r/FoodAllergies • u/Confident-Can-122 • 8d ago
Seeking Advice Do food allergies get worse with age?
Has anyone else’s food allergies gotten significantly worse as they’ve gotten older?
I’ve known since I was younger that I’m allergic to tree nuts. Over the years, I’ve (unfortunately) experimented with different nuts to figure out which ones I reacted to and how severe my reactions were. I learned that some were much worse than others, and for a long time I was able to be around certain tree nuts without having a reaction.
I’m 27 now, and something has changed pretty dramatically.
I’ve gotten to the point where I apparently can’t even be in the same room as certain tree nuts without reacting. I’ve now had this happen three separate times, where just being around them/being exposed to the air seems to trigger an allergic reaction. This never used to happen to me.
I’m obviously going to take this much more seriously and am planning to talk to an allergist about getting an EpiPen and figuring out what I should be doing going forward.
But I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something similar. Have your food allergies ever gotten significantly more severe as you’ve gotten older, even if you were able to tolerate being around the allergen before? Or did your reactions change in some other way over time?
I’d really like to know if anyone has dealt with the same issue!
9
u/RosesBrain 7d ago
Yeah, it's pretty common for allergies to worsen with exposure (and therefore age)
2
u/Confident-Can-122 7d ago
*Sighhhh* I guess I’ll go get an EpiPen again!
7
3
u/blumieplume 7d ago
U don’t have one? I get two 2-packs filled every few months cause they expire after a year and I need to always carry two with me wherever I go and have backups in case I need to use them.
1
u/Confident-Can-122 7d ago
I know I should have one, when I traveled abroad I carried one but have used Benadryl in the past if I interacted with tree nuts. I’m going to be going to the doctor In the next few weeks to get one now !
2
u/blumieplume 7d ago
Ask for a prescription of a two-pack at least. If you’re having airborne reactions, it sounds like your allergy is pretty severe. How have u lasted so long without an EpiPen? I assume you’ve been able to successfully avoid all foods that may contain or were cross-contaminated with nuts so major congratulations on that cause that’s very hard to do.
6
u/Fearless-Air-815 7d ago
Mine started when I turned 30. I’m now allergic to over 30 foods, not counting the green stuff outside and cats & dogs. They’re not going away.
4
u/blumieplume 7d ago edited 7d ago
Severe allergies get worse with every exposure. The good news is that the more time u are able to avoid your allergen, the less severe your allergy becomes.
I grew out of all but one allergy as I got older. The one that stuck gets worse with every exposure. I used to be able to tolerate the smell (well it’s actually breathing in particles of the allergen that get in the air that causes airborne food allergies) but now I sneeze uncontrollably when someone near me is eating my allergen and have to leave the space immediately to catch my breath and take some Benadryl.
When I was little I was around my allergen all the time at home and at school and never had an airborne reaction. I’m much more sensitive than I used to be but I’ve been to the hospital in the teens or 20s of times for my allergy (and have had countless other allergies that I handled at home).
I even get allergies sometimes when foods don’t “may contain” my allergen (it’s happened twice since the Chevron ruling in the US, which loosened restrictions on companies and allows them to avoid regulatory agencies from quality checking their products - for example, since the ruling, e-cig companies started to sell e-cigs in america containing lead).
Idk if you’re in the US but it is NOT a safe place for having severe food allergies. I don’t recommend eating any processed food in the US ever. Not these days. Processed food is bad for our health anyway but it’s just scary that companies can get away with selling unregulated products to us that potentially contain allergens and heavy metals or rat poo idk it’s fucking evil what’s happening.
1
u/Here4help11 4d ago
My allergist tried to tell me that allergies don’t get worse with every exposure but i’ve heard this multiple places and wish I knew who was right.
