Gluten/Glutamate Diet Questions

[[Wa...]]

Are gluten and glutamate in food the same thing?

Does eating high gluten/glutamate foods cause an increase in symptoms?

I’ve done a little research so far, it seems like there could be a link between the two. Feel free to share any knowledge on this or just dieting aspects in general that have helped you during this

[[Md...]]

From ChatGBT…

“Yes, there is a connection between gluten and glutamate. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, and it contains high levels of the amino acid glutamine. When gluten is broken down during digestion, it releases glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Some individuals may be sensitive to glutamate, and consuming foods high in gluten can potentially lead to an increase in glutamate levels, causing symptoms such as headaches, migraines, and brain fog.”

[[ve...]]

You need glutamate for GABA anyway and glutamate is also found in meat.

I'd say, unless you have celiac disease or gluten allergy, it's no problem.

[[Md...]]

On 24/12/2023 at 12:42, [[v...] said:

You need glutamate for GABA anyway and glutamate is also found in meat.

I'd say, unless you have celiac disease or gluten allergy, it's no problem.

That’s true, but it’s also important to maintain homeostasis between gaba and glutamate, so I wonder if a diet high in glutamate may off-balance things.

Isn’t that one reason why they say stimulants like caffeine should be avoided in order to prevent surges of glutamate, especially during tapering?

Then again, ive read on these forums that coffee has actually helped people with their brain fog. 

I dunno. It’s all really confusing (even contradictory at times) and enough to make your head spin when it comes to this stuff.

Everyone responds differently to different things, i guess, just like how people respond differently to benzos themselves. 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by [Md...]

[[ve...]]

38 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

That’s true, but it’s also important to maintain homeostasis between gaba and glutamate, so I wonder if a diet high in glutamate may off-balance things.

Isn’t that one reason why they say stimulants like caffeine should be avoided in order to prevent surges of glutamate, especially during tapering?

Then again, ive read on these forums that coffee has actually helped people with their brain fog. 

I dunno. It’s all really confusing (even contradictory at times) and enough to make your head spin when it comes to this stuff.

Everyone responds differently to different things, i guess, just like how people respond differently to benzos themselves. 

Before tapering from 1mg Victan (which I've been taken for years) to 0,5mg (a 50% cut) I increased my caffeine intake to get some tolerance so I can enjoy some coffee in the morning now.  Caffeine is the only way for me to counteract the drowsiness from Mirtazapine.

Edited December 25, 2023 by [ve...]

[[Md...]]

1 hour ago, [[v...] said:

Before tapering from 1mg Victan (which I've been taken for years) to 0,5mg (a 50% cut) I increased my caffeine intake to get some tolerance so I can enjoy some coffee in the morning now.  Caffeine is the only way for me to counteract the drowsiness from Mirtazapine.

100%. Great example. 👍

[[Ed...]]

On 23/12/2023 at 18:07, [[W...] said:

Are gluten and glutamate in food the same thing?

Does eating high gluten/glutamate foods cause an increase in symptoms?

I’ve done a little research so far, it seems like there could be a link between the two. Feel free to share any knowledge on this or just dieting aspects in general that have helped you during this

@[Wa...]. Eating a lot of wheat in any form invariably causes me to have a surge of anxiety after an hour or two. For years, I made no connection between wheat and my anxiety levels.

But one stress-free morning when I suddenly suffered a particularly severe anxiety attack out of nowhere, I realized that the only thing I had consumed up to that point was a whole oven-fresh baguette made with organic wheat.

Since I love fresh-baked bread, I refused to believe this was the cause of my anxiety, but I tried different wheat products again and again, and every time...anxiety followed. Testing other grains containing gluten, such as rye, even yeast-free rye crisps, I found they all had the same effect on me - anxiety. Xanax quelled it.

I told my doctor and he said that this was neither celiac nor an allergy, but just an unexplained "sensitivity" that he had noted in a number of his patients. He was the one who had already gotten me on high doses of xanax in the first place, and apparently never had a clue about the damage he might be doing to his patients' nervous systems.

I found that gluten-free organic oats (NB: some oats are "contaminated" with gluten in the processing) do not have this effect on me, not even when I drink "gluten-free" oat milk in my coffee (which does not give me anxiety either). Also, gluten-free breads (just one for example: https://shop.schar.com/ciabatta_rolls_7_oz/1100030400.html - see "Ingredients" on that page) do not cause me to have anxiety. Unfortunately, they're outrageously expensive nowadays.

Hope my own empirical experience here is of some help to you.

 

 

[[Wa...]]

Thanks for the personal experience and recommendations @[Ed...]. I seemed to have an uptick in symptoms after a pasta filled weekend a while back, but never made the connection. Definitely something I’ll keep in mind going forward