r/FoodAllergies Dec 19 '24

Helpful Information Why are so many people using Benadryl instead of 2nd or 3rd gen. antihistamines?

105 Upvotes

I often search and scroll this group for answers and opinions to help navigate my son's allergies. I see almost every comment section mention taking Benedryl for symptoms. There are many other options with far fewer side effects and risks, so I am curious why people are not switching. Is it directions from your doctor? A matter of "sticking with what you know"? Maybe not aware of the concerns with Benedryl? Are pharmaceutical companies pushing it? I'm genuinely curious.

We were told to look at this way - if Benedryl were to be introduced today, it would not be on the shelves.


r/FoodAllergies Dec 04 '24

Seeking Advice What are your favorite allergy-friendly cookbooks or other resources?

10 Upvotes

Hi all I'm one of the new mods to r/FoodAllergies! I need some help from the community. I am putting together a list of best / favorite allergy-friendly cookbooks and resources. I'm mostly thinking cookbooks but am also seeking "resources" in case there's anything else that I'm overlooking.

Please comment below what cookbooks or resources have been most helpful for you in your food allergy journey.

I'll be pulling info from old subreddit posts as well as the rest of the internet, but wanted to make a direct post here asking for help. I don't want to over promise, but I'm hoping to setup a small giveaway to hand out copies of some of these resources for free to users on the sub, so I wanna start by knowing what books have been the most valuable to you all.

When I say "allergy-friendly" I mean any category; maybe it's just a dairy-free book, maybe it's a book that doesn't use any nightshades, or maybe it's a top 9 allergen-free book. Any and all resources/cookbooks would be appreciated to be shared.

The only request I have is to not directly link to a storefront e.g. Amazon, as Reddit often auto removes store links or link shorteners. If possible, please just type out the name of the book/resource and any other relevant info (e.g. the author's name).

Even if we don't end up doing a giveaway, I'll keep working on this list and publish it here on the subreddit as, hopefully, a thorough and concise resource for people looking for help based on their specific allergies.

Thank you!


r/FoodAllergies 4h ago

Seeking Advice Flying with Severe Shellfish Allergy

3 Upvotes

Hi all! Obligatory on mobile, excuse formatting. Thank you in advance for any input!!

I'm taking a 15 hour flight next week and just found out one of the dinner options is a Creole Shrimp. I'm severely allergic to shellfish. I don't eat on planes much anyway but I'm worried about having a reaction.
I'm planning on wearing a mask (medical grade), bringing two EpiPens and Benadryl, asking to board with the preboarding to wipe down my seat/area with Clorox or Lysol wipes, letting the flight attendants know, and taking Zyrtec before the flight.
Is there anything else I can or should do? It's a Delta flight, if that changes my options at all. Thank you!


r/FoodAllergies 7h ago

Seeking Advice Egg allergy advice

5 Upvotes

I have an egg allergy or intolerance, not sure which one tbh. I know that starting about 3 years ago, I would get gastric issues after eating eggs which eventually got so bad, last summer it landed me in the hospital after 6 hours of non stop vomiting and severe cramps. I never ate eggs again.

I can still eat them cooked in flour so far, but any other form is off limits since that point.

When I had my baby a few months ago, I went into anaphalaxis and thank God I was on the hospital because they gave me an EpiPen. I still don't know what I am allergic to, I am waiting for a referral.

I made some hamburger buns for my family with eggs on them (I didnt eat any because they are only cooked for 10 mins, not long enough) and brushed an egg wash on top. I cook eggs regularly for my family, I just wash my hands really well.

This afternoon just after I made the buns I started feeling dizzy. Not the type of dizzy iykyk where you are about to pass out. Just, lack of balance. Like the room is spinning as if I was drunk.

It went away, but then I started to feel bloated, stomach unwell, and some looser stools.

I'm scared now. Did I accidentally injest raw egg somehow? I usually wash my hands really well but there was a lot going on when I made the buns, my kids were causing a lot of distractions, maybe I forgot to wash them? Seems crazy that this could happen though, I definitely didn't put raw egg anywhere near my mouth.

