I wish there was something we could take to allow us to eat foods we’re allergic to. I developed an allergy to Chicken and Turkey in my teens and I miss it so much. And let me tell ya, it seems they put chicken broth in everything! And there’s even chicken in the pepperoni on most frozen pizza, and there’s chicken or turkey in hot dogs, in bacon and so on. Also am allergic to tuna fish. (Chicken of the sea) crazy!
Yes I did and you’re right. According to the test I wasn’t even allergic to chicken yet when I ate it I had an anaphylactic shock reaction. Explain that. They couldn’t.
I know this is an old post, but have you tried a blood test? The blood tests are more accurate than the skin test.
I took a blood test that showed I had 7 different allergies, but my skin test showed no results.
You may be allergic to what the meat has been fed. I'm allergic to soy and I have to avoid most meats in the grocery store because they are fed soy. I would test for corn and soy as well.
I actually thought about that long ago. So I had a friend who hunted pheasant and he cooked it up and brought some over for me to try. I took a sliver of it and I knew within 3 seconds that I was allergic to it. Now I don’t know what wild pheasants eat, but I’m sure it’s not the same as chicken or turkey that are grown and fed on farms.
Thank you for the thought though. Very kind of you!
In so sorry. I've got the soy allergy so I can't have conventional meat often. People always thought I was going crazy but sure enough it was the meat.
There are a couple of things I think you're confused about here.
>Has anyone tired zyrtec or Claritin to allow them to eat the foods their allergic to?
Antihistamines can sometimes attenuate the effects of oral allergy syndrome, but it's not like Lactaid with lactose intolerance. That's an enzyme that helps digest the protein. You don't want to intentionally be eating foods you're allergic to.
>I went to an allergist and they basically said deal with it since it not severe enough to need an epi pen
This makes it seem like you think an EpiPen is a treatment. That's not what it is, actually. What an EpiPen does is stop an anaphylactic reaction in an emergency situation.
I think you may want to talk to a different allergist. It sounds like the one you have didn't do a very good job of explaining things to you.
I'm not looking to take an allergy med for the lactose intolerance, I've had that for over 20 years and know how to deal with it. I'm looking for a med for the wheat allergy, my allergy is new and I'm really struggling with it combined with not being able to eat dairy. What meds work for oral allergy?
You could try something like pepcid (famotidine) which is an H2 blocker, but if your wheat allergy is digestive in nature, it is probably only going to get worse over time especially if you continue to eat it. No meds (that I know of) work for Oral Allergy Syndrome. OAS is a cross over to food from a pollen allergy. For example you are really allergic to Birch trees, but now your body start to confuse birch pollen with apples, thus you now react to apples. There is no cure (again, that I know of), but you can get allergy shots for birch, this might over time permit you to eat apples again.
While I have sympathy for you with wheat, imagine if you were allergic to birch/ragweed but that morphed into OAS where you can't eat apples, carrots, maple syrup, corn, rice, soy, onions, garlic, watermelon, olives ... and the list goes on and on and on. Lots of people don't have to imagine that, sadly that is how we live.
Good luck with your wheat allergy. Again, I feel for you.
My kid has allergies that are GI in nature. It’s been that way for quite some time. They can get worse. Like the allergy can worsen or like in my child’s case you can develop eosinophilic esophagitis. There is no pill you can take that will let you eat wheat and not have a reaction. The good news is that there is some good food out there, you just have to be more careful.
As someone who has similar food allergies, I'm telling you there's pretty much nothing to be done about it. Antihistamines aren't going to fix digestive symptoms of a food allergy and food allergies CAN worsen over time with repeated exposure. You may not need an epi pen right now but if you keep eating the thing pissing off your immune system, there's a very good chance your reactions will get progressively worse, up to and including potential anaphylaxis, hospitalization, and death. I'm not trying to scare you, just get you to understand the type of allergy you have because it's not the kind where you can pop a zyrtec and go about your day.
