Celiac Triggered By Benzo Withdrawal? Is That Possible?

I hope this isn't just wild speculation, and it isn't my intention to frighten anyone. I'm back here after posting my success story because I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I am 35 years old and over 2 years off benzodiazepines. I've heard that severe physiological and/or emotional distress can trigger Celiac in adults, and of course now I'm wondering if this was brought on by benzo withdrawal.

During w/d I assumed all my severe GI symptoms were "benzo belly," but even noted in my success story that they were the only lingering issue. I didn't go gluten free during w/d but did start eating much healthier (less processed stuff, more fresh/organic produce, etc.) during that time because there wasn't much food I could tolerate.

I finally tried going gluten-free earlier this year and noticed that it helped, but symptoms didn't resolve (likely because I was still consuming some gluten in products I didn't notice, or that were cross-contaminated). I waited until I was two years off benzos and otherwise healed before I finally got tested. I had to eat gluten for several weeks before the test and immediately felt worse, so I wasn't really surprised by the results.

Undiagnosed Celiac disease can cause fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, headaches, and joint pain - all familiar symptoms to me that I had always attributed to PTSD, benzos and benzo withdrawal. The bad news is that of course I'll never know how long Celiac went undiagnosed or what brought it on in adulthood. The good news is that once my intestine heals and I manage a (proper, strict) gluten-free diet, there's a good chance I will feel even better as symptoms I had resigned myself to "just live with" become treatable.

I'm not sure what point I'm trying to make here. I guess I'm just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience or may have read more about a possible connection.  And I want to reiterate again that this post is not meant to frighten anyone who is still going through the thick of withdrawal. I'm relieved to have actionable answers and  hoping folks here can help me understand them.

Hi Gwinna,

I don't usually look in this thread but I'm glad I did. I was three years off benzos when I discovered I had full blown celiac disease too. The villi were totally flattened in my small intestine. I was shocked.

I've eaten gluten all my life. I never had any symptoms (that I know about). I have no idea how/when it started, but it was pretty severe when doctors found it. I nearly had osteoporosis and I was severely malnourished.

Do I have the celiac gene? Have I had active celiac all my life? Did coming off benzos trigger my celiac? No idea...

But you're not alone. I can relate to everything you say. This benzo nightmare just gets weirder and weirder... 

Hi Gwinna,

 

I don't usually look in this thread but I'm glad I did. I was three years off benzos when I discovered I had full blown celiac disease too. The villi were totally flattened in my small intestine. I was shocked.

 

I've eaten gluten all my life. I never had any symptoms (that I know about). I have no idea how/when it started, but it was pretty severe when doctors found it. I nearly had osteoporosis and I was severely malnourished.

 

Do I have the celiac gene? Have I had active celiac all my life? Did coming off benzos trigger my celiac? No idea...

 

But you're not alone. I can relate to everything you say. This benzo nightmare just gets weirder and weirder... 

Hi donnieogik, thanks for your reply! I hope you're feeling better now that you have a diagnosis. It really is crazy to think about all the health issues that can POTENTIALLY be traced back to benzos and/or benzo withdrawal. For me, separating those symptoms from PTSD is even more complicated. And of course we'll never really know. Be well!