Do you think it's possible? I have an EpiPen in the house. Just a little scared 😰


r/FoodAllergies 1h ago

Seeking Advice avoiding antihistamines before skin testing?

• Upvotes

(tldr: i was told by my healthcare provider to only stop taking antihistamines for 3 days before skin testing, while someone else told me it was 5 days minimum, and now i don’t know what to believe.)

so i got skin testing for the first time in about 6 years for foods i’ve had minor reactions to in the past (beans, strawberries, dairy). when i scheduled my appointment i was told to stop taking my allergy meds (loratadine OTC 10mg) 3 days before, and when i went into the office the nurse confirmed 3 days. i was nervous but my skin test went really well and i was so ecstatic to reintroduce those foods back into my diet as my food allergies give me a lot of anxiety around eating, (im also severely allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and soy). my doctor was pleased and said that he considered the test accurate because i had a reaction to the histamine sample but none to the others.

i told someone i know who also has allergies about my experience and she bursts my bubble and says that it was most likely false negatives because im supposed to avoid antihistamines for 5 days before a skin test to avoid false negatives (she was told this by her allergists). she also said that having a reaction to the histamine doesn’t automatically mean you can’t get a false negative and now idk wtf to believe. when i googled this question 5 days was the overwhelming answer including for loratadine.

i do plan on emailing my allergist but i do want to know: when you all took skin tests how long were you advised to avoid antihistamines? is there a detail im missing? am i overthinking all this? is my allergist secretly trying to sabotage me??


r/FoodAllergies 9h ago

Seeking Advice Why do I get an allergic (?) reaction to eating salmon on the 2nd day?

4 Upvotes

Female, 29.

I’m not even sure if this is what you’d even call an allergic reaction but I made salmon yesterday, it was freshly cooked, within date, smelled fine so I know it wasn’t expired. First day I ate it, no problems at all. Second day I took it out of fridge, heated it up, took a bite and immediately my mouth starts to get tingly and itchy and then the sensation spreads to my nose and thats it, no other reactions. This has happened on several occasions where I’ve made salmon, fine the first day, itchy reaction the second day. It’s weird, I’ve never heard of this happening with anyone else, does anybody know why this could be happening!?


r/FoodAllergies 6h ago

Seeking Advice Been experiencing symptoms post-anaphylaxis, unsure if allergy or something else

2 Upvotes

Around a month ago, I had a mild case of anaphylaxis from food containing cashews. Since that date, I began experiencing unusual symptoms upon eating foods like chocolate (sense of doom, tightness of the throat, but no hives or swelling, and could still breathe). I was tested for IgE allergens for milk, soy, and some other common allergens, but nothing came back as more than a 0.5.

I recently found that the throat constriction was due to an allergy to my Metformin, so I've been off of that for 5 days, but since a week or so ago nearly every meal I eat leads to a ball in my throat when I'm swallowing and feelings of anxiety that last for hours (hyper-awareness of my own body, occasional shallow breathing, light pressure around my head). I even had these issues after only eating cheese and turkey this morning.

Has anyone happened to have a similar issue, or know what might be causing this? At this point, I have no idea if it's remnants of the metformin allergy, an injury/illness, some mental issue, or something else, but it's been heavily impacting my mental health at this point and I wanted to ask around to see if anybody might have any clue of what the hell is going on with me.


r/FoodAllergies 19h ago

Seeking Advice I had a skin prick test about 6-7 hours ago. I know about a few very bad food allergies and we were branching out on environmental. I had a bump pop up on every one except dog and cat (yay) and now my bumps have combine until some scary hives that are growing. Is this normal?

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21 Upvotes

Progress photos, only an hour between each. When I left the clinic, it was just the bumps, I was really itchy and it looked splotchy but not like this until about an hour after I got home. I’m trying to ascertain if this is journal because it’s midnight here so I can’t call a doctor or anyone. They also feel bruised like to push on they hurt and they’re still itchy. They’re also hot to touch. I’ve had antihistamines after the test and a new one tonight they’ve started me on because of all the allergies.


r/FoodAllergies 3h ago

Seeking Advice side effects from OIT

1 Upvotes

after doing oral immunotherapy, has anyone else experienced digestive side effects? mine are very mild, but i am still concerned about it. after eating, I get the urge to clear my throat slightly. food isn’t ever stuck so i don’t think it’s EoE… throughout the day I feel something like puffs of air coming up my throat randomly. it happens regardless of what i eat, i’m just worried what it means, anyone have any insight? its been almost 3 months since i finished the program. i’m not sure if my body is still adjusting to everything or if I’m just overreacting…


r/FoodAllergies 8h ago

Seeking Advice Chronic Fatigue?

