There is much confusion regarding allergy to sulfa-containing drugs, sulfite as a preservative agent in foods and medications, sulfate salts of medications and the chemical element sulfur. Many of my patients assume that if they are allergic to one of these agents, then they are allergic to all of them. This is not necessarily true!
Learn more about:
Hello, I just read a page of yours pretty much discounting all CAM.
In the first paragraph, you write:
” This increased use of CAM seems to be based on distrust of conventional and scientific-based medicine, bad experiences with physicians, and/or belief that CAM is safe, natural, and without side effects.”
The clear bias and one-sidedness of this simple statement caused me to discount what you had to say. just a word of advice, people listen much better to fairly reasoned pieces. Yes, what you say is partly true, but it’s not all the same–some alternative therapies have more support than modern drug therapy, and fewer side effects!!!!
You know that our immune systems are incredibly complex, and you cannot claim that you know all the answers or are right about everything when there is so much we still don’t know about the workings of the immune system.
I happen to have allergies and type I diabetes and have studied endocrinology and physiology.
Basically, I’m just asking you (and everyone out there) to stop throwing it all away, in either direction. Anyone who says that modern scientific medicine has all the answers or that traditional or natural remedies or treatments have all the answers loses credibility real fast. How can either one be all wrong and the other all white. Our world has a lot more shades of gray than that!!
Thanks, and I hope this helps you critically assess your own webposts.
LM
I agree totally that there is space in our world for medicine and also alternative remedies I have an allergy to sulphur drugs and have suffered from getting Steven Johnson’s Syndrome and was very ill. I used sulphur eyedrops before I knew I had an allergy. And all I say is that you should always ask your doctor questions about any medication you may HAVE to take and if they do not give you satisfactory answers, go and find another doctor or as I do, stick to natural remedies as much as possible. Steven Johnson’s Syndrome is life threatening and is not easy to treat. Very few doctors even know what it is or know that it is given as a side effect of a lot of medicines. It is not something to play around with.
Regarding confusion between Sulfa, Sulfites, and Sulfates: My husband is allergic to all of them! We knew he was allergic to Sulfa antibiotics and to Sulfites, but we just found out he’s also allergic to Sulfates, as well. He was being treated for walking pneumonia, but his cough wouldn’t get better, even with the Albuterol inhaler. He went in for a nebulizer treatment, and lo and behold, he got way better–for about 5 minutes. Then, his lung function, etc. took a turn for the worse. The treatment was with Albuterol Sulfate! If you are concerned about any Sulfite reactions, stay away from wine (especially red), most flavored alcoholic beverages, any dried fruits that are light colored (most of the dark ones aren’t treated with it), oatmeal with apples; sauerkraut or light colored juices that are in plastic or glass bottles (the ones in cans seem to be ok). Be careful where you buy your pizza (Papa Murphy’s is just about the only one that doesn’t bother us too much), don’t eat flaked coconut, and the list goes on. We’ve found a brand of potatoes at Costco that doesn’t use sulfites–they are preserved with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) instead. Watch out for anything with sun-dried fruits or veggies, especially in cereals, sauces and soup mixes. I’ve also heard there is a link between sulfite and MSG sensitivity, so be careful with MSGs. Sounds like they are metabolized very similarly.
Hello. I have a sensitivity to sulfites. I know this because I used to drink a lot of white zinfandel. I was an alcoholic. I might have developed a sensitivity to sulfites due to ingesting the them in the wine for so many years in large quantities. I stopped drinking for many years and then went to having a a glass or two three days a week. Well I got really sick. I mean really sick. I got pnemonia four or five times and finally figured out had a sensitivity to sulfites. I monitor if it is in a product by if I get dark colored circles around my eyes. So far anything with sulfites or msg causes the reaction. When I was sick they gave me the albuterol inhaler. This made me way way worse and for months my health deteriorated. I am only 33. So I’ve have been sulfite free for a while now and feel wonderful. The problem I’m having is there are sulfites in so many things and not labeled. You would never know. So I get a reaction and trace it back to what was different in my routine. All the things the lady mentioned above are true. So I hope I could help someone treat their illness naturally. I also recommend a natural healing doctor. I haven’t seen one yet but will if I need too. I have a degree in Kinesiology so I have studied the body and it’s processes so I think this helped me figure my problem out. Take care.