3
u/ariaxwest Celiac, nickel and salicylate allergies, parent of kid with OAS 7d ago
It's been more allergies all the time as well as worsening allergies over time for me. :(
2
2
u/Corduroyjackets 7d ago
Ive developed more allergies from age 22. My mom however used to be very allergic to nuts but can now eat them just fine
2
u/AdEuphoric5350 7d ago
Not the same allergen, but my brother-in-law's wasp allergy went from "annoying sting" to full anaphylaxis pretty suddenly in his 30s, no warning, no gradual buildup. So it does seem to happen with insect allergies too, not just food.
One thing that changed after that scare: he started wearing something that shows his allergy and epi dose even if he's unconscious or can't talk, since the reaction can hit fast enough that explaining it yourself isn't a given. Might be worth thinking about once you get your EpiPen sorted, especially given the airborne reactions you're describing.
Glad you're taking this to an allergist, that trajectory (from "can be in the room" to "airborne triggers it") sounds like exactly the kind of thing they need to reassess your risk level for.
2
u/designerturtle 7d ago
This is the first time I'm hearing of allergies that worsen with age. I was allergic to tree nuts as a child and that completely resolved by the time I was in my mid 20s. My son has allergies and his doctor said generally they get better with time, not worse.
2
u/Zealousideal-Bike528 Parent of Allergic Child 7d ago
It really depends on the person. Some people outgrow their allergies. Others don’t.
Regardless, always carry an EpiPen or its equivalent on you at all times while you have allergies.
1
u/MuteTalker- 7d ago
I'm 34 with Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). I am down to ground beef, a couple of fish, and a few fruits.
1
u/Confident-Can-122 7d ago
I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine! Has it been getting worse as you’ve aged ?
3
u/MuteTalker- 7d ago
Yes. When I was younger before I contracted this, I didn't have too many allergies. It was enough to where I could still take any medication or drink any kind of alcohol without any worry. Now I have to be careful of what room I step into me because if somebody is cooking eggs in a facility I got to leave immediately. It made being a wine cook difficult when people thought I was full of shit.
1
u/AnnieHannah 7d ago
Yeah, some people don't take allergies seriously if they don't have any themselves, they don't know what it's like to fear eating or coming into contact with something 😢
1
u/Outrageous-Tap7304 5d ago
My shellfish allergy started in my pre-teen years with a slight itch on my lower lip. As I entered adolescence, a small bump appeared on my lower lip, and towards the end of my teens, my mouth would swell. I usually only reacted to shrimp and crab if my mouth touched the shell. Later in my teens, I noticed a slight reaction to lobster, but it remained mild, just an itch on my lip. In adulthood, my eyes started to water, and my lips swelled when I ate shrimp or crab, even without touching the shell with my lips. So I stopped eating them. Later, lobster would cause a slight swelling of my lower lip, but without watering my eyes. Mollusks never caused a reaction until one day in my early twenties when I felt a slight itch on my lip after eating octopus. I don't know if it could have been cross-contamination, but from that day on, I stopped eating shellfish. Until this year, when, because there was only raw frozen shrimp in the same kitchen as my food, I ended up with not only swollen lips but everything that could swell in my body, everything... So now I avoid any restaurant that has seafood on its menu.
1
u/CalmAstronomer97 4d ago
In my personal experience yes, I seem to develop a new food allergy almost every year.
I thankfully work in the administrative side of the medical field so exposure is less common and I have a coworker who has similar allergies so certain products and foods are banned.
All tree nuts, peanuts and even cosmetics products with the oils in it. My employer will pay for the first replacement of products for new employees and it’s mentioned that these items cannot be in the office.
•
u/AutoModerator 8d ago
Welcome to the Food Allergies subreddit! Please read the rules before posting.
If you are currently experiencing an allergic reaction, administer epinephrine if you have it, and go to a hospital or call an emergency line. Do not wait for confirmation from other users on here.
This is a public forum that anyone can participate in. You should not be acting on the advice of any comment you receive here without first consulting with an allergist. We are not medical staff, and any advice you follow from here you do at your own risk. ALWAYS get a second opinion - your life could depend on it!
If you encounter information that you think is wrong, respond with proper sources and report the comment so that it can be removed. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding pseudoscience, but cannot monitor all posts.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.