Hidden Allergens
The hot weather has triggered a histamine response in my body, following a bug bite on my neck over the weekend. So I went to the chemist and left with a pack of Piriton, which, to my surprise, contains lactose.
As the welts continued to spread, a visit to minor injuries led to confirmation of an allergic reaction or hives, and the result is another pack of Piriton and the offer of a steroid prescription. Luckily, I already had prescription steroid cream for my dyshidrotic eczema, which the doctor said will work in place of more tablets.
Since I am lactose-intolerant, the Piriton (chlorphenamine maleate) tablets mean I am faced with the decision to take the best drug for the issue, knowing I cannot avoid the lactose. For a few days, I am accepting the side effects and working from home because clothes make the itch worse.
Lactose hides in many medications and is used as a binder or filler. While the lactose content in medication is very small and should not affect your digestion, when taken every day for prolonged periods or in very sensitive people, it can still cause issues. For long-term medication, it is worth seeing what suitable alternatives are available.
Wheat starch can also be used as an inactive binding agent or filler in prescription pills and over-the-counter vitamins, so before dosing up, it is worth checking all the ingredients for allergens, including those with different names.
And it isn't just food. As someone who is lactose- and gluten- intolerant, I check my make-up and body products before I buy them to ensure they are also free from anything that may irritate or upset my system.
An additional nickel allergy is also quite hard to control, as I only recently found out that certain foods contain nickel too. This led to another research session to see if latex is responsible for those days I am sure I have eaten 'clean' yet show symptoms. I cannot put nickel on my body, or my skin splits and reacts within hours.
Lipsticks, glosses, and balms often contain ingredients derived from wheat, barley, or oats and can be accidentally ingested. My Katherine Daniels skincare has all been checked, and they only have two salon-strength items that I need to avoid.
The biggest surprise for me was finding the lactose hidden in my charcuterie. For clean meats, you will need to check the packaging to avoid added lactose fillers.
The 14 food allergens are: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, tree nuts.