Withdrawal Symptoms

[Vanessa1]

Hi, I am new to the forums, it is good to find a dedicated website for Dairyfree issues.

I found out I was dairy intolerant aboutt 2 weeks or so ago and have since have cut out all milk products completely.

In the last week I have been extremely lethargic. depressed, irritable with no energy at all.

Does anyone know if this is withdrawal?
Has anyone else experienced this?
How long does it take to get through it?

Any info you can pass on would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Vanessa

[matt]

could be a form of withdrawal, just a likely to be mild depression. give it time.
what have you replaced the milk with? get yourself some treats to spoil yourself. plenty out there dairy free icecream by swedish, good quality plain chocolate and so on. check out the website for ideas.

hopefully you're already getting the benefits of cutting out dairy, if so take some pleasure in that. hang in there.

[Vanessa1]

Originally posted by matt@May 9 2004, 05:09 AM
could be a form of withdrawal, just a likely to be mild depression. give it time.
what have you replaced the milk with? get yourself some treats to spoil yourself. plenty out there dairy free icecream by swedish, good quality plain chocolate and so on. check out the website for ideas.

hopefully you're already getting the benefits of cutting out dairy, if so take some pleasure in that. hang in there.
Hi Matt

I have replace dairy with Soya and Rice milk and vegan pates etc. I have been eating 70% dark chocolate and Soya desserts for treats.

Thanks for you help, hopefully it will just be a passing phase, as you say it should be worth it in the end.

Vanessa

[Lan]

Hi Vanessa,

Have you tried the free from milk chocolate which is Sainsbury's home brand? It is very tasty and I prefer it to the dark chocolates available. Also I like nothing better than to nibble on a nice piece of cheezly.

I know it is hard at present but as soon as you get used to the situation, it will get easier. I have now been like this for 8 years and am still learning new things each day.

If there is anything we can help you with, please do not hesitate to let us know.

I wish you luck for the future.

Lan. :hug:

[astra]

the only withdrawl symptoms i had was feeling *great*!

perhaps you are not eating enough protein? i find that i get really sluggish and tired if i don't get enough. snacking on a sandwich generally makes me feel worse, but if i make a banana smoothie with soya milk then that keeps my energy levels up much more.

as vegan my protein sources are narrowed somewhat, so i'm experimenting with a slow cooker at the moment, and man how did i live without one!! lentil curry done in there is sex on a plate lol very simple ingredients, thrown in and left all day and mmmmmm

i've been finding that i was previously paniccing a little over the protein intake as i was buying nut burgers and sun dried tomato sausages and stuff, now i've taken my food down a level and eat as much fresh stuff as possible, and that really helps :)

i do keep a stock of soya yogurts and ice cream, then if i do feel hungry after tea, or i know i've not had enough protein with it, then i can have a pudding of yog or ice cream with some fruit and then i'm not picking at crisps etc later :)

is really hard to make the change and not feel deprived. try and concentrate on what you *can* eat, rather than mourn for the things that make you ill, it gets easier over time :) for example, i've not missed cheese, and i was a huge cheese eater, a few weeks ago i finally found some cheezly and some soft philadelphia like cheese, and i couldn't bring myself to try them for fear of disappointment and they ended up in the bin without even being opened (sorry lan ;) )

all of the supermarket online websites now have listing that you can print out to enable you to pick up the products that are safe for you to eat - so that may help you as you will hopefully find lots of things on there that you thought you'd never eat again! did you know for example that tesco bakery donuts are vegan? *drool* as are their own blue stripe brand apple pies mmm :)

best advice is to plan a little in advance for the weeks food, i've been making a real effort recently, and can now have an easy week as i have loads of food that i've prepared batched up and in the freezer *polishes halo* :rolleyes:

and remember to drink plenty of water! you may be a little dehydrated.

all the best, come back and let us know how you are getting on :)

i trawl the net regularly and copy and paste lots of recipes (normal and slowcook ones) into a word document, if you want a copy then pm me your email addy and i'll happily pass it on to you :)

[Pam]

When I first went dairy free I wasn't keen on dark chocolate and didn't like drinking tea made with soya milk so my caffeine intake went right down. I suffered lots of headaches and felt really grotty for 3 or 4 days until my system cleared itself of all the toxins. Then I found that my chocolate cravings stopped (previously a complete chocoholic) and I also felt a lot better in my general health. It really is worth persevering to see if things improve. Try to drink plenty of water to flush your system.

[matt]

the question you have to ask yourself firstly is are you actually feeling any better? if not then maybe you haven't cut out the offending food or there's another one aswell as milk.
are you doing this alone or with dietician or gp? guess where the next step is!

seriously though as has been said you should have an improvement if you've cut out the offending food.

enjoy the treats, up your protein, drink more (you could try water, alcohol my first choice!!)

plenty of support from the site so ask any questions you need to however silly they may seem.

[Vanessa1]

Thanks Lan, Matt and Astra for your support and advice, it is great to speak to people who understand.

The point about protein is a good one, there is only so much fish and meat you can eat and as you say I am sure it is better to eat fresh than processed.

I undertook a blood test which came up with intolerance to Milk and Cashew nuts, so I took that to mean that all other foods will be OK.

I will keep at it and let you know how I get on!

Thanks!

Vanessa

[valeriell]

Hi: when you give up milk you often give up all the things you had the milk with. Your caffeine levels drop. You may not be eating cereals any more which are fortified with vitamins. Keep a food dairy for a while so you can tell if there is any one food that might be triggering depression. Eat lots of fresh fruit and veg to get your vitamins and remember you have given your body a shock but taking away something it thought it needed.
please don`t give up a dairy free diet can be very healthy and you should soon feel the benefits.
:rolleyes: Good Luck.