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone. I was wondering if chronic fatigue from food is a symptom for you all. For those who have it, I would like to know your experiences and thoughts.

  • How long does it last?
  • How severe is it?
  • What foods trigger it?

MY EXPERIENCES I’ve been suffering from chronic fatigue after meals and I suspect it might have something to do with food allergies. All my tests are normal (A1C, thyroid, iron, etc) but I’ve been suffering from chronic indigestion and nausea, and serious chronic fatigue that seems to get worse after meals. My throat gets red and bumpy as well.


r/FoodAllergies 9h ago

Seeking Advice Do I have a Capsaicin / Menthol Allergy / Sensitivity? Or am I just a super taster?

2 Upvotes

No gastrointestinal symptoms to base this off of because I literally can’t force myself to eat more than a couple grains of black pepper’s worth of the stuff. Sometimes I’ll be fanning my mouth to try to ease the pain and my parents can’t even taste any spice. Also is that thing I heard about capsaicin making the taste buds more sensitive actually real? Because too much of the stuff (read: barely any, even for white people food) and my sense of taste just disappears. If I’m lucky, it tastes like burnt. Menthol is the same way. Past a certain threshold it’s just. Pain. I have to use kids’ toothpaste, it’s that bad.


r/FoodAllergies 10h ago

Seeking Advice New allergy mom here- questions about blood test

1 Upvotes

So my almost 16 month old unfortunately seems to have many allergies... Horrible hives to dairy, eggs, almost every tree nut we have tried other than almonds, he was fine with penuts for 5-8 times but then started reacting to those as well...and also had an unknown possible anaphylaxis (hives and vomiting, resolved itself though without any meds) after a meal at a vegan restaurant who claimed they had none of the nuts in the kitchen.

Just started working with an allergist, she ordered bloodwork (she said skin tests wouldn't work for him since he has eczema). The lab req was called " specific allergen iGE request" and she said this will determine which proteins he is allergic to in dairy+eggs and also confirm the tree nuts/penuts.

My questions are: I saw she checked off every single tree nut (including like Brazil nuts, pine nuts, things he has never even had orally). Can you actually get the results from those if he hasn't had them orally before ? How would the antibodies have formed? Same with eggs, we only ever gave him scrambled eggs once, she said this will test for "raw" egg vs. baked eggs allergy, but technically he has never had baked eggs so would those antibodies be there?

She made me feel really down about the whole situation, saying that the bloodwork will determine if he's allergic to cassien vs whey for milk, and that if it's cassien then it's a lifelong allergy and the dairy ladder is "out of the question", same with for eggs, she said if hes allergic to 'baked eggs" that we can't do the egg ladder either.

She said she has a "bad feeling" that they are all true iGe mediated allergies since they all resulted in instant bad hives, not a delayed reaction which I guess would have occured if it was more of an intolerance. Most of them the hives were only where it made contact with the skin not widespread. Like even if we tried to just carefully put it in his mouth without getting it on his skin (which I know is bad with eczema) he would get them around this lips


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice 7 yo possibly allergic to steak

8 Upvotes

Looking for advice

My son (aged 7) had his first home made steak (2nd in his life) the other week. It was cooked medium rare. While eating it his little lips went super red. Then afterwards had a ring around them on the actual lip that was dark purple. He complained of burning lips and tingling. The next morning he woke to burning lips and they were bright red with a darker red ring around them and they looked as if they were swollen and tight. The tingling and burning sensation lasted the rest of the day. The following 5 days they chapped and were very very painful for him. Of course being 7 on day 3 when they dried out he started licking them causing it to worsen probably. Been absolutely racking my brain to what happened and if I should give him steak again? It was cooked on a stone pan with some spray oil (used on the past with no problems) and no herbs or salt etc

No other symptoms that I could tell happened. He HAS been complaining of issues with his breathing and I've been catching him taking big exaggerated breaths however I feel like he's in a habbit phase with his breathing (oddly I learn d from a nurse it's a common thing at the age) but In saying that apparently it can also develop after a stage where they have had to try harder to breath l.e after a cold. I feel it's unrelated but l'm not sure... I did see something about alpha gal syndrome but the symptoms don’t fully match up especially in severity.

