Sugar: Its effect on mental health and withdrawal

[GiaK]

I have to say when it became clear that food items were making me ill and I truly realized that was the source of greater illness it became very easy to give up foods...the trick is the total elimination...because then, if you eat it again, there is no doubt that it is problematic...it's making those clean breaks that is the hardest step...or it was for me anyway...

 

I remain open to adding problematic foods back in in the future, but for the time being I really have no problem at all sticking to a regimented whole foods diet...I want to get well :-)

 

for me it's been worth being really hard-core about eliminating foods that were guilty....some things will be forever...others there is room for reconsideration once I'm healthier...

[Altostrata]

Glutamine is a component of protein, i.e. meat.

[Jemima]

In the U.S. we have an additional problem with much of our food being genetically modified but not labeled as such. It's best to stick to an organic diet as much as possible, especially when it comes to wheat, corn, soy, sugar, and canola, which are almost always genetically modified unless labeled "certified organic". You can pretty much count on getting a load of GMO stuff in processed cereals, convenience foods, snacks, and desserts.

 

There is mounting evidence that genetically modified grains are killing off livestock or rendering young animals sterile, and that only a few days on an organic diet can clear up a number of health problems in people. I don't have the articles handy, but I remember those results very well.

[Help777]

Does anyone find that an overload of sugar makes symptoms worse such as anger and crying bouts?

[Petunia]

Yes, many of us have had to reduce or completely cut out sugar once we become sensitized by withdrawal. I used to be able to eat a normal dessert, or a bowl of ice-cream, a chocolate bar and put sugar in my tea or coffee, but not any more. Too much sugar and my symptoms increase.

 

A few weeks back I thought I was recovered enough to eat a normal dessert, so I tried, two days in a row. It put me in a wave that lasted 2 weeks.

 

I also have to be careful about eating too much fruit also. I can have a little organic raw honey, stevia and a tiny amount of high quality, organic dark chocolate and that's my limit at the moment.

 

Also see:  Sugar: Its effect on mental health and withdrawal *topics merged

Edited February 8, 2016 by Petunia

[Happy2Heal]

I have a terrible time with sugar. I don't know if it's because I have always had a sweet tooth and have always eaten way too much (candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, brownies, etc) and it's just taken it's toll on my body (liver, pancreas, whatever other organs sugar affects)

 

but now I can have small amnts of sugar in my coffee and tea (usually from the sweetened soy creamer that I use) I can have a little honey or sweetener in cereal.

But Feb 1st was my birthday and I ate way too much sugar and was in pain (it seems to cause inflammation that leads to joint pain) and I just crashed and slept off and on for almost 24hrs since

 

before menopause, sugar definitely affected my moods. I don't know if it still does, too much makes me so sleepy I don't generally stay awake to find out what my mood would be if I were awake :/

 

for me lack of sleep leads to anger/rage, but I can see how sugar could do that too.

[faultandfracture]

Copious amounts of sugar, or even sugar levels above the recommended daily 25g, ABSOLUTELY create a chaotic environment - both on a physiological and psychological level.

 

In today's society, there is so much added sugar, that one has to be aware of everything they're consuming at all times. An 8oz can of Mountain Dew contains almost double the RDA amount!

 

If sugar was the gun, inflammation would be the bullet. Furthermore (still in-metaphor), if inflammation is the key precipitating factor in depression and you were at a firing range taking aim at a target à la the human brain, you'd have blown a hole right through the berm and backside of the building.

 

Sorry, couldn't help it.

 

I've fasted before and didn't want to go back to eating - anything - because I felt so great.

 

The point is to watch what you're eating. The tip of the old food pyramid has been withdrawn for this reason and also because you'll get the sugar you need through fruits and veggies.

 

[coldturkmama]

Sugar impacts me as well and I crave it so much.....sigh

[InvisibleUnless]

i have intermittent problems with sugar in withdrawal.  cognitive dysfunction, rage attacks, movement problems, etc.  some days i cannot tolerate even a tiny nibble of chocolate or little taste of natural juice.  some days i can manage a small helping of sugary goods, like french toast with a bit of syrup.  sometimes sugar is mostly ok.  i spent a few several-month periods in withdrawal eating chocolate ice cream every day, oftentimes more than just once.

 

the sugar problem extends to foods that get processed into sugars, too.  bready items, for instance, can case the same issues once they are being digested.  sugar problems from other things can be instantaneous or cause trouble only after a few minutes have passed.  i try to test foods that i am sensitive to before taking a substantial bite or including them in meals, especially since the level of sensitivity can change hour to hour or day to day.  it can sometimes be difficult to get any fruit or vegetables in my diet for stretches due to this sensitivity.

 

my insulin responses are pretty fucked in general.  going without certain foods can make me near-catatonic, and then finally getting what i needed can spruce everything back up almost instantly.  sometimes it takes ice cream, sometimes juice, sometimes only food or semi-solid sources can manage it.  i dont always know what i need, but sometimes the sugar reaction can contraindicate the usual miracle workers.

 

when i am having a severe sugar response, trying to do a bit of physical exercise or whatever can sometimes lessen the severity.  though our brains utilize a significant portion of our daily calories, heavy thinking does not really burn through the severity like movement does, and i can start feeling trapped if im just doing the same activity for a while and not moving around.

