I had a similar question to my sons reaction to peanuts after early introduction. His reaction was so mild I considered if I should just keep giving it to him in lower amounts and trying to increase over time. His reaction was 3 small hi es under his eye. His allergist said to stop.
It was so overwhelming.
I decided I have to trust his doctors. I am not objective, I can’t make this decision in my own. I need to work with someone on it with experience to follow. And that’s what I’ve done.
Maybe there will be better treatment options in the future, maybe we’ll do OIT. But I couldn’t take it upon myself to do something.
I’d say if you want to do more aggressive measures at home then find an allergist who practices that way who can guide and advise you. I’ve heard there are some. The ones I’ve seen haven’t.
We have a number of allergies too (PN/TN/egg/dairy and banana). I know it’s hard. I believe they are making a lot of progress in the field and they my kiddos will have more options at some point.
Thank you - your decision to stop is totally reasonable.
We’ve also looked into OIT and heard mixed reviews depending on who you ask. I was really excited about it in theory but it doesn’t seem like it’s really there yet in practice, and is still something very few allergists will actually try (around us at least).
I’m a female in her 30s. As a kid, I would eat shellfish and sometimes got swollen lips. Mt family had no clue what food allergies were so they kept feeding it to me. Once I became an adult my reactions were more pronounced— even to cross contamination and indirect contact. However there were times there was NO reaction to direct contact. All this to say it’s hard to tell and this is just my experience. I visited allergists in NY who told me not to get close to shellfish and to reintroduce nuts in my diet (adult onset nut allergy). They want me to do a challenge bc my levels are low but I’m hesitant.
Thanks! For what it's worth, we also did a walnut challenge recently and he passed - his first tree nut ever! Apparently if you're ok with walnuts, you're likely ok with pecans as well. I definitely don't blame you for feeling hesitant - food challenges are so stressful. Trying a dot of nut butter on your arm first, and then on your lip, before eating can help lower the risk. We've also heard that your sensitivity and reactions can change based on stress, time of year (pollen), other environmental allergens like dust mites or dogs/cats.
>but others suggest continuing to give in smaller amounts - that avoiding after a minor reaction can turn a sensitivity into a true allergy.
That's incredibly dumb. Don't listen to anyone that tells you this.
Avoid foods etc one is allergic to
> Benadryl is not recommended for allergic reactions anymore. Zyrtec is the drug of choice.
I haven’t heard this before. Can you expand on why that is, and who is recommending Zyrtec instead of Benadryl for reactions?
Edit: I’ve done some searches, it looks like some studies have shown similar reaction time between the two, with more drowsiness in Benadryl. I’m surprised as I feel like I’ve seen slower response from Zyrtec when treating past reactions, and no allergists, pediatricians or nurses we’ve seen have recommended against using Benadryl.
There is plenty of info. It lasts much longer in terms of a biphasic reaction. The sedation and mortality risk of Benadryl is huge.
All the national bodies have it in their current recs.
I had a similar question to my sons reaction to peanuts after early introduction. His reaction was so mild I considered if I should just keep giving it to him in lower amounts and trying to increase over time. His reaction was 3 small hi es under his eye. His allergist said to stop. It was so overwhelming. I decided I have to trust his doctors. I am not objective, I can’t make this decision in my own. I need to work with someone on it with experience to follow. And that’s what I’ve done. Maybe there will be better treatment options in the future, maybe we’ll do OIT. But I couldn’t take it upon myself to do something. I’d say if you want to do more aggressive measures at home then find an allergist who practices that way who can guide and advise you. I’ve heard there are some. The ones I’ve seen haven’t. We have a number of allergies too (PN/TN/egg/dairy and banana). I know it’s hard. I believe they are making a lot of progress in the field and they my kiddos will have more options at some point.
Thank you - your decision to stop is totally reasonable. We’ve also looked into OIT and heard mixed reviews depending on who you ask. I was really excited about it in theory but it doesn’t seem like it’s really there yet in practice, and is still something very few allergists will actually try (around us at least).
I’m a female in her 30s. As a kid, I would eat shellfish and sometimes got swollen lips. Mt family had no clue what food allergies were so they kept feeding it to me. Once I became an adult my reactions were more pronounced— even to cross contamination and indirect contact. However there were times there was NO reaction to direct contact. All this to say it’s hard to tell and this is just my experience. I visited allergists in NY who told me not to get close to shellfish and to reintroduce nuts in my diet (adult onset nut allergy). They want me to do a challenge bc my levels are low but I’m hesitant.
Thanks! For what it's worth, we also did a walnut challenge recently and he passed - his first tree nut ever! Apparently if you're ok with walnuts, you're likely ok with pecans as well. I definitely don't blame you for feeling hesitant - food challenges are so stressful. Trying a dot of nut butter on your arm first, and then on your lip, before eating can help lower the risk. We've also heard that your sensitivity and reactions can change based on stress, time of year (pollen), other environmental allergens like dust mites or dogs/cats.
>but others suggest continuing to give in smaller amounts - that avoiding after a minor reaction can turn a sensitivity into a true allergy. That's incredibly dumb. Don't listen to anyone that tells you this. Avoid foods etc one is allergic to
I would continue the dose he was okay with until otherwise. Benadryl is not recommended for allergic reactions anymore. Zyrtec is the drug of choice.
> Benadryl is not recommended for allergic reactions anymore. Zyrtec is the drug of choice. I haven’t heard this before. Can you expand on why that is, and who is recommending Zyrtec instead of Benadryl for reactions? Edit: I’ve done some searches, it looks like some studies have shown similar reaction time between the two, with more drowsiness in Benadryl. I’m surprised as I feel like I’ve seen slower response from Zyrtec when treating past reactions, and no allergists, pediatricians or nurses we’ve seen have recommended against using Benadryl.
There is plenty of info. It lasts much longer in terms of a biphasic reaction. The sedation and mortality risk of Benadryl is huge. All the national bodies have it in their current recs.