Alicia64 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Hi Everyone, I've been eating Asian food my entire life -- although not much the last five years because of our new state. My favorite is Thai. Last night I was eating a Korean dish -- noodles and tofu -- and in the middle of eating, waves of nausea washed over me. I thought I was eating too fast. I had Tums, some bread, anything I could think of. I finally felt a little better before I went to sleep. I woke up this morning still not feeling right. More Tums, bread. Can you get an allergy to MSG after years of not eating Asian food?? Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Possible. More likely it was just some illness or even some kind of food poisoning. *you can get an allergy at any time, my egg allergy showed up 3-4 years(?) ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Despite popular lore, MSG allergies are relatively rare. I agree that's it's much more like to have been something else - food poisoning. I mean, you never know, but I doubt it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is a pretty balanced piece about MSG and how it's unlikely to be the culprit in issues for most people, according to the science: http://www.businessinsider.com/msg-allergy-doesnt-exist-2013-8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Despite popular lore, MSG allergies are relatively rare. I agree that's it's much more like to have been something else - food poisoning. I mean, you never know, but I doubt it. Not to be disagreeable. . . but I've had food poisoning twice. Maybe I just had the extreme version where you vomit for 24 hrs. straight. (Both involved sour cream.) Both incidents also took two hours or so to work through my body before I was aware of anything. This hit mid-bite. And I didn't vomit. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 MSG gives me terrible headaches about 6 hrs later. It could be an allergy to anything you were consuming. Nausea is how adult-onset anaphylactic food allergies have presented in 3 friends. One to tree nuts, two to shellfish. It could also be indigestion. Or maybe gallbladder-ish from the fatty meat. Or just a tummy thing. Hope you feel better soon! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 The only time I've had the mid-bite sudden nausea thing I was pregnant. I've had things where I've been eating something and it suddenly doesn't taste right though. I usually think it's something bad in the meal that I'm not quite detecting. I'm pretty paranoid about food poisoning - I've had it bad and had it mild where something just makes me feel yucky and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 The only time I've had the mid-bite sudden nausea thing I was pregnant. I've had things where I've been eating something and it suddenly doesn't taste right though. I usually think it's something bad in the meal that I'm not quite detecting. I'm pretty paranoid about food poisoning - I've had it bad and had it mild where something just makes me feel yucky and off. Okay, well, guess which restaurant I won't be eating at again? Definitely not pregnant. Gallbladder has been removed -- there was no meat in the dish (I'm veggie -- although maybe it was cooked in a meat broth?!). Thanks guys! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I get terrible headaches with MSG. I never used to, though. It is only in the last 5 years or so. DS also reacts to MSG in foods. His complaints were headaches, dizziness, cramps. I agree with zoobie, though. It could be anything. I would maybe suggest keep a food journal if it keeps happening/keep some Benedryl on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Okay, well, guess which restaurant I won't be eating at again? Definitely not pregnant. Gallbladder has been removed -- there was no meat in the dish (I'm veggie -- although maybe it was cooked in a meat broth?!). Thanks guys! Alley If there had been beef broth or something in there, that could be it. My mom hasn't eaten beef in years and accidentally got some in Brunswick Stew. She was miserable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Do you eat a lot of tofu? Could it be the soy? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 My MIL has heart palpitations with MSG. A friend has headaches and vomits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 My reaction to MSG is dose-dependent. The only time I had a significant reaction was while living in China, after eating with a friend. He was showing me how to cook some traditional Chinese dishes, and put scoop after scoop of a white powder in the wok. "What is that?" I asked. "MSG" he replied. :lol: My heart was racing for the rest of the evening. Maybe the restaurant uses more MSG than average? It's hard to know. Feel better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 It's interesting to me that some people seem to want to discount the MSG issue -- while other adamently say they have an allergy. Prior to this -- and I'm 50 -- I've never had a problem. But I never noticed before that there was controversy to this idea. (A couple of articles I found seem to want to dispute the idea.) Although I did find one that said a lot of concentrated MSG dumped