Hi all!

 

I have a general question. Has anyone had marked improvement in symptoms and quality of life from limiting sugars? In particular, I have seen a lot of claims out there related to withdrawal symptoms and keto/carnivore/lion diets. I read several older threads on SA but wanted to chat with some individuals who may have tried this path or are currently on it. 

Hello,

I've been eating keto for about 11 days now. It's an ongoing experiment. The first few days I felt weird, after it seemed I had less pain when walking and I trembled less. Did feel like I had some more energy but also a bit of restlessness when going to bed. I also seem to move at a slower pace. On the other hand I noticed my heart pounding a lot more, having pressure or pain in the ears due to my heart pounding, and more dizzy at times. Also noticed my arms/legs give that sleepy pins & needles feeling more often when I sit. I haven't done any tests to see whether I'm in ketosis yet. I can't really tell or remember whether the state I am in now is better than before. I might swap over to carbs again soon to test if anything changes.

Has anyone had marked improvement in symptoms and quality of life from limiting sugars? In particular, I have seen a lot of claims out there related to withdrawal symptoms and keto/carnivore/lion diets. I read several older threads on SA but wanted to chat with some individuals who may have tried this path or are currently on it. 

 

Hello @HopeHeals Great question!

To me the important thing is not if or how much sugar I eat, but when. If I eat sugar on an empty stomach I feel terrible, get cortisolspikes for the rest of the day and the following night. If I eat some sugar for desert, the glucose comes on slowly and I do not have problems. I wrote this for another member on the forum, but will copy and paste it here, because it might be helpful:

 

I had for years the following symptoms (before taking meds, because of trauma): Waking up after about 4 hours sleep with anxiety, feeling my heart pump, etc. and often unable to go back to sleep. Same after a nap. And same after lunch, not always but often. The chemical anxiety was horrible and I felt helpless. So I experimented with food. I found out, that when I ate in a way that would not trigger a srong insuline response I would feel MUCH better after the meal and the following night.   

Years later I found an explanation: (Text now written with the help of AI, English is not my language): The reason is a  a highly stress-reactive nervous system. In stress-sensitive individuals, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responds quickly to internal changes. One strong trigger is a rapid drop in blood glucose after a meal (If one eats a high-carbohydrate meal, especially refined carbs, blood glucose may rise quickly and trigger a strong insulin response. Then the glucose level drops rapidly). Even if it does not reach true hypoglycemic levels, the brain may interpret the rapid decline as a threat. In response, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol to raise glucose again. At night, this counter-regulatory response can cause sudden awakening with a feeling of alarm, tension, or a racing heart. Once the sympathetic nervous system is activated, falling back asleep becomes difficult. The goal is therefore metabolic stability and reduced stress activation. Each meal should emphasize protein, healthy fats, and fiber, with moderate amounts of slow-digesting carbohydrates (e.g., lentils, quinoa, vegetables) rather than refined starches or sugar. Combining carbohydrates with protein and fat helps prevent sharp glucose spikes and drops. Some people benefit from a small, protein-rich snack before bed, such as Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or a handful of nuts, to stabilize overnight glucose levels.

What I personally do and don´t do: 

I never drink fruit juice, or any sweet drink. I never eat something sweet or a sugary fruit or white bread/pasta etc. on an empty stomach. Every meal starts with protein,  then vegetables and then the (preferably slow) carbonhydrates . The goal is to keep glucose stable.

Going Keto might help even more, to me this is a managable approach that is easy to follow and has a clear impact on my wellbeing.

Thanks for starting the discussion, I am curios about other peoples experiences with diet in withdrawal!

On 2/21/2026 at 4:28 PM, Vince said:

I can't really tell or remember whether the state I am in now is better than before. I might swap over to carbs again soon to test if anything changes.

Thank you so much, this is really insightful! I have been having a lot of issues with my heart rate lately and do wonder if diet is contributing. If you moved back to carbs would you mind sharing any changes you notice?

On 2/26/2026 at 6:04 AM, Nemina said:What I personally do and don´t do: 

 

I never drink fruit juice, or any sweet drink. I never eat something sweet or a sugary fruit or white bread/pasta etc. on an empty stomach. Every meal starts with protein,  then vegetables and then the (preferably slow) carbonhydrates . The goal is to keep glucose stable.

Going Keto might help even more, to me this is a managable approach that is easy to follow and has a clear impact on my wellbeing.

Thanks for starting the discussion, I am curios about other peoples experiences with diet in withdrawal!

