Allergic to vanilla extract, maybe??

[K-FL]

My ds had hives last night after eating some fudge (made w/choc chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla). He also gets reactions (mouth swelling usually) from Capt. Crunch cereal & mainly store-bought cookies. Any help on tracking this down? I've got a dot of vanilla & a dot of coconut extract on his arm now to see if he has a reaction. Thanks!

[Aggie]

One thought would be dairy. Wheat? My dh is allergic to alcohol, but it's my understanding that alcohol cooks out when it's heated.

 

I would have him allergy tested before it gets really bad. The more exposure one has to the allergen, the worse the allergy gets, according to one of our physicians.

[5knights3maidens]

Sounds like dairy or wheat. I wouldn't fool around with trying things on his arm...especially if he is having mouth swelling. I would keep him away from these things until he gets tested....Or see if you can get into the doctor asap to get an epi-pen for safety.

[Cinder]

Maybe corn? Corn syrup is in EVERYTHING these days.

 

Cinder

[H.S. Burrow]

Sounds like dairy or wheat. I wouldn't fool around with trying things on his arm...especially if he is having mouth swelling. I would keep him away from these things until he gets tested....Or see if you can get into the doctor asap to get an epi-pen for safety.

 

 

:iagree:Mouth swelling is not anything to play around with and try to figure out yourself. Not trying to scare you, but the next time he comes in contact with this allergen it could be fatal.

 

I would call the Dr. ASAP and request an epi-pen to have until allergy testing can be completed.

[Lisa in Jax]

Most "vanilla" in cookies, etc., is actually imitation vanilla -- i.e. "vanillin." I've read that some kids (especially those with wheat "issues") have a harder time with vanillin.

 

It's in both things you mentioned, (as are wheat, corn, dairy, and several other ingredients).

 

Be sure to rule out vanillin, vanilla, and artificial colors, in addition to the "big seven" (Eggs, corn, wheat, soy, nuts, dairy, shellfish).

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[AnnetteB]

I had a severe reaction to coconut last week :( I have always thought I was allergic to it, but a little mouth itch seemed more annoying than anything. This reaction was much more and I won't be touching anything with coconut again. We have allergies to so many things that it is beyond ridiculous. Testing is a great idea if you can do it. Benedryl is a handy thing to have around in the meantime.

[joannqn]

One thought would be dairy. Wheat? My dh is allergic to alcohol, but it's my understanding that alcohol cooks out when it's heated.

 

I would have him allergy tested before it gets really bad. The more exposure one has to the allergen, the worse the allergy gets, according to one of our physicians.

 

I would guess dairy or wheat with those things too.

 

BTW...Alcohol doesn't all cook out. How much cooks out depends on how the dish was prepared, when the alcohol was added, how long it was cooked etc. Between 5-85% of the alcohol will remain in the dish.

[K-FL]

I thought wheat or dairy 1st too, but he drinks milk & eats bread with no effects. We use pure vanilla at home, but the vanillin could be the problem w/commercially baked goods. Dh gave him a drop of the vanilla to test & he starting scratching, but we're not sure if it was a true reaction or psychosomatic. We (dh & I) are hoping he's allergic to alcohol--would save him lots of temptation. :tongue_smilie: We gave him 2 antihistamines last night & he was fine--slept well too.

[Parrothead]

It could very well be the vanilla. I did a quick google search to see if vanilla was a known allergen, and it is. What little bit I could read without subscribing this http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/herbssupplements/vanilla.asp article says

Vanilla has been shown to exacerbate several medical conditions, such as eczematous reactions and Quincke's edema in children with atopic dermatitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, and allergy. Vanilla has been proven a carrier of various bacterial strains. It is possible that vanilla may interact with anticoagulants.

While looking for something better I stumbled on to an article about a lady reminiscing about school and a cupcake party of some type. She said that a girl in her class said she was allergic to vanilla to get a chocolate cupcake. The teacher said that no one was allergic to vanilla.

 

That caught my attention because vanilla isn't a common allergen so an unknowing adult may try to force the issue if your kiddo does have an allergy to vanilla.

 

PS You can bake without vanilla. Just add the same amount of water to the recipe. Seems like my mom was always out o vanilla at random baking time.

Edited December 19, 2008 by Parrothead

[Unicorn.]

Look at whatever was new to his diet. Has he eaten choc. chips before w/ no reaction? Look at the ingredients on the cap' crunch cereal, and compare them to the ingredients in the choc. chips and the condensed milk etc. Find the common threads and start weeding them out from there. We found out our ds was allergic to Blue dye #1 this way. He could have other blue dyes, but not #1 (which is the most common). We think dd is allergic to red #3, which I've never seen before, but now she is afraid to eat peppermints/candy canes!