[Sarabera]

InvisibleUnless points out something very important--all starches are converted to sugar, it might take just a bit longer (but not that much longer!). I've done quite a bit of blood sugar (blood glucose or BG) testing on myself, both fasting BG and after meal BG (high usually hits about 45 minutes after a meal). The results I've found are quite interesting, but it is clear that a lot of starch (e.g. a serving of rice) is going to give me very high readings. Even fruit sugars can really elevate BG if you take in enough of them (for instance a glass of fruit juice is killer). I've worked very hard over the last year to cut out sugar completely, and go very low carb, moderate protein and high fat. Fat is actually a great fuel to run the body on, and your brain is mostly made of fat, so you need the good fats!

 

One thing I've found is that my blood glucose is quite unstable and I get some very high readings. After some research, I've found that many of the ADs cause that blood sugar instability. So a little sugar goes a long way. After a high BG reading, a healthy pancreas is going to put out a ton of insulin. This will likely make you sleepy, as well as help put on weight. I've had much more stable energy levels and lost weight by cutting down carbs quite a bit (not calories!).

 

I also read with interest the original posting by Altostrata, in which she mentions BDNF. One of the best ways to raise BDNF is through fasting. Amazing regeneration happens when you fast. This might sound drastic to some, but it really isn't bad at all, especially if you already eat a fairly low carb diet, or Paleo type diet and aren't dependent on carbs. I often do 16/8 intermittent fasting during the week, which is a fancy way of saying I skip breakfast. If anyone is interested, I highly recommend looking into it.

 

Haven't even gone into AGEs--advanced glycation end products (yes, sugar related), but it's getting late.

[fefesmom]

I went ct off effexor 4 years ago and lost about 50 pounds without effort; I no longer binged on sugary stuff - just didn't want to and didn't crave. I could eat a reasonable (whatever that means) amount of sweets and stop easily.

Over the past 3 years I have been on Lexapro and tapered off; now tapering off Zoloft. I have gained back about half the weight I lost; am due to be off Zoloft completely by the end of February. Still bingeing and craving a lot. Hoping this will decrease when i am totally off Z. like it did when I was off Effexor. I wonder now if it was going off ct (which I didn't know was so risky) that led to lessened bingeing, craving. The ads just don't seem to do much to help me feel better so I am planning to stay off them and hoping that sugar cravings will diminish like they have.

FM

[MatGMax]

I cut out all sugar and alcohol 7 weeks ago. 

(I was drinking about 1 standard drink of alcohol a day). 

 

It does make me feel better and I've lost 4 kilo of weight with out any cravings or problems. 

(10-12 kilo's to go to get to my target weight, though it is hard to exactly know what my target weight will be, haven't been there for a long time!). 

 

But... For me giving up sugar and alcohol certainly hasn't been a magic cure for either depression or SSRI withdrawal (at least not yet...) 

I'm still on 1 mg lexapro with 10 months to go to taper to 0. 

 

However, given weight gain is a significant symptom of both depression and SSRI use/discontinuation:

I'd certainly suggest people give it a go if they are in a space that allows them to do it. 

 

Personally I found giving up both sugar and alcohol together easiest as one can lead to another and they both hit the liver.

I don't eat as many carbs, but don't avoid them.

 

(And when I say giving up sugar I mean giving up sugar/HFCS/honey/fruit juice/fruit/packaged cereals and all the packaged foods that contain anything more than a tiny amount of them). 

I won't go into details as it has been done to death by other people online. Sarah Wilson is the Patron Saint here in Australia with her 'I quit sugar'. 

I found giving up cold turkey was best for me.

 

Cheers

 

Damien

[ChessieCat]

On 2/16/2016 at 11:36 AM, MatGMax said:

(And when I say giving up sugar I mean giving up sugar/HFCS/honey/fruit juice/fruit/packaged cereals and all the packaged foods that contain anything more than a tiny amount of them). 

 

From https://www.responsiblefoods.org/sugar_names/

Fifty-six names for sugar: 

1. Agave nectar* 
2. Barbados sugar* 
3. Barley malt 
4. Beet sugar* 
5. Blackstrap molasses* 
6. Brown rice syrup* 
7. Brown sugar* 
8. Buttered syrup* 
9. Cane juice crystals* 
10. Cane sugar* 
11. Caramel* 
12. Carob syrup* 
13. Castor sugar* 
14. Confectioner’s sugar* 
15. Corn syrup 
16. Corn syrup solids 
17. Crystalline fructose* 
18. Date sugar* 
19. Demerara sugar* 
20. Dextran
21. Dextrose 
22. Diastatic malt 
23. Diatase 
24. Ethyl maltol 
25. Evaporated cane juice* 
26. Florida crystals* 
27. Fructose* 
28. Fruit juice* 
29. Fruit juice concentrate* 
30. Galactose 
31. Glucose 
32. Glucose solids 
33. Golden sugar* 
34. Golden syrup* 
35. Grape sugar* 
36. High-fructose corn syrup* 
37. Honey* 
38. Icing sugar* 
39. Invert sugar* 
40. Lactose 
41. Malt syrup 
42. Maltose
43. Maple syrup* 
44. Molasses* 
45. Muscovado sugar* 
46. Organic raw sugar* 
47. Panocha* 
48. Raw sugar* 
49. Refiner’s syrup* 
50. Rice syrup 
51. Sorghum syrup* 
52. Sucrose* 
53. Sugar* 
54. Treacle* 
55. Turbinado sugar* 
56. Yellow sugar* 

*Contains fructose

 

The FDA considers sugar to be any one of the following six compounds: glucose, galactose, fructose, maltose (glucose-glucose), lactose (glucose-galactose), and sucrose (glucose-fructose).

[KingPrawn]

I'm wondering if sugary products add to the cortisol spike when I wake up in the morning and that troubles me till at least mid afternoon.  As this is one of my most horrible WD symptoms I'd cut sugar out immediately if there was a connection.