a Omega 3 capsule which has alleviated nearly all of my worry as well. It just took me 10 years or so to figure all of this out....

I used to think it was a psychological issue and I have read tons of self help books, which although some helped never really solved the underlying issue. Looking back on it my grandpa and dad were the same way I think. So it is probably a genetic thing.

Anyway, this is week 3 of the st. johns and omega three and I have trudged out of depression and feel fairly good. Still some dips, but overall MUCH better.

[KaiNiki]

I thought that maybe this was just me. There is a history of depression, and bipolar in my family but I have never had to fight it before LCing. I thought maybe the connection was all in my head, the first time I LCed in June through August of 2003. I ended up on Zoloft in September when I stopped LCing. I stayed on the anti-depressants until March of 2004 (and gained all my weight back plus some). Then I tried to come back to LCing in November of 2004, I couldn't maintain so I went on and off repeatedly until May of 2005 I stuck to it pretty well until July then stopped altogether, and here I am back on anti-depressants. I wonder if my blood sugar levels being all over the place from going on and off LCing is why I am so depressed?

[emmy207]

I have just had my doses of anti-depressents increased to 100mg's.
In the last month, I have become an insomniac, had panic attacks, had a very rough patch with boyfriend and not sure I still have one right now!!! I have got deeper into depression and it has yet again cost me my job. (I am temping)
As for carbs and mood swings, that is why I am inbetween SB and Atkins. I do eat a piece of rye toast for breakfast. I will sometimes eat rice or glutten free pasta too.
If I do Atkins induction, I have bad mood swings but I do feel better with alot less carbs in my diet but I do need some, for me to feel emotionally more balanced.