Vitamins

[Summersnake]

I’m really down ,depressed And very bad anxiety
Is there any chance it’s diet related ?
I don’t always remember to take vitamins ,so I could be lacking in something,diet is awful and bland .
Be glad of any advice x

Yes it could be.

Many vegans are deficient in B12 which can cause depression, anxiety and -if deficient long term- even neurological problems.

Depression can also be a symptom of low iron, vitamin D deficiency and Thyroid issues. You need to have a serious look at your diet if it’s awful. It might be worth a chat to the GP and request blood tests as, if you are very deficient in something, you would possibly need something stronger than OTC vitamins.

I hope you feel better soon

Thankyou
That was a kind reply
I did have some blood tests a while back when my doctor realised I was vegan ,but I don’t know what they tested for ,or the result

Do phone your surgery and ask for your blood test results. There are many instances where a dr could write a note on patients blood test results such as ‘patient to buy high strength vitamin D’ or repeat in 3 months and rely on the patient phoning to ask the results.

They don’t necessarily contact you with results as they have hundreds of results each week to report on and whoever took your blood should generally say to phone in a week for your results.

If your results are all normal it could be worth asking for a print out as this will give your results plus the labs reference range. You can still have symptoms if low end of normal. “Normal” isn’t optimal. That said, it would be worth having a chat to your GP if you are feeling low and anxious.