Reaction to Poppy Seeds?

[PollyOR]

This afternoon I ate a bagel with poppy seeds on it. Less than half an hour later I was taking a shower and my heart started pounded and my pulse was racing. I kept trying to calm myself with steady breathing but after 10 minutes it wasn't getting better. My mom, a nurse, took my pulse and it was 140 beats per minute. My mom also told me that my heart beat was irregular. I rarely eat poppy seeds, but I vaguely remember something unusual last time too. (Where are those brain cells when I need them? ;))

 

Now I have my mother worried. My mom's side of the family has electrical (irregular rhythms) problems while both sides of the family have plumbing (clogged arteries) problems. I've tried not to worry about it, but today's episode was scary. Hopefully it was just the poppy seeds.

 

Have you ever heard of an allergic reaction to poppy seeds?

[plain jane]

I can't speak to the heart issue- that must have been very scary for you all, and I'm sorry you went through that. :grouphug: I do know someone who is very allergic to poppy seeds so it is a possibility.

[WiseOwlKnits]

No, but I know that eating poppy seeds will make you fail drug tests because they can make you test positive for heroin. Here's a link to a Wikipedia article that cites a few experiments that have shown this to be the case - scroll down to false positive drug tests. Given the knowledge of what heroin can do to a person's body, I would probably base a reaction to the poppy seeds based on that, rather than on a true allergy.

 

Hope this helps to put your mind at ease.

[PollyOR]

Thank you for your replies. It was definitely scary, but I'm more anxious about it now than when it happened. I need to :chillpill: :)