I've been on the gluten free diet for about a year now, and my dad was diagnosed with Celiac several years ago, so I'm very familiar with the diet and I'm careful not to eat anything with gluten. I felt quite a bit better after I started the diet (I never had many gastrointestinal problems but I did have skin issues) but I feel like I've hit a wall, or even regressed. My eczema, which had gotten better, has gotten worse again. I'm tired all the time and I've had blood tests done and my iron levels were fine and my B12 was just a little bit low, but I've started taking extra liquid supplements. I've even had little phases where I'm just so tired that I feel depressed. My doctor just tells me that because I'm in college I'm automatically supposed to be tired all the time, even though I get at least 8 or 9 hours of sleep every night, I don't party and I eat a lot healthier than anyone else I know my age because of the gluten free diet. Has anyone else had an issue with this kind of thing?

Carly

Your talking about being really strict about the diet, which is good. But have you eliminated it from all your personal care products also? A lot of doctors either don't think to mention it or don't think it matters. Even stuff like hair color, shampoos and face makeup can be an issue. Also have you checked all your scripts and supplements for gluten? It sounds like you have gluten sneaking in somewhere. Even weird stuff like kissing someone who is drinking beer or has eaten a sandwich can get us. Gluten can be really sneaky.

Are you still consuming dairy and soy? Either (or both) of those could be your problem. Dairy is known to cause horrible eczema. My oldest granddaughter used to be covered in eczema from head to toe, she looked like she had scales. It completely cleared up within weeks, to where she has the most beautiful skin now, after dairy was removed from her diet (incidentally, she is also gluten and soy intolerant).

sounds like fibromyalgia/depression. or, maybe something else is up besides celiac, alot of other autoimmune diseases can cause skin problems.

I have made sure all my personal care products are gluten-free. I’ve had a bit of an advantage as far as that goes - my mom scoped out everything when my dad was diagnosed. My boyfriend lives 10 hours away also, so I don’t have to worry about the kissing. Also, even when we’re together I make him brush his teeth thoroughly after eating anything with gluten, which happily he is very willing to do. My supplements all say gluten free, but I did decide to get a different B12 supplement to see if maybe it would absorb a little bit better.
I do still eat soy, but I don’t eat much dairy at all, and the bit I eat is some cheese and yogurt. I’ve been lactose intolerant my whole life, so I’m used to not drinking milk, but if I do I always drink lactose free. I’ll definitely try cutting out soy and dairy (although it'll be hard to leave out my cheese) and see if that helps.
I’m heading to the doctor tomorrow (my university has a “free” health center that I figure I should make use of since my tuition fees are paying for it) so I’ll ask about the virus, fibromyalgia and/or mononucleosis. I actually have a box of green tea with Echinacea in it – I’ll try that and next time I’m at the store see about the combination with rose hips, etc.
I’ve had eczema since junior high, so I have a prescription topical cream, I think it’s just been overloaded. I’ve started using Aquaphor and it’s helping a little, but I’ll look and see if the Dr. Clark website has an other suggestions.
Thank you guys for your responses and suggestions. I’m going to try these and I also am going to check out maybe getting a thyroid test. My mom just suggested an autoimmune thyroid disease (apparently my grandmother has this) might be the culprit, and if not at least it’s something I’ve ruled out.