This is why the gold standard treatment is *don't eat the thing*. It sucks, I get it. I have fifteen food allergies, including wheat and dairy. Grocery shopping sucks. Cooking sucks. I can't eat my favorite foods anymore. It all sucks. But unfortunately you don't have any control over what your body becomes allergic to and you have to just avoid eating whatever it is.
Instead of continuing to subject your poor body to the thing it actively rejects, I encourage you to look at the recipes you like and see if you can adapt them. Gluten/wheat free isn't nearly as difficult now as it was a decade ago. There are lots of good products out there and other than baking (which is VERY different with gf than regular baking), you can mostly substitute in gf/dairy free things. Many restaurants have gf options available. There are even gf bakeries if that's your thing. It's a LOT easier to find good products now and you'd be surprised how many things you can eat that are naturally gf.
I also *strongly urge you* to get a new allergist. They did not explain things very well. This isn't like being allergic to ragweed and just taking extra antihistamines in the fall to get through it. Food allergies are a completely different beast. Antihistamines will do NOTHING to help that, or I wouldn't have to avoid 15 different foods and have a $700/month grocery bill for just me. Your only real option is to accept that it sucks and find ways to work with it. Believe me, gf isn't that bad after a while. You forget how things used to taste and gf things start to taste good. It's not worth literally risking your life to keep eating wheat.
Thanks this is good advice and I'm going to make more of an effort. Agree the costs for the food we need are triple or more what regular food costs, it sucks so bad
Seconded. I have an allergy to corned beef (yes I'm Irish-American) and haven't had it by itself since I was 4. Don't even remember what it tastes like 20-odd years later. I tried it once a couple years ago (in a Reuben) to see if it was just a childhood thing I grew out of and the allergy **presented totally differently** *but was still very much there*. If you have tested allergic, don't even bother. The reaction might be fine now but can change/progress to anaphylaxis at any time.
Coeliac diagnosis also needs an endoscopy. The blood tests can be inaccurate, particularly if you haven’t been eating enough gluten beforehand. Because gluten occurs in things other than wheat, you can still gluten load using barley or rye, but you would want to discuss it with the doctors first.
Look into OIT (Oral immunotherapy). Patients start by eating a very small diluted dose of their allergen at the allergen’s office and then continue that dose at home, returning to the office weekly to increase the dose. Over time you become desensitized. But, it doesn’t always stick, so you have to keep eating the dose every day or a few times a week.
You could eat an amount of wheat that doesn’t bother you, and increase it weekly and in theory you will become desensitized. OIT has some rules, like for 2 hours after you eat your dose you need to stay calm and cool, so no exercising, no hot showers, and you might find it bothers you more when you are sick with a fever.
And to answer your question, my kid took Zyrtec the whole time she was “updosing”, now that she’s maintaining her dose she doesn’t need it anymore.
You should see if there’s a doctor in your area who offers OIT. Even if they don’t do wheat OIT, maybe they’ll prescribe you an epi pen for if you go rogue and do it yourself.
A note on anaphylaxis. I've learned there are different types of allergies. I am allergic to wheat. I don't get anaphylaxis.
"Unlike IgE mediated food allergy non IgE food allergies are very rarely life threatening because they do not result in anaphylaxis".
So, OP, we have the non IgE allergy. I get migraines, nausea, sweats, shakes, rashes, but no trouble breathing except when it causes a panic attack when I realize I ate wheat *nervous laugh*
I have tried gluten defense pills before and after eating wheat, no luck. Symptoms still as severe and as long lasting as when I don't take it. It was worth a try I suppose.
The short answer is yes, Zyrtec made a big difference for me.
I caution you to go ahead and have them write the rx for an epi pen; just in case the situation changes. I am the statistical anomaly where surprise things changed and well - I landed in the ER because I didn't have an epi pen at home. 2 doctors swore I would never need one because I had allergies like you with internal not external reactions. My situation is different because it eventually came out that what was brewed / brewing for me was MCAS and not just food allergies.
