Anyone Try Alegra?

[Eric-C]

My wife and I took a short cruise for our anniversary about 2 months back.

While there the ship served me food with bread crumbs in it even though they knew I had an allergy and I confirmed it ahead of time.

Well I got sick, almost immediately. After reporting it to the people on the ship I went to see their doctor. Not much to do but figured best to have it on record as actually happening.

The doctor wanted to give me a shot but I wasn't too crazy about that, an anti-histamine. So she suggested I take Alegra to curb the symptoms.

While I was still sick that evening by next morning when they served us breakfast I was fine, had a bit of irritation but not the week long issues I normally have.

Again last week I had flour and have been sick for nearly a week. I finally decided to take some Alegra and within a day everything subsided.

Anyone else been prescribed this or tried it?

[Lisa]

My wife and I took a short cruise for our anniversary about 2 months back.

While there the ship served me food with bread crumbs in it even though they knew I had an allergy and I confirmed it ahead of time.

Well I got sick, almost immediately. After reporting it to the people on the ship I went to see their doctor. Not much to do but figured best to have it on record as actually happening.

The doctor wanted to give me a shot but I wasn't too crazy about that, an anti-histamine. So she suggested I take Alegra to curb the symptoms.

While I was still sick that evening by next morning when they served us breakfast I was fine, had a bit of irritation but not the week long issues I normally have.

Again last week I had flour and have been sick for nearly a week. I finally decided to take some Alegra and within a day everything subsided.

Anyone else been prescribed this or tried it?

This is interesting. Please refresh me, have your been diagnosed as having Celiac, gluten intolerant or gluten allergy? There is still a lot to be studied.

[Eric-C]

This is interesting. Please refresh me, have your been diagnosed as having Celiac, gluten intolerant or gluten allergy? There is still a lot to be studied.

Diagnosed as in tested...no...but here is a list of problems that went away when I stopped having gluten:

Thorasic outlet syndome

High blood pressure(120/90 pre, 90/70 post)

planter fasciitis....this one really stumped the doc. Told me I'd need to wear supports for the rest of my life, couldn't walk without them, went 90 percent away in 3 months.

Chronic knee pain

Chronic muscle pain

Variety of stomach/digestive issues

Nerve problems, ie hands aching burning, feet burning aching, legs feeling frozen and never able to warm up

Rashes along the inside of the thighs

hand tremors

Hypoglycemia/Diabetic symptoms

And a bunch more....I was going to be tested but went gluten free 6 weeks before the test(endoscopy), but was told it doesn't do much good if you've been gluten free.

The doc told me it cuts down on the antibody response. The stomach issues were still there, I had the uncontollable physical reaction but the other symptoms never arrived.

I've never been interested in going through a battery of tests. Eating gluten free in itself is far healthier regardless. So its not like I would take the test, find out its not something as severe as Celiac's and go back to it. I'm just better off without it all around and I cover both sides of things.

[Megra]

Diagnosed as in tested...no...but here is a list of problems that went away when I stopped having gluten:

Thorasic outlet syndome

High blood pressure(120/90 pre, 90/70 post)

planter fasciitis....this one really stumped the doc. Told me I'd need to wear supports for the rest of my life, couldn't walk without them, went 90 percent away in 3 months.

Chronic knee pain

Chronic muscle pain

Variety of stomach/digestive issues

Nerve problems, ie hands aching burning, feet burning aching, legs feeling frozen and never able to warm up

Rashes along the inside of the thighs

hand tremors

Hypoglycemia/Diabetic symptoms

And a bunch more....I was going to be tested but went gluten free 6 weeks before the test(endoscopy), but was told it doesn't do much good if you've been gluten free.

The doc told me it cuts down on the antibody response. The stomach issues were still there, I had the uncontollable physical reaction but the other symptoms never arrived.

I've never been interested in going through a battery of tests. Eating gluten free in itself is far healthier regardless. So its not like I would take the test, find out its not something as severe as Celiac's and go back to it. I'm just better off without it all around and I cover both sides of things.