This is so helpful. I think part of my issues is that I don't gravitate towards the slow carbohydrates. I've always relied on sugar for an instant mood/serotonin boost. However, I don't think my body reacts will to processed sugars and wondered if the withdrawal process was worsening this. Thank you!! 

I know on SA, we were told to avoid processed meats due to the sodium nitrates. Here is the reason why:

ChatGPT:

 

Sodium nitrates (commonly found in processed meats and some preserved foods) don’t directly interact with SSRIs in the way another drug would—but during SSRI withdrawal, your body and brain are in a more sensitive, reactive state, so their effects can feel more noticeable.

Here’s how they can matter:

1. Blood vessel effects (vasodilation)

Sodium nitrates convert into nitric oxide in the body, which relaxes blood vessels.

This can lead to headaches, dizziness, or lightheadedness.

During SSRI withdrawal, people often already experience “brain zaps,” dizziness, and balance issues, so nitrates may intensify those sensations.

2. Blood pressure changes

Because of vasodilation, nitrates can slightly lower blood pressure.

If withdrawal is already causing fatigue, weakness, or faint feelings, this can make it worse.

3. Neurotransmitter sensitivity

SSRI withdrawal temporarily disrupts serotonin regulation. While nitrates don’t directly affect serotonin like SSRIs do, nitric oxide:

interacts indirectly with neurotransmission

may influence headaches, mood, and sensory sensitivity

This can translate into:

increased head pressure or migraines

heightened anxiety or jitteriness in some people

4. Histamine and food sensitivity overlap

Processed foods with nitrates often also contain other additives that can:

trigger inflammation or histamine release

worsen withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, flushing, or headaches

5. Sleep and nervous system effects

Some people report that nitrate-heavy foods:

worsen sleep quality

increase restlessness

Sleep is already fragile during SSRI withdrawal, so this can compound the issue.

Bottom line

Sodium nitrates aren’t known to directly worsen SSRI withdrawal at a biochemical level, but they can amplify common withdrawal symptoms, especially:

headaches

dizziness

anxiety

sensory sensitivity

Practical advice

If you’re going through SSRI withdrawal:

Try reducing processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs)

Pay attention to whether symptoms spike after eating them

Focus on simple, whole foods while your nervous system stabilizes.

Why MSG can be problematic, from ChatGPT:

MSG (monosodium glutamate) can be a problem for some people during antidepressant (AD) tapering or withdrawal because your nervous system is already in a more sensitive, unstable state. Here’s what’s going on in plain terms:

1. It affects glutamate, your brain’s main excitatory signal

MSG is essentially a source of glutamate. Glutamate is a key neurotransmitter involved in stimulation, learning, and memory—but too much can overstimulate the brain.

During AD withdrawal, your brain chemistry is trying to rebalance, and glutamate activity can become dysregulated. Adding extra glutamate (via MSG) may:

Increase anxiety or agitation

Trigger restlessness or insomnia

Cause headaches or “brain zaps”

2. Withdrawal already raises neural sensitivity

When tapering antidepressants, especially SSRIs or SNRIs, the brain can become hypersensitive. This is sometimes linked to changes in receptors and excitatory/inhibitory balance.

MSG can amplify that sensitivity, making symptoms feel:

Stronger

More sudden

Harder to stabilize

3. Possible link to excitotoxicity

There’s a concept called excitotoxicity—where excessive stimulation from glutamate can stress or damage neurons.

While normal dietary MSG doesn’t usually cause this in healthy people, during withdrawal (when the system is already dysregulated), some people feel symptoms that resemble mild overstimulation:

Racing thoughts

Panic-like feelings

Sensory overload

4. It may worsen autonomic symptoms

Withdrawal often affects your autonomic nervous system (heart rate, digestion, temperature regulation). MSG can sometimes:

Trigger flushing

Increase heart rate

Cause sweating or dizziness

These overlap with withdrawal symptoms, making everything feel worse.

5. Not everyone reacts the same

It’s important to be grounded here:

MSG is considered safe for the general population

Many people have no issues at all

Sensitivity tends to show up more in people already in a fragile neurochemical state (like withdrawal)

Practical takeaway

If you're tapering antidepressants and feeling unstable:

It can be worth reducing or avoiding MSG temporarily

Pay attention to symptom patterns after eating (especially processed foods, fast food, seasoning mixes)

Focus on simple, whole foods while your system stabilizes.