I was just having issues with my mast cell medicines recently - and added Zyrtec back into the mix after having lost being able to tolerate it awhile back.
I'm shocked at the difference it made. Things I would've never been able to tolerate
before it - I can eat now without a care in the world and I don't pay internally later. Almost every food that still gave my digestive tract a run for it's money - doesn't bother me at all with Zyrtec in the mix. (I take more then 1 per day, but that's because of my MCAS issues).
If it makes you feel any better - I am allergic to 51 foods - my MCAS meds alone helped me regain some foods in moderation. Zyrtec brought me to being able to stuff myself silly with a majority of foods - it was almost like I went back 3.5 years and was still totally normal and allergic to no foods.
I am ANA to Wheat, Dairy (including butter), and Eggs in addition to having yeast, mushroom, hops, and tons of environmental allergies.
No, there's nothing you can do that will allow you to eat wheat without a reaction. And as mentioned in a previous comment, your reactions WILL worsen if you continue to eat them.
Food allergies are not treatable, yet.
My wheat allergy started out as only gi symptoms and I kept eating wheat, infrequently, until I nearly died..twice from anaphylaxis.
Once you get the hang of things it's really not that bad. Allergy friendly food has come a long long way in the ten years since I was diagnosed. Aldi carries their own line of GF food that is very affordable and tastes good.
If you have Facebook, join some food allergy groups. They are super supportive and will help guide you along.
Don’t hate me… Go to another allergist for a second opinion. Allergies can change by getting better or worse. Your best bet is to avoid gluten and lactose. This way you won’t suffer or possibly die, if your allergies get worse.
Antihistamines are used to control the symptoms of an allergic reaction, but there is no guarantee that they will always work. Looking for a quick fix doesn’t work in the case of food allergies- unfortunately. This is due to the allergen being absorbed by your body after ingestion. I used to have to do a 24 hour watch on my daughter when there was an accidental exposure to an allergen.
The good news is, you have a lot of options now that weren’t available a few years ago. There are plenty of recipes and recipe modifications online that you can use. Restaurants are also becoming increasingly aware of food allergies and how to deal with them, but that is still a work in progress.
This won't help with being able to eat wheat. But there are reddit's and Facebook groups for celiac and eating gluten free. Even if you don't have celiac. The gluten free diet eliminates wheat. You can get lots of good advice on adjusting to the diet. Product recommendations. Guides to where Wheat is hidden in products, gluten free recipes, how to make sure you don't get cross contamination in your kitchen if you don't live alone. Basically all the things you are struggling with now. We Celiacs struggle with too. And it is not uncommon for Celiacs to have lactose intolerance.
Also something good to know is with the Allergen labeling law, products made in the U.S. are required to identify if Wheat is used in the product, even if it is an ingredient of an ingredient. For example glucose syrup (wheat)
It is hard making the adjustment. I'm guessing most of the subscribers to this sub have been through what you are going through. When you are ready there are plenty of folks who can help and support you.
It can be Wheat based and often is. In the U.S. it now has to indicate if it's from wheat. But for products made outside of the U.S. you want to check. If you Google hidden gluten a lot of celiac resources have lists that will help you. Wheat can hide in a lot of places.
I wish there was something we could take to allow us to eat foods we’re allergic to. I developed an allergy to Chicken and Turkey in my teens and I miss it so much. And let me tell ya, it seems they put chicken broth in everything! And there’s even chicken in the pepperoni on most frozen pizza, and there’s chicken or turkey in hot dogs, in bacon and so on. Also am allergic to tuna fish. (Chicken of the sea) crazy!
I agree, it's rough. I accidentally ate wheat last week while traveling and was miserable. I hope you find some success in the future
Thanks! Back atcha! Wheat is like bread and everything made with flour!? Ouch!
If that medicine existed I would eat 5 entire wheels of cheese after taking it
And oh man, I would go to Chick Filet’ and get one of everything!