on top of a dish can cause problems so I guess how it's integrated into the dish matters. I'm a 30-year vegetarian and eat tofu often. (But maybe it was a beef broth.) Remember how ulcers used to be from stress until they found that bacteria was causing the problem? It's made me wary of drs. since. Especially when they say, "it's in your head," or "it's stress" or "are you having problems?" :) Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 It's interesting to me that some people seem to want to discount the MSG issue -- while other adamently say they have an allergy. Prior to this -- and I'm 50 -- I've never had a problem. My son has lots of allergies. That being said, I would call our MSG issues sensitivities, not a true allergy. But really, that's just semantics. Because if eating it makes you feel like crap, your body is telling you something. So we just abstain. ETA: Okay, I know it's not just semantics. There really is a difference. But still. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 My son has lots of allergies. That being said, I would call our MSG issues sensitivities, not a true allergy. But really, that's just semantics. Because if eating it makes you feel like crap, your body is telling you something. So we just abstain. ETA: Okay, I know it's not just semantics. There really is a difference. But still. :) I totally get what you're saying. I've seen a serious allergic reaction -- which thankfully I didn't have. I still just feel icky. But functional so I can't complain too much. There is a difference, I agree. Alley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Soy makes me sick mid meal and afterwards until I vomit it out. I would think a stomach bug in your instance. You've suffered quite a while. My body rejects soy to the point of immediate body flush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Could be beef broth if you haven't consumed meat at all in a very long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 DS is MSG sensitive not allergic... from my reading... There is weak scientific evidence for MSG causing migraine symptoms... there is even weaker, almost speculative, evidence for triggering already existing epileptic seizures. There is anecdotal evidence for headaches, hyperactivity, anxiety, and stimming flares specifically for ASD folks... Nausea, stomach upset, or other GI issues are not typical MSG issues. So I would blame something else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 An allergy can manifest itself as vomiting and it would come on pretty quickly (at least this is my experience with one of my son's food allergies). That said, I wouldn't jump to conclude it was MSG, but rather one of the foods I was eating at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 MSG gives me terrible headaches about 6 hrs later. It could be an allergy to anything you were consuming. Nausea is how adult-onset anaphylactic food allergies have presented in 3 friends. One to tree nuts, two to shellfish. It could also be indigestion. Or maybe gallbladder-ish from the fatty meat. Or just a tummy thing. Hope you feel better soon! I react the same way to MSG. Vicious headaches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 DS is MSG sensitive not allergic... from my reading... There is weak scientific evidence for MSG causing migraine symptoms... there is even weaker, almost speculative, evidence for triggering already existing epileptic seizures. There is anecdotal evidence for headaches, hyperactivity, anxiety, and stimming flares specifically for ASD folks... Nausea, stomach upset, or other GI issues are not typical MSG issues. So I would blame something else... The scientific evidence that MSG triggers migraines may be "weak," but that may be mainly because there is no test to see if a person is sensitive to or allergic to MSG. I definitely get a migraine after eating MSG, and my allergist says it is not an uncommon reaction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 The scientific evidence that MSG triggers migraines may be "weak," but that may be mainly because there is no test to see if a person is sensitive to or allergic to MSG. I definitely get a migraine after eating MSG, and my allergist says it is not an uncommon reaction. It's not because there's no test, it's because they've done double-blind studies and found no correlation with MSG and headaches. I can't find the link now (ETA - Just remembering I think I listened to this on NPR, so no link to be had), but there were a few studies done where the sensitivity was found to be largely psychosomatic -- people who thought they consumed MSG reported symptoms, whereas people who were given MSG and told there wasn't any (but claimed a sensitivity to it) did not report symptoms. Skeptical Raptor has a good rundown of the science, but I'm not sure if people here appreciate links to that site. This isn't a comment on your experience, as there does seem to be a small subset of people who do have a sensitivity to MSG, but just info on what's come out since MSG was vilified so badly in the 90's as unsafe and migraine-causing and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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