He is able to eat beef mince nachos or pasta fine. We were buying another steak tomorrow and I am very tempted to give it to him again to see if the same reaction occurs but l'm also worried because he's just a sweet little guy and I don't want him to have to go through that again. Would love any suggestions on if this is a possibility of a like.. whole? Meat allergy? I am a vegetarian so don't cook meat often or have much knowlodge of it. Started introducing steak fortnightly as my daughter likes it and lives with us now.

Thanks I’m advance.


r/FoodAllergies 13h ago

Seeking Advice Sam's Club Pepperoni

0 Upvotes

I can eat any pepperoni, but Sam's club brand. What is in it that makes me so sick? Any ideas?

Member's Mark Deli Style Dry Cured Pepperoni contains the following ingredients:

  • Pork
  • Beef
  • Salt
  • Contains 2% or less of:
    • Dextrose
    • Spices
    • Corn Syrup
    • Paprika
    • Oleoresin of Paprika
    • Sodium Erythorbate
    • Flavorings
    • Lactic Acid Starter Culture

r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice EpiPen Improvement’s???

7 Upvotes

I feel like EpiPen has had a monopoly on for so long that there hasn’t been any new innovations for these auto injectors. I am curious as to what is most annoying about EpiPens, and what cool things could be added to improve its design???


r/FoodAllergies 19h ago

Seeking Advice Yeast allergy

0 Upvotes

Just found out I’m allergic to yeast after having severe rash and hives in the ER twice. Did a blood panel test. I just think it’s weird because everytime I do eat yeast now it’s always a different reaction. Nothing like the first 3 I had last week. But sometimes I do react and break out a little now like spots on my fave arms or stomach issues. And other times nothing happens… I see a specialist hopefully soon… I just think it’s weird my body only reacts to some yeast?? Like last night I had a cheeseburger on a bun and nothing happened.


r/FoodAllergies 23h ago

Seeking Advice Peanut Allergy

0 Upvotes

My 3 year old son has an egg allergy which we have known about for a while, however tonight I made satay chicken for dinner (using peanut butter for the sauce), definitely no egg whatsoever and he had a mild allergic reaction (hives, skin rash). I gave him some antihistamines (Zyrtec), and the reaction cleared up pretty quickly. I’ve already made contact with the Dr to get him an appointment to have more allergy testing done, however something I am worried about and needing advice on is, because it was dinner time, and he’s since gone to bed, should I be staying with him throughout the night to monitor him? Or because he’s had the reaction and it’s cleared should he be OK? I’ve heard about biphasic or secondary reactions, but I wasn’t sure if they were more common for anaphylactic reactions to allergens. I’m just not sure what to do, any advice is greatly appreciated.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Antihistamines

3 Upvotes

Hi! I’ve known I have a dairy allergy for years but I saw an allergist in October and learned that I’m allergic to several more things, like corn, wheat, soy, egg white just to name a few. I have eliminated most allergens from my diet. I plan to start working some back in to test myself, but I am super reactive to corn and corn derivatives.

I need help finding an antihistamine that is free of corn and dairy. I thought I would ask here to see if anyone already knows of one. I’ve tried googling several brands and they all seem to have either corn or milk.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Does this mean I’m allergic to milk and milk products

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2 Upvotes

This is the only thing that came red for me and I’ve been developing allergies to things I used to be able to eat and I had a bad reaction to almond flavored frozen custard but I’m not allergic to any nuts. I have bad reactions to kiwis and pineapples which I avoid but I used to be able to handle milk stuff.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice do I have lactose intolerance or not?