I also have an allergy to all, but my reaction varies on the amount and type. I have a Sulfa drug allergy, Sulfite food and drug allergy and sulfate allergy. Depending on your severity to these I would like to add a caution, these preservatives are not only in food and selected alcohols. Many alcohols contain sulfates or fites I cant remember which at the moment, depending on the type my reaction has gone to anaphylatic shock. Lotions and shampoos also contain sulfates. Again, depending on the type and amount I break out in hives etc. Ive also had several reactions to sulfa medications. These medications include many used for treating ear infections and UTIs. There are many items that contain one or more of these. And in support of other comments: Yes you can be allergic to all of these, I clearly am.
I, too, am allergic to all forms, from sulfa drugs, to sulfites, to sulfates. I told my anesthesiologist before surgery that I was allergic to all forms, and she proceeded to give me ‘MORPHINE SULFATE’ following my surgery. Bad idea.
I have an allergy both to sulfa drugs and celebrex, both causing a rash. I was able to take vioxx when it was on the market without a problem.
Thank you for this article. It made me realize there are other medications that I might need to be careful about since I seem to react to both sulfa antibiotics and non-antibiotics.
I have difficulty breathing when I have eaten dried fruit with sulfites…like golden raisins and apricots. I start to feel a strange weezing, it also happened in the past when I had wine. I have confirmed sulfa allergy and due to my symptoms when consuming sulfites, an allergy to those as well. I always thought they were related and I still think they are regardless of what this article says. He does not have an allergy so he cannot tell you how it feels to have your airways constrict. I did not see any case study references, a big problem for him to mislead people.
Dr. More’s commentaries reflect the current consensus in both allopathic, osteopathic, and pharmacological medicine and immunology.
Rare cases of cross reactivity and co- allergy to sulfites as well as the recognized sulfamide antibacterial allergy do exist.
From the infreqency of comments posted for that position, we can only assess that it is not the majority.
I have discovered an extra sensitivity to sulfa drugs and now food. I dont know what I can eat that wont bother me.
My Sulfa drug allergy was diagnosed when I was about 5 years old after a sulfa-antihistamine almost killed me. However, no doctor has ever told me that there could be a link between Sulfa allergies, Sulfate and Sulfite allergies.
As a result it has taken me years to pin down my frightening and severe “potluck” food allergy. Within 10-30 minutes of eating unfamiliar trigger food, I would suddenly have crippling asthma attack along with other allergy symptoms. Sometimes dried coconut or coconut milk seemed to be the problem, other times it wouldn’t bother me at all. Soups, kimchee, jam, beer and mushrooms have all seemed to be culprits at various times. I didn’t know what I was allergic to, so I couldn’t avoid it. It wasn’t until I had a severe reaction to red wine that my NP identified sulfite.
I also have a sensitivity to Sulfate-containing soaps, cosmetics, and detergents. But I don’t know if this is a true allergy or not.
Thank you all for your post I have been told nobody is allergic to Sulfate, but I get a rash every time I have medication with Sulfate in it all over my body. Now I am finding out I am sensitive to products with Sulfur. I was thinking I was nuts. I know my body and when my throught starts to get scratch and swollen I know this not normal then the itch rash . My doctor believe me I wish some of my friends would. Now I have hives with peanuts. As a child I never had allergies, but as a I get older it is getting worse.
Hi…. I am Debbie and I am also allergic to sulfa drugs. I was diagnosed as a small child. I am now having sever chronic burning in my throat. this has been going on now for seven years. I aslo have burning in my esphogues. I took every medicene u can take for reflux. It only made me worse. I had surgery for the reflux, that i have now been told that I do not have. my throat only got better the week after the surgery because i could only drink liquids. But after I started eating again the same simptoms came back. I have been to the allergy Dr. and they say that they can not find any thing wrong. No one has ever mentioned to me that I could be allergic to any other things like sulfites and sulfates or sulfer. I don”t know what to do! I am still real sick. Does any one have any suggestions? Thank u!
