DD really difficult since we went gluten free. had enybody else the same experience?

[chocjunkie]

we started to put DD (4, autism) on GF food. she has been GF for almost 2 weeks.

on the positive side, her previously very badly bloated tummy completely dissapeared
she also had very bad constipation beforehand but now she is having runny poos.

behaviourwise, she has been really difficult for the last couple if days. very controlling, agressive, anxious :(

i wondered if this could be due to withdrawing the gluten? had anybody a similar experience? how long does this phase last?

TIA

dd1 went through a massive withdrawal when we put her on a gf/cf diet.

sorry to say it lasted a month or so.

like you, we saw improvements as well during that time, but her behaviour (anxiety, frustration, mood swings) was very dificut for a while.

for a long time she had similar issues if she had a diet transgression - with added bonuses as she got older, ie we gave her some cola to drink one hot day, and for the following week she lost continence - nice!

it took years for dd1's bowels to properly clear up. she hadn't had constipation or very runny poos, just not fully formed, mushy and rancid poos (again, nice!). she went gf/cf at just before 3, and it wasn't until she was nearly 7 that her stools were 'good' and healthy. but slow improvement over the years, and massive improvements (after initial withdrawal) in behaviour, language etc made it worthwhile (for us) to keep going.

thanks silverfrog, that is really encouraging :)

Yes, I think you can suffer from 'gluten withdrawel'.

But sounds like she really needs it if it's helping her bloating and bowels.

I was told you had to persevere for at least 6 months.

I've heard of withdrawal symptoms as well. Understandable if you read the Sunderland theory as the gluten is supposed to be turned into a morphine like chemical. Hopefully this means that the GF diet will be beneficial once the withdrawal signs lessen.

We were also told that gluten takes up to 6 months to completely clear the system, quicker for casein, only 3 weeks to a month.