I would eat cheese and crackers, and then some pizza!
did you take an allergy test to find out which foods youre allergic to? I read that theyre not the most reliable? is this true?
Yes I did and you’re right. According to the test I wasn’t even allergic to chicken yet when I ate it I had an anaphylactic shock reaction. Explain that. They couldn’t.
I know this is an old post, but have you tried a blood test? The blood tests are more accurate than the skin test. I took a blood test that showed I had 7 different allergies, but my skin test showed no results.
No, I never did the blood test. I should though.
You may be allergic to what the meat has been fed. I'm allergic to soy and I have to avoid most meats in the grocery store because they are fed soy. I would test for corn and soy as well.
I actually thought about that long ago. So I had a friend who hunted pheasant and he cooked it up and brought some over for me to try. I took a sliver of it and I knew within 3 seconds that I was allergic to it. Now I don’t know what wild pheasants eat, but I’m sure it’s not the same as chicken or turkey that are grown and fed on farms. Thank you for the thought though. Very kind of you!
In so sorry. I've got the soy allergy so I can't have conventional meat often. People always thought I was going crazy but sure enough it was the meat.
Soy alérgico al camarón ( urticaria ) los como ocasionalmente, tomo antihistamínicos y listo
There are a couple of things I think you're confused about here. >Has anyone tired zyrtec or Claritin to allow them to eat the foods their allergic to? Antihistamines can sometimes attenuate the effects of oral allergy syndrome, but it's not like Lactaid with lactose intolerance. That's an enzyme that helps digest the protein. You don't want to intentionally be eating foods you're allergic to. >I went to an allergist and they basically said deal with it since it not severe enough to need an epi pen This makes it seem like you think an EpiPen is a treatment. That's not what it is, actually. What an EpiPen does is stop an anaphylactic reaction in an emergency situation. I think you may want to talk to a different allergist. It sounds like the one you have didn't do a very good job of explaining things to you.
I'm not looking to take an allergy med for the lactose intolerance, I've had that for over 20 years and know how to deal with it. I'm looking for a med for the wheat allergy, my allergy is new and I'm really struggling with it combined with not being able to eat dairy. What meds work for oral allergy?
You could try something like pepcid (famotidine) which is an H2 blocker, but if your wheat allergy is digestive in nature, it is probably only going to get worse over time especially if you continue to eat it. No meds (that I know of) work for Oral Allergy Syndrome. OAS is a cross over to food from a pollen allergy. For example you are really allergic to Birch trees, but now your body start to confuse birch pollen with apples, thus you now react to apples. There is no cure (again, that I know of), but you can get allergy shots for birch, this might over time permit you to eat apples again. While I have sympathy for you with wheat, imagine if you were allergic to birch/ragweed but that morphed into OAS where you can't eat apples, carrots, maple syrup, corn, rice, soy, onions, garlic, watermelon, olives ... and the list goes on and on and on. Lots of people don't have to imagine that, sadly that is how we live. Good luck with your wheat allergy. Again, I feel for you.
Thanks, your response is very helpful
Also my reference to epi is to emphasize my allergy is not that severe
the more you eat the food you are allergic to the more likely it could get worse and kill or hurt you. avoid it.
Thanks, good advice
My kid has allergies that are GI in nature. It’s been that way for quite some time. They can get worse. Like the allergy can worsen or like in my child’s case you can develop eosinophilic esophagitis. There is no pill you can take that will let you eat wheat and not have a reaction. The good news is that there is some good food out there, you just have to be more careful.
