keto flu-anxiety?

Those who have gone through the process of adapting to full on ketosis, did you experience any increased anxiety during the process?

I've also started new herbs which could be contributing to anxiety as well. But was curious if those who have gone through ketosis have had any symptoms like bad anxiety (bad feeling in chest) etc.

I have narrowed it down to lyme (anxiety was a prior symptom), a herx since I have begun some new herbs (brings out that old symptom), or my body adapting to keto. it always passes! no matter how bad it is

Pirouette, that's interesting and good to know. Thank you.

I may have experienced some anxiety, restlessness, when first transitioning to a ketogenic diet. Though, with me, it was not intentional. Yeast/fungal issues, as well as multiple chemical sensitivities, slowly drove me into a corner, as far as diet. It wasn't until I'd been eating that way, albeit in a caloric deficit, for about six months that I discovered "ketogenic."

That said, I didn't really take note of my response. It just happened.

I ate that way for about a year, maybe a couple months more.

The diet's good for those suffering from severe yeast/fungal issues. Though, I feel like the beneficial flora enjoy some of the foods we're shying away from, just as much as the bad critters. Plus, for me, after years of chronic constipation, I feel I can poop better, now that I'm eating more complex carbs. I don't know if I'm ready for fruit sugars, rice, legumes, even in small amounts. I stick to sweet potatoes, squashes, carrots.

I don't know why you're doing it, but I'm sure the goal is to ultimately get back to a "normal" diet, right?

There's arguments about it, for and against, which I won't get into. Definitely an application, I feel, when it comes to Lyme and y/f, but there's also the notion that you don't want to just focus on starving the bad stuff.

Just my opinion, take or leave.

Hey Guys, new member here. Minor digression:

So, my Babesia symptoms went crazy when I recently switched to Keto from Paleo. I did it for general well being, before I knew that I had Babs. I suspect that the metabolic pressure it puts on the bugs makes them come out and react, and I suffered for it.

My point is to BE CAREFUL going keto if you have Lyme / Coinfections. It could potentially make things worse in the short term.

To the main point: I highly, highly recommend buying some exogenous ketones if you're going to switch to ketosis, along with a ketone meter to make sure you are in ketosis. The ketone supplements help you enter smoothly, with no keto flu. Trying to endure a week or 2 of keto flu on top of Lyme just sounds like hell. No need to do it, just take the ketones.

The product I was using is from Dr. Zhou, and is the Orange Mango flavor. One of the few that actually tastes OK.

As far as anxiety on ketosis, I had the opposite effect-- I was much more calm, even, and collected in my mind and emotions. But it did give me so much energy that I was a bit... 'edgy'. All of that is, until my symptoms flared back up worse than they've been in months. Dizziness, tight throat, tinnitis, night sweats, heart palpitations. It sucked. Truth be told, anxiety was part of the package, but I chalked it up to a general return in symptoms, as it came with all these other lovely experiences.

The drawback to ketosis IMO are:

1-- sticky poop. If you're not getting A LOT of fiber, then you can be easily constipated with very sticky waste. Sorry to be so graphic, but nobody told me. And since detoxing is such a big part of successfully managing lyme, constipation is not really such a good thing. Eat more fiber than you think you'll need.


2-- Weight loss. I dropped more weight on keto, and that includes losing muscle mass. Normally I would be OK with that, but with lyme, that's a concern.


Just my .02, hope it helps.

Post Edited (Dave Here Now) : 9/30/2017 12:03:04 AM (GMT-6)

Hey Tick41, wondering what kind of diet you transitioned from? I think anxiety can be a common issue while making the transition into full ketosis, especially if making alot of diet changes quickly. As others have mentioned , I think a lot of this is due to die off as well as various other changes going on in the body during the transition.

I ended up easing into full keto gradually , kinda feeling along blindly in the dark- looking for anything that would make me feel better- or at least not worse. As a result , I took awhile to figure out keto was what I was aiming for.

When I eventually came to the realization that keto was the way I wanted to go I had already cut out grains, soy , corn, bad fats , processed foods, and sugars ( except fruit) . I had also greatly increased my intake of good fats & electrolytes . All that was left was eliminating fruit & high carb veggies, legumes etc ; adding even more fat & ( briefly) counting carbs. And it was still rough going for awhile.

I was experiencing anxiety at that point, but I can't say for sure that it increased due to the transition . I think for me it was mostly Lyme, as I'd been dealing with gradually increasing anxiety for quite some time prior to changing my diet, but there was some additional anxiety during the transition. There may have been some unusual feelings in my chest, but once again, nothing I can swear was related to keto.

Most of my symptoms I attributed to the keto transition were physical - just an increase in the overall fatigue, malaise & dizziness/ balance problems etc. that I was already dealing with from the Lyme. The increase in those symptoms seemed to last longer than I had anticipated ( from what I'd read about keto ).

Once I was back to my 'normal' Lymie self, I was disappointed b/c it seemed like I wasn't experienceing any of the benefits of keto that people talk about. That period lasted for another couple months . Then I suddenly noticed my hormones were improving as well as a gradual reduction in the severity of my above mentioned symptoms.

All that said, for me keto has been the single most helpful tool in easing my Lyme symptoms. I know it's not for everyone, but I do think it's worth a try.

One suggestion I might have is to make sure you are eating enough - particularly fats. It took me awhile to figure out that it seemed like I could sometimes ( not always) head off anxiety by eating fat more frequently. This works best if I remember to consume fat at regular intervals rather than waiting until I notice my anxiety is increasing. It also took me awhile to understand how much fat I needed to eat! Good luck !