<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I want to thank the many people who responded.  The responses were wonderful
and supportive.  I'm dividing the summary into three messages:
1.  How folks determine the GF status of medicines,
2.  the GF status of Effexor, Claritin, Guiafenisin, and Flonase,
3.  the amount of time it takes a newbie GF dieter to feel 'normal' again.

Dawn @ the Jersey Shore

************
3.  The amount of time it takes a newbie GF-dieter to feel 'normal' again
I especially appreciated all the feedback I got on this issue.  I've been
very frustrated at how I've been feeling.  My sister, who went GF about the
same time I did, is feeling better than I am.  I thought I was *slow* at
recovering.  I now gather that she is *fast* at recovering and that my speed
of recovery is probably normal.  I'm trying to cultivate patience.  I guess
at 44 I can still cultivate a new life skill - patience is not something
that comes easily to me!  :)  Below I'm going to include the exact wordings
of the responses I got on this issue.

as for the brain fog - i'm BIG into understanding that one! your body
is currently in the process of getting rid of it's stockpiles of what
it considers to be a poison, aka gluten, and as a result both your
liver and kidneys are working overtime, taking vital nutrients from
other places, and in some cases, that *IS* the brain. you need to be
eating whole foods in their purest form during this time, and
certainly a bit more protein than usual (in a light form like chicken
or fish) and possibly even an omega-3/6/9 fatty acid supplement to aid
in the absorption of fat-soluble vits like the b's which are critical
in proper brain function.

********
Also, if you have been active Celiac for a while, say more then a year,
then you probably have damaged the villi in your small intestine.
According to my GI doctor, I takes 120 for these grow back to normal
once the gluten is no longer present.  Little mistakes set that time
back a bit.  Also, some folks on this list have said it can take up to
two years.

*********
Six weeks after I went GF I was still weak and could barely function on my
own. I didn't have the D problem, but it was at least nine months before I
felt "normal" again. It took 15 weeks before I could work full time again.

Also, is it possible you are also sensitive to lactose or casein? That can
cause gluten-like reactions. Are you taking a probiotic in case you have
bacterial overgrowth. This is a good idea for anybody who is recovering and
it doesn't hurt anything. Culturelle is a good OTC probiotic that doesn't
require refrigeration.

*********
I was diagnosed last year in November.  It has taken a good 6-9 months
before I felt like a "normal person" again.  You will not loose all of the
ill effects this quickly.
*********

Be sure they are Gf.  And try to wean off some of them...also be sure you
are taking a mufti vitamin, maybe folate,b, c, and e vitamins too.  Be sure
you are being very careful about cross contamination too.

*********
However, I wonder if you are having B12 shots once a month. I was so tired I
could hardly walk across the room and after tests from asthma to heart and
everything else they decided I was very low on B12. It made a world of
difference!

********
I was diagnosed on my 61st birthday and have been attempting to be gluten
free
since.  I am, overall, feeling better, but avoiding gluten, and who knows
what
else, appears to be getting to be a more complicated issue.  For example, I
had
been feeling pretty good, and then went out to dinner (checked everything
out)
and everything was okay, except the coffee, which gave me an immediate,
severe
stomach ache followed by headache and sick feeling.
********
I do know that sometimes it takes longer for adults to heal...hard, too, to
weed out the itsy-bitsy offending ingredients.
********
I was also in a brain fog until I went dairy and sugar free in addition
to being gluten free.  I felt better after a week of being off those two
things.  Maybe try that and see if it helps.
********
Good luck with your new diagnosis and don't expect miracles overnight...it
took a long time for all the damage to be done and it will likely take a
long
time for healing to take place also.  Since, only one in 1,500 who have
celiac are diagnosed presently...you can consider yourself a miracle already
and things will get easier as time goes on.  Here are some other things that
might help.
*********
It can take awhile for you
to feel better, especially if you have a lot of damage. Hope you feel better
soon!:)

* All posts for product information must include the applicable country *