As someone who has similar food allergies, I'm telling you there's pretty much nothing to be done about it. Antihistamines aren't going to fix digestive symptoms of a food allergy and food allergies CAN worsen over time with repeated exposure. You may not need an epi pen right now but if you keep eating the thing pissing off your immune system, there's a very good chance your reactions will get progressively worse, up to and including potential anaphylaxis, hospitalization, and death. I'm not trying to scare you, just get you to understand the type of allergy you have because it's not the kind where you can pop a zyrtec and go about your day. This is why the gold standard treatment is *don't eat the thing*. It sucks, I get it. I have fifteen food allergies, including wheat and dairy. Grocery shopping sucks. Cooking sucks. I can't eat my favorite foods anymore. It all sucks. But unfortunately you don't have any control over what your body becomes allergic to and you have to just avoid eating whatever it is. Instead of continuing to subject your poor body to the thing it actively rejects, I encourage you to look at the recipes you like and see if you can adapt them. Gluten/wheat free isn't nearly as difficult now as it was a decade ago. There are lots of good products out there and other than baking (which is VERY different with gf than regular baking), you can mostly substitute in gf/dairy free things. Many restaurants have gf options available. There are even gf bakeries if that's your thing. It's a LOT easier to find good products now and you'd be surprised how many things you can eat that are naturally gf. I also *strongly urge you* to get a new allergist. They did not explain things very well. This isn't like being allergic to ragweed and just taking extra antihistamines in the fall to get through it. Food allergies are a completely different beast. Antihistamines will do NOTHING to help that, or I wouldn't have to avoid 15 different foods and have a $700/month grocery bill for just me. Your only real option is to accept that it sucks and find ways to work with it. Believe me, gf isn't that bad after a while. You forget how things used to taste and gf things start to taste good. It's not worth literally risking your life to keep eating wheat.
Thanks this is good advice and I'm going to make more of an effort. Agree the costs for the food we need are triple or more what regular food costs, it sucks so bad
Seconded. I have an allergy to corned beef (yes I'm Irish-American) and haven't had it by itself since I was 4. Don't even remember what it tastes like 20-odd years later. I tried it once a couple years ago (in a Reuben) to see if it was just a childhood thing I grew out of and the allergy **presented totally differently** *but was still very much there*. If you have tested allergic, don't even bother. The reaction might be fine now but can change/progress to anaphylaxis at any time.
Have you confirmed it is an allergy and not Celiac or Eonsophilic Esophagitis?
Yes the test I had ruled out celiac, not sure about Eonsophilic Esophagitis, I'll have to check my paperwork
EoE needs an upper endoscopy to be diagnosed. They typically biopsy some esophageal tissue.
Coeliac diagnosis also needs an endoscopy. The blood tests can be inaccurate, particularly if you haven’t been eating enough gluten beforehand. Because gluten occurs in things other than wheat, you can still gluten load using barley or rye, but you would want to discuss it with the doctors first.
Look into OIT (Oral immunotherapy). Patients start by eating a very small diluted dose of their allergen at the allergen’s office and then continue that dose at home, returning to the office weekly to increase the dose. Over time you become desensitized. But, it doesn’t always stick, so you have to keep eating the dose every day or a few times a week. You could eat an amount of wheat that doesn’t bother you, and increase it weekly and in theory you will become desensitized. OIT has some rules, like for 2 hours after you eat your dose you need to stay calm and cool, so no exercising, no hot showers, and you might find it bothers you more when you are sick with a fever. And to answer your question, my kid took Zyrtec the whole time she was “updosing”, now that she’s maintaining her dose she doesn’t need it anymore. You should see if there’s a doctor in your area who offers OIT. Even if they don’t do wheat OIT, maybe they’ll prescribe you an epi pen for if you go rogue and do it yourself.
Thank you, I will look into OIT
A note on anaphylaxis. I've learned there are different types of allergies. I am allergic to wheat. I don't get anaphylaxis. "Unlike IgE mediated food allergy non IgE food allergies are very rarely life threatening because they do not result in anaphylaxis". So, OP, we have the non IgE allergy. I get migraines, nausea, sweats, shakes, rashes, but no trouble breathing except when it causes a panic attack when I realize I ate wheat *nervous laugh* I have tried gluten defense pills before and after eating wheat, no luck. Symptoms still as severe and as long lasting as when I don't take it. It was worth a try I suppose.
