Psyllium Allergy

[sherrylynn]

Me and my Grandmother are allergic to Psyllium. So, I just wondered how many others are allergic to psyllium or flax and wondered if it could be connected.

[sa1937]

I don't have any problem with either psyllium or flax. Do you think it could just be too much fiber instead of an actual allergy?

[sherrylynn]

I don't have any problem with either psyllium or flax. Do you think it could just be too much fiber instead of an actual allergy?

No, it is a definite allergy. I am an LPN and have to give Metamucil to my patients alot, when ever I give it you have to mix it up for them, and when I do if I breath any of it which is going to happen no matter how careful I am, I end up wheezing itching and my throat closes up. Dr. Wright told me since I have that kind of a reaction I should never take Metamucil because I will end up having an anaphylactic reaction.

My grandmother said it makes her throat close up too.

The reason I wondered about Psyllium is because another poster stated she cannot tolerate it either. She wondered if there was a connection.

[ravenwoodglass]

I said yes but I think it is more of an intolerance for me than an allergy. I eat a lot of fiber rich foods that don't give me an issue so in my case I don't think it is the fiber content. My body just doesn't like either of them.

[Mari]

I answered yes because I don't tolerate either. Can't remember the problems I had with psyllium it was so long ago but took flax seed meal for a year or so and since I stopped don't get swollen throat and difficulty swallowing only rarely so it might be an allergy.

[RiFi]

I too have been wondering if psyllium allergy is related to celiac disease. At this point my celiac status is unknown (in the process of testing now) but about 5 years ago I developed a severe allergy to psyllium. I had chronic urticaria for over a year and it was only be sheer fluke that I finally worked out psyllium was the cause. Since then I have gone on to develop an allergy to oats (which I happily ate for decades without a problem) and then quinoa, which I began using as a substitute for the oats. The oats gave me incredibly painful mouth ulcers, not the common garden-variety ones. But the quinoa allergy went from causing urticaria to throat swelling. Reticent to give it up, I tested quinoa several times and each time the allergy got worse and the throat swelling more severe. Now flax seeds bring on urticaria as well.

Apart from rhinitis, I've pretty much been allergy free my whole with no obvious food sensitivities, but my allergy to psyllium seems to have precipitated a cascading series of new allergies

There's a theory that a subset of people with celiac disease have a reaction to oats, not because of the often suspected cross-contamination with gluten, but because of a cross-reactivity between gliadin and avenin (the protein in oats).

[wheatweary]

I don't know about celiac yet, might just be gluten sensitive--just got blood drawn for celiac test the other day, but I'm definitely allergic to flax--it makes me throw up and I got skin prick tested by the allergist and now carry an epipen for it. I also have hay fever and allergy to various other inhaled things (dust, animal dander, mold), latex contact sensitivity, and oral allergy syndrome. One does wonder about the connection between theses things.