Common hidden sources of MSG

Even if you don’t see “MSG” listed, look for:

“Natural flavors”

“Autolyzed yeast” / yeast extract

Hydrolyzed protein (soy, corn, etc.)

Bouillon cubes / soup bases

Instant noodles

Chips / flavored snacks

Fast food and takeout (especially sauces)

Edited April 11Apr 11 by LostinCanada

Just as a heads up, chatgpt is a language model not a reasoning or logic model. 
 

for instance, msg is a salt of glutamate and functionally different from

glutamate itself. It doesnt have a method of crossing the BBB and even if it did it’s not going to bind to the neurons effectively. 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30508818/

 

THAT SAID it can increase blood pressure which can change your physiologic response to stressors and may exacerbate symptoms of WD. 
 

but chatgpt is very strongly programmed to positively corroborate user fed input into something agreeable. It has a very very strong confirmation bias and shouldnt be trusted with actual analysis

 

4 hours ago, Talltreescoldseas said:

Just as a heads up, chatgpt is a language model not a reasoning or logic model. 

I agree. It’s useful to gather some information but like all research it needs cross checking and thoughtful evaluating. I always take ai results with a large pinch of salt. Excuse the pun. 

You can remove excess sugar from your diet without going full keto/carnivore. Everyone would benefit from that.

 

I'm not sure about going keto when you're still on medication, and I've read some stuff about how it can change how your body metabolises drugs.

 

If your situation isn't catastrophic there is probably little harm in trying.

 

Just be cautious, going on keto stresses your body and spikes cortisol levels. 

On 2/22/2026 at 9:28 AM, Vince said:

Hello,

I've been eating keto for about 11 days now. It's an ongoing experiment. The first few days I felt weird, after it seemed I had less pain when walking and I trembled less. Did feel like I had some more energy but also a bit of restlessness when going to bed. I also seem to move at a slower pace. On the other hand I noticed my heart pounding a lot more, having pressure or pain in the ears due to my heart pounding, and more dizzy at times. Also noticed my arms/legs give that sleepy pins & needles feeling more often when I sit. I haven't done any tests to see whether I'm in ketosis yet. I can't really tell or remember whether the state I am in now is better than before. I might swap over to carbs again soon to test if anything changes.

Hi @Vince are you still doing keto diet?

On 2/21/2026 at 6:36 AM, HopeHeals said:

Hi all!

 

I have a general question. Has anyone had marked improvement in symptoms and quality of life from limiting sugars? In particular, I have seen a lot of claims out there related to withdrawal symptoms and keto/carnivore/lion diets. I read several older threads on SA but wanted to chat with some individuals who may have tried this path or are currently on it. 

Hi @HopeHeals I have been in ketosis for about 6 months now and it has had some positive effects. Happy to chat if you have any specific questions

Hey @Catbird , no I kept going for another week or two. Had trouble getting enough calories in, and wanted to see if I would get a bad reaction if I ate carbs again. One night I had bad sleep after eating carbs, but that may just have been incidental. I didn't notice much difference, but that is also because of troubled sense perception. I guess the dizzyness, heart pounding & pins 'n needles has actually improved since eating carbs again, but again it might be unrelated. It did help with sensitive stomach issues, like gastric acid.

Right now I eat whatever, but I don't eat a lot. My BMI is 18.6, just above the border of being underweight, which I seem to be able to maintain.

2 hours ago, Vince said:

Hey @Catbird , no I kept going for another week or two. Had trouble getting enough calories in, and wanted to see if I would get a bad reaction if I ate carbs again. One night I had bad sleep after eating carbs, but that may just have been incidental. I didn't notice much difference, but that is also because of troubled sense perception. I guess the dizzyness, heart pounding & pins 'n needles has actually improved since eating carbs again, but again it might be unrelated. It did help with sensitive stomach issues, like gastric acid.

Right now I eat whatever, but I don't eat a lot. My BMI is 18.6, just above the border of being underweight, which I seem to be able to maintain.

That sounds really tricky @Vince. So far I’m feeling so much better on keto. Generally I find it has a calming effect. I’m going through a rough patch at the moment and I wonder if it would be even worse without ketosis. Hope you’re doing okay with your taper 🤗

I want to contribute an interesting finding. We know that ssri/snris can contribute to metabolic issues. One of the first side effects i encountered on cymbalta was as if my already present glucose issues were dialed up to 11. (Note: my bloods have consistently shown very healthy nondiabetic stats - insulin, glucose, hba1c are textbook perfect. I do not have diabetes or insulin resistance)

I am attaching 2 screenshots - one of a night before splitting my dose (so i would have had interdose withdrawal) and one when i took an evening dose. I have found that despite my plasma glucose always looking normal, my symptoms heavily correlate with the valleys in my cgm readings. I woke up with awful symptoms during the night with the dips but had no symptoms last night. (Note that the dips are on a whole foods diet, minimal spices, protein before carbs, only whole grain oatmeal/quinoa/millet. I have crashes even if carbs are not present!)