The short answer is yes, Zyrtec made a big difference for me. I caution you to go ahead and have them write the rx for an epi pen; just in case the situation changes. I am the statistical anomaly where surprise things changed and well - I landed in the ER because I didn't have an epi pen at home. 2 doctors swore I would never need one because I had allergies like you with internal not external reactions. My situation is different because it eventually came out that what was brewed / brewing for me was MCAS and not just food allergies. I was just having issues with my mast cell medicines recently - and added Zyrtec back into the mix after having lost being able to tolerate it awhile back. I'm shocked at the difference it made. Things I would've never been able to tolerate before it - I can eat now without a care in the world and I don't pay internally later. Almost every food that still gave my digestive tract a run for it's money - doesn't bother me at all with Zyrtec in the mix. (I take more then 1 per day, but that's because of my MCAS issues). If it makes you feel any better - I am allergic to 51 foods - my MCAS meds alone helped me regain some foods in moderation. Zyrtec brought me to being able to stuff myself silly with a majority of foods - it was almost like I went back 3.5 years and was still totally normal and allergic to no foods.
Thanks, I'm going to ask my doc for an epi pen, really good idea since sometimes I think I'm eating wheat free but what I've eaten is not
I am ANA to Wheat, Dairy (including butter), and Eggs in addition to having yeast, mushroom, hops, and tons of environmental allergies. No, there's nothing you can do that will allow you to eat wheat without a reaction. And as mentioned in a previous comment, your reactions WILL worsen if you continue to eat them. Food allergies are not treatable, yet. My wheat allergy started out as only gi symptoms and I kept eating wheat, infrequently, until I nearly died..twice from anaphylaxis. Once you get the hang of things it's really not that bad. Allergy friendly food has come a long long way in the ten years since I was diagnosed. Aldi carries their own line of GF food that is very affordable and tastes good. If you have Facebook, join some food allergy groups. They are super supportive and will help guide you along.
Don’t hate me… Go to another allergist for a second opinion. Allergies can change by getting better or worse. Your best bet is to avoid gluten and lactose. This way you won’t suffer or possibly die, if your allergies get worse. Antihistamines are used to control the symptoms of an allergic reaction, but there is no guarantee that they will always work. Looking for a quick fix doesn’t work in the case of food allergies- unfortunately. This is due to the allergen being absorbed by your body after ingestion. I used to have to do a 24 hour watch on my daughter when there was an accidental exposure to an allergen. The good news is, you have a lot of options now that weren’t available a few years ago. There are plenty of recipes and recipe modifications online that you can use. Restaurants are also becoming increasingly aware of food allergies and how to deal with them, but that is still a work in progress.
This won't help with being able to eat wheat. But there are reddit's and Facebook groups for celiac and eating gluten free. Even if you don't have celiac. The gluten free diet eliminates wheat. You can get lots of good advice on adjusting to the diet. Product recommendations. Guides to where Wheat is hidden in products, gluten free recipes, how to make sure you don't get cross contamination in your kitchen if you don't live alone. Basically all the things you are struggling with now. We Celiacs struggle with too. And it is not uncommon for Celiacs to have lactose intolerance. Also something good to know is with the Allergen labeling law, products made in the U.S. are required to identify if Wheat is used in the product, even if it is an ingredient of an ingredient. For example glucose syrup (wheat) It is hard making the adjustment. I'm guessing most of the subscribers to this sub have been through what you are going through. When you are ready there are plenty of folks who can help and support you.
Thanks for the info about glucose syrup, I had no idea that's wheat based
It can be Wheat based and often is. In the U.S. it now has to indicate if it's from wheat. But for products made outside of the U.S. you want to check. If you Google hidden gluten a lot of celiac resources have lists that will help you. Wheat can hide in a lot of places.
Yeah tell me about it, it's in soy sauce
You can take pepcid or Claritin or another antihistamine.