Peanut Allergy/Intolerance?

Hi
I'm 21 years old now and for the last 10 years or so I have not been able to eat peanuts. I used to love them as a child, but these days even the smell of them makes me want to throw up! I went to the doctor to share my concerns and he said I was intolerant, but at an Immunology lecture, it said differently. I'm not sure whether to eat a peanut (what if it's a severe reaction) or to just continue to not eat them...Should I see someone about this??

I'm not clear what symptoms you had of an allergy or intolerance - did they make you vomit when you ate them? Often sickness / diarrhoea can indicate an intolerance that precedes a more serious allergy. Often peanuts cause swelling of the lips / tongue / give a sore throat etc. and a test might be to touch a nut with your finger then touch your lip with the finger. If no reaction in an hour, try the nut on the outside of your lip etc. Allergy clinics don't like to test for peanut allergy if this type of swelling reaction is noted as it might lead to anaphylaxis. I knew one woman whose face swelled when she walked into a room where someone else had made a peanut butter sandwich. The advice would be not to take the risk, even if you carry an Epipen.

I had the exact oppisite problem. I could not eat penuts/penut butter until i was about 8! i was allergic to them though, and i grew out of it and now i eat them all the time. very weird. my docters still dont understand.

i have the same problem

i noticed on my 14th birthday when i ate a snickers bar that i couldnt really breathe well, the degree of symptoms vary, at one point the smell made me gag


people really dont think ther is a problem, but it does get worse as time goes on, if you firgure something out let me know

That kind of stuff happens - I don't think anyone really knows why. Honestly, unless you work in a peanut factory, just leave it be. I'd suggest checking every now and then to see if it's still an issue; after all, these things often clear up after a period of time. My brother had a nut allergy when he was young, but he can chow on peanuts with the best of them now.

talk to your allergist to be sure.

Try going to see another Dr and getting a second opinion. To not start to eat nuts again with out their go ahead as peanut allergies can be very serious. Nut allergies can trigger anaphalactic shock- this is a very severe allergic reaction which can cause your airway to swell and can stop you from breathing! Regular sufferers of this carry an auto injector or epipen containing adreniline to stop the reaction.
If you were to react like this with out meds then you would be risking your chances of survival!
Hope this helps!

Yes you should, get a full allergic diagnosis.