I don't think you should share your opinions on Celiac concidering you do not have it and are not interested in knowing if you do.Go ahead and eat gluten free if that floats your boat...but do not post on this website! it is for people who are sick, not ones who choose to eat gluten free! We do not have a choice.Maybe you could go join an Austism forum......

a gluten free lifestyle!

[lizard00]

I don't think you should share your opinions on Celiac concidering you do not have it and are not interested in knowing if you do.Go ahead and eat gluten free if that floats your boat...but do not post on this website! it is for people who are sick, not ones who choose to eat gluten free! We do not have a choice.Maybe you could go join an Austism forum......

a gluten free lifestyle!

I believe you misunderstood Eric_C's posts. There are many of us here who preemptively went gluten-free, only to realize that in cutting out gluten, we diminished our chances of getting a proper diagnosis. And because of the dietary results, we found it to be unnecessary to go back to eating gluten for the purpose of a test that may or may not even be accurate. And cutting out or back on gluten is healthy for most people as gluten is a known inflammatory agent.

Now to Eric, I think that your positive rxn may show that you have an allergy as opposed to Celiac, but that is just thought. Since the rxns are different, an antihistamine, such as allegra, would cut down on an allergic rxn. But as I'm sure you already know, you still may have Celiac and it's probably not a wise choice to test out your theory a great deal. Much of the research indicates that a rash or skin problem almost always indicates a problem somewhere internally, which could explain your rashes. Have you ever had a food allergy test? You don't have to be eating gluten for that to be accurate. Although, sometimes, they too are inaccurate.

[Lisa]

I don't think you should share your opinions on Celiac concidering you do not have it and are not interested in knowing if you do.Go ahead and eat gluten free if that floats your boat...but do not post on this website! it is for people who are sick, not ones who choose to eat gluten free! We do not have a choice.Maybe you could go join an Austism forum......

a gluten free lifestyle!

Megra,

We don't treat people here as rudely as you have. Your post is a clear violation of Board Rules. I would strongly suggest that you review them.

All questions get answers here, no matter what you think of them.

Now back to the original post. Eric_C mentioned that his symptoms were relieved by taking Alegra. Perhaps, you (Eric) may have an allergy to gluten or wheat and not Celiac or a gluten intolerance.

To date, the only known *Cure* for Celiac is a total gluten free diet.

[Eric-C]

Just to be more clear.

Alegra did not solve the gluten reaction. I still got "sick" what it did do is clear up the week long blah feeling I usually have afterwards.

It turned a 6 day event into a 1 day event.

The doctor told me even if it is Celiac's one of the reactions is a hystamene response so the Alegra will control that portion but not anything else.

I also have the classic response. If I have wheat I cannot have soy for a week and dairy for 3-4 days afterwards.

[dadoffiveboys]

Just to be more clear.

Alegra did not solve the gluten reaction. I still got "sick" what it did do is clear up the week long blah feeling I usually have afterwards.

It turned a 6 day event into a 1 day event.

The doctor told me even if it is Celiac's one of the reactions is a hystamene response so the Alegra will control that portion but not anything else.

I also have the classic response. If I have wheat I cannot have soy for a week and dairy for 3-4 days afterwards.

I take Allegra 180mg all the time for outdoor allergies (in which it works extremely well for me..). Sometimes though I need two Allegra 180mg in a day. Without it I would be miserable and be red eyed and sneezy and itchy and yucky all the time. For my gluten allergy symptoms - it seems to make my DH not itch. Other than that, I don't see an affect. Still have GERD and Asthma and Diarreaha(sp?) and constitpation and back pain IF I eat either Gluten/Casein. If I eat gluten or casein I also get itchy DH.. but if I take Allegra I get non-itchy DH (?) but still get DH. I think it must be the antihistamine effect which causes the DH not to itch? (dunno). I haven't been diagnosed officially with anything though and I'm not going back to eating gluten/casein to find out!