I cant really explain why this is happening - maybe the snri tendency to elevate glucose suddenly goes away in withdrawal and hypos happen as the body is not without the drug long enough to find its own blood sugar blanace. At any rate, I am coming to the conclusion that a LOT of my withdrawal can be explained by unstable blood sugar. Of course thats a chicken and egg situation since we know a kindled ans can see any fluctuations as danger and dump glucose etc.

I personally have found on my crash days, i must eat carbs and recover from the crashes. Oncr i am stable, i do very well fasting until noon, keto until evening. I eat all of my carbs at dinner. The huge spike helps me feel sleepy and is so large that i cant hit a low overnight. Staying low carb before dinner minimizes setting off my ans from glucose changes. I know folks here are finding help on keto. I have never responded well to it, so i hope my experience might help someone else who has carb issues but cant do keto.

Edited August 1Aug 1 by Jazzjunkie84

3 hours ago, Jazzjunkie84 said:

I want to contribute an interesting finding. We know that ssri/snris can contribute to metabolic issues. One of the first side effects i encountered on cymbalta was as if my already present glucose issues were dialed up to 11. (Note: my bloods have consistently shown very healthy nondiabetic stats - insulin, glucose, hba1c are textbook perfect. I do not have diabetes or insulin resistance)

I am attaching 2 screenshots - one of a night before splitting my dose (so i would have had interdose withdrawal) and one when i took an evening dose. I have found that despite my plasma glucose always looking normal, my symptoms heavily correlate with the valleys in my cgm readings. I woke up with awful symptoms during the night with the dips but had no symptoms last night. (Note that the dips are on a whole foods diet, minimal spices, protein before carbs, only whole grain oatmeal/quinoa/millet. I have crashes even if carbs are not present!)

I cant really explain why this is happening - maybe the snri tendency to elevate glucose suddenly goes away in withdrawal and hypos happen as the body is not without the drug long enough to find its own blood sugar blanace. At any rate, I am coming to the conclusion that a LOT of my withdrawal can be explained by unstable blood sugar. Of course thats a chicken and egg situation since we know a kindled ans can see any fluctuations as danger and dump glucose etc.

I personally have found on my crash days, i must eat carbs and recover from the crashes. Oncr i am stable, i do very well fasting until noon, keto until evening. I eat all of my carbs at dinner. The huge spike helps me feel sleepy and is so large that i cant hit a low overnight. Staying low carb before dinner minimizes setting off my ans from glucose changes. I know folks here are finding help on keto. I have never responded well to it, so i hope my experience might help someone else who has carb issues but cant do keto.

Hi @Jazzjunkie84 very interesting. It could be related to cortisol and adrenaline released in response to perceived stress. Cortiso has a direct Impact on blood glucose levels. If you google HPA Axis there’s information on the mechanisms. There’s also a phenomenon callled the “dawn effect”; cortisol plays a role in initiating waking and some people notice mildly elevated fasting glucose.

I’m mostly keto, but have introduced some carbs as I’m now developing metabolic flexibility where I can use both glucose and fat for fuel and more importantly switch easily between fuel sources.

13 minutes ago, Catbird said:

Hi @Jazzjunkie84 very interesting. It could be related to cortisol and adrenaline released in response to perceived stress. Cortiso has a direct Impact on blood glucose levels. If you google HPA Axis there’s information on the mechanisms. There’s also a phenomenon callled the “dawn effect”; cortisol plays a role in initiating waking and some people notice mildly elevated fasting glucose.

I’m mostly keto, but have introduced some carbs as I’m now developing metabolic flexibility where I can use both glucose and fat for fuel and more importantly switch easily between fuel sources.

Do you have a write up of your approach to adding carbs back in without causing crazy refeeding syndrome-esque stuff?

I dont doubt these also play into things. Such a chicken and egg situation.

@Catbird also interestingly my cortisol was within normal range (higher end but still normal). And my metabolites for norepinehprine were actually very low in the oat test (if thats considered a decent marker at all). I recently had my catecholimines tested (albeit before my current flare) and they were completely low-mid range so I am completely clueless as to what is going on.