To Debbie Hill: I am not a doctor, but my suggestion is to try to go ‘ORGANIC’ for a week or two and see what happens. Most organic foods do not contain sulfites or sulfates. (My belief is that they don’t contain a lot of added chemicals.) And, drink DISTILLED WATER ONLY. Did you know they ADD sulfa to some bottled waters? You can drink Sierra Mist. It has natural ingredients, but most drinks contain preservatives – yes, watch that corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup and the dyes. Only consider clear drinks/alcohol and definitely avoid wines. I can drink sake (Japanese rice wine) or clear alcohol. ALSO, watch the BODY PRODUCTS. I wondered why my hands were always so red. Yes, it was that push soap with all the sulfates!!! Watch shampoos, conditioners, hair colors, etc. also I have REACTIONS to sulfa drugs, sulfites and sulfates. In fact, I just tried to explain it to the doctor and pharmacist today and they didn’t understand and gave me an inhaler with albuterol sulfate. Guess what? My arms are already turning red…. I hope this helps some. I feel so much better going organic…. I just wish doctors and pharmacists would believe me that I have a “REACTION” to all three instead of risking my health and having me spend all this money on stuff that turns me red…. I’m going to go to Walgreen’s and INSIST that they figure a way to put all my allergies/reactions in their computer. The lady today couldn’t seem to add more as if the space was all filled up… I think we need to start a movement to get the medical care people to believe that we can have reactions to all three.
The comments about organic products not containing sulphites/Sulphur is not actually correct. While the products themselves do not contain Sulphur, Sulphur dioxide and derivatives are used as a anti fungal spray on organic fruits and vegetables. Sulphur is a natural product, so can be used. Sometimes organic produce can have more sulphites than regular produce! Just because it is organic doesn’t mean it is safe!
The comments about organic products not containing sulphites/Sulphur is not actually correct. While the products themselves do not contain Sulphur, Sulphur dioxide and derivatives are used as a anti fungal spray on organic fruits and vegetables. Sulphur is a natural product, so can be used. Sometimes organic produce can have more sulphites than regular produce! Just because it is organic doesn’t mean it is safe!
YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG ON SULPHUR & SULFATE;SULFITE RELATED ALLERGIES. I ALMOST DIED OF A DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTION THAT CONTAINED SULPHUR AS AN ANTIBIOTIC…ABOUT 4 YEARS LATER AFTER BEING GIVEN A DRUG FOR LIFE AFTER A COLONOSCOPY &STRETCHING OF THE ESPOPHOGUS, A MONTH LATER i REPORTED A BURNING STOMACH;HE ALMOST THREW ME OUT OF THE OFFICE . 4 Months OF TAKING HIS MED.; & OTHERS,HIGH BP &WARFARIN, i saw another dr. AFTER ALL TYPES OF FRUSTRATION; DIET, ETC. (Everything seemed to shut down inside; did 2ND COLONOSCOPY/It showed ULCERATIONS throughout w7mos on meds.She targeted the possible med& said to call pharmacists. all other tests and finally said; please call your pharmacist for sulphates,etc. I stopped them all! I searched for natural answers: raw spinach; for the others garlic was listed.(the 500 mg garlic & parsley tablet cleared my blood clots in 4 days! (it must be noted that I NEVER had acid reflux or blood clots before I was put on these meds!); I took 1 a day for the other days. . RESULTS! My blood tests showed almost perfect cholesterol; my club ankles with the bad veins went down to tiny ankles and have stayed that way; BP really good; NO STOMACH BURNING OR DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS ….I still have an itchy rash on just one leg above the ankles and nothing seems to deter it. IT DOES LESSEN IF I TAKE AN ANTIHISTAMINE as I had to just recently (2 years after I stopped all meds. I ate spaghetti-pasta had ferrous sulfate. Total mouth, tongue horrible burning, throat problems…it’s been2 weeks I stilll have tongue problems and mouth soreness with really watching my diet. My general dr. was honest when giving me a prescription said to call my pharmacist to see what was in it.Allergist he referred me to would not take me as a patient, SO DON’T SAY THERE IS CONFUSION BETWEEN SULFA AND SULFITE ALLERGY TO SULPHUR . . . I’M, THANK GOODNESS “LIVING” PROOF I HAVE TO CHECK INGREDIENTS EVERY DAY!
I was told as a child that I was alergic to pickles, capers, maraschino cherries, pickled peppers, sauerkraut, etc…. I wasn’t told what the alergy was; Just that I couldn’t eat those foods and it was a preservative. I have found that I have an extreme