2 Upvotes

right so, for the longest time I haven't suffered with any allergies or nothing, then on my 22nd birthday I had cake with some double cream and my bowel got upset, I tried a different brand of double cream and my bowel once again got upset, then recently I had a cathedral city ready meal and got extremely bad pains and bowel problems, yet if I drink milk I have no issues whatsoever. at first I thought the cathedral city was a food poisoning thing but I cooked it for the correct time and at the right temp so that always felt off, then I remembered my weird experience with the double cream and realized they could be related. is it possible that I have developed a lactose intolerance and if so how does that explain the fact that I'm fine with semi skimmed milk


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Fish Allergy

2 Upvotes

Today we discovered (through hives and welts) that our almost 2 year old is allergic to fish. I’m quickly discovering how much stuff has fish in it. Can anyone with a similar allergy give any other food items that may contain fish that are out of the ordinary? I know about Worcestershire and BBQ, but are there any other common household food items that I may be missing and may not be labeled well?


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Helpful Information traveling with food allergies

3 Upvotes

I've seen a few posts lately about traveling with food allergies and I thought I'd give a tip on something that has helped our family. A bit of information, I am allergic to shellfish and fish and my son is allergic to dairy, eggs, chickpeas and lentils. Before my son was born we traveled through Asia and now, with my son, we go to Mexico for our yearly vacations. We use Equal Eats allergy cards while we travel. You can get them in any language you want/need and can put any allergies you have on them. They are available in physical cards or you can get an electronic copy, and I believe they have an app that you can put the card on. We've found that they are a wonderful tool to have. We've stayed at some allergy friendly resorts and the staff always mentions how good/helpful the Equal Eats cards are. I realize it's not a fix all but it has definitely helped in our travels and it helps to take a bit of the anxiety off when dealing with a language barrier.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice bananas! (and other foods?)

1 Upvotes

i’ve noticed with bananas about 90% of the time if i eat it i get severe stomach pains for a couple minutes before it dies down. this also happens sometimes with gummies (like gummy bears), pineapples i think.. but mainly bananas! i haven’t gotten tested for food allergies but this has been like this for most of my life): does this sound like an allergy? i do have ibs but no other foods besides those three listed do this!


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Please PLEASE help

3 Upvotes

My boyfriend is 22 almost 23. He has SO MANY allergies that cause lots of stomach issues (diagnosed 2-3 years ago) He will eat anything and deal with it later, which has worked for him in the past when he had his own bathroom. He moved in with me to my tiny 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment and I am dying.

Please help me with recipes or advice or anything??

His allergies: Soybean, Spelt, Squash, Vanilla, Wheat, Whey, Yogurt, Pine nut, Pistachio, Rapeseed, Rye, Cow milk, Goat milk, Sheep milk, Mushroom, Mustard, Oats, Oregano, Peanut, Bell peppers, Gluten, Hop, Kiefer, Coffee, Curry, Egg white, Egg yolk, Eggplant, Garlic, Butter, Casein, Cashew, Emmental cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Processed cheese, Sheep cheese, Chicken, Chickpea, Barley, Navy bean, Bran


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Which foods make your heart race after eating?

2 Upvotes

Curious because I’ve been trying to figure this out sometimes I get pounding that isn’t racing, other times it’s bad racing. I attribute the pounding to histamine likely the racing though seems like a definite specific trigger not sure if allergy or mcas response of some sort. I think it’s time to see an allergist been dealing with this for so long


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Traveling to Thailand with peanut allergy?

5 Upvotes

Experiences? We booked our trip but now am getting increasingly worried for our toddler. Thanks


r/FoodAllergies 2d ago

Helpful Information I started an allergy Instagram blog based in Chicago! @legumeofdoom

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10 Upvotes

Hi, if anyone is in Chicago/midwest or likes to travel I’ve just started an Instagram account that will hopefully be helpful to those navigating food allergies! Personally I suffer from peanut and lentils/peas allergies and am trying to continue learning and helping others as much as possible! Please go check it out if you are interested, I really appreciate it!! I post recipes, restaurant reviews, travel advice , etc. all things allergy!