3 hours ago, Jazzjunkie84 said:

Do you have a write up of your approach to adding carbs back in without causing crazy refeeding syndrome-esque stuff?

I dont doubt these also play into things. Such a chicken and egg situation.

Hi @Jazzjunkie84 i found the best way is to ask Chat GPT. I use terms such as ketosis and mTOR activation, metabolic flexibility, leucine and resistance training. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole and you’ll pick up on things that peak your interest and then can ask questions regarding your own specific concerns and context. I haven’t encountered the refeeding issue you refer to but it probably relates to too high glucose and insulin setting off hunger hormones. I’ve been doing carbs in meals twice a week followed immediately by walking and or resistance training. Carbs should be part of a mixed meal and contain about 3g leucine. Hope this isn’t too much babbling. I’d be interested to know if you find an approach that works for you

3 hours ago, Jazzjunkie84 said:

@Catbird also interestingly my cortisol was within normal range (higher end but still normal). And my metabolites for norepinehprine were actually very low in the oat test (if thats considered a decent marker at all). I recently had my catecholimines tested (albeit before my current flare) and they were completely low-mid range so I am completely clueless as to what is going on.

Catecholamines are notoriously difficult to measure as they are constantly being metabolised . I’ve suffered with extreme CPTSD for decades and never had any positive results

Nah, I can confirm that cortisol and has nothing to do with anything. Mine has been measured several times, and has been revealed as normal every single time. Specifically, one morning while I had some kind of internal tremor or internal akathisia when I felt and shaky like I had parkinsonism and dr. Noideawhatisgoingon ordered, among other things, a cortisol test. I asked later her why and she answered by saying "physiological stress". Yes, i looked and felt like that, but these states are related to something complete different, obviously.

NGL I've always been really skeptical of named diets. I feel like its like a per person per whats availible to you in your local grocery store basis.

Me personally, I saw the biggest benefits from cutting out processed foods and bought groceries that had simple ingredients. I comb through ingredients lists as best as I can to try to avoid preservatives and binders as best as I can in my foods (but just mitigating them helps so much, im not perfect though). I feel like you can eat any food you want but you gotta read the ingredients list. One brand of one food is way different from another brand in terms of what they put in there (especially bread).

I mainly just avoided anything you can buy at the local corner store. Chips made me feel sick, cheap chocolates made me feel sick. But when I eat good quality fries or good quality chocolate I was totally fine. Even with certain pizzas. I ate little ceasers which was ok but Dominos made me bloated and sick.

So I'd say eat what you like but do your research on where you acquire it. Overall cutting out processed, cheap, fake foods are a net positive.

Well i finally caved and decided to try keto for a week or two as an elimination diet. Carbs just have me in a constant state of uncomtrollable suffering/adrenaline/severe glucose crashes. Even slow fibery ones low gi and eaten after protein and fat and fiber.

Im on day 3. The keto flu is strong and i feel fatigued and groggy. It is NOTHING compared to the toxic hungover feeling i have constantly otherwise however. If i am ok after a couple weeks i may start sneaking in 10g complex carbs per meal again very slowly. I still awful but calm and detached. Even more evidencr that whatever is going on is metabolic in nature. My cgm concurs - the only episode I have had was after a brief low yesterday morning. I suspect im still overreacting to insulin that gets dumped when i have my morning glucose spike at 4 am. Will update again later.

3 minutes ago, Jazzjunkie84 said:

Well i finally caved and decided to try keto for a week or two as an elimination diet. Carbs just have me in a constant state of uncomtrollable suffering/adrenaline/severe glucose crashes. Even slow fibery ones low gi and eaten after protein and fat and fiber.

Im on day 3. The keto flu is strong and i feel fatigued and groggy. It is NOTHING compared to the toxic hungover feeling i have constantly otherwise however. If i am ok after a couple weeks i may start sneaking in 10g complex carbs per meal again very slowly. I still awful but calm and detached. Even more evidencr that whatever is going on is metabolic in nature. My cgm concurs - the only episode I have had was after a brief low yesterday morning. I suspect im still overreacting to insulin that gets dumped when i have my morning glucose spike at 4 am. Will update again later.

Oooft you're brave. I tried Keto before WD and it was so hard 😂 i never lasted more than a week. I remember caving at my nanas tea party and had a cupcake and my lord felt like I'd ingested poison after a week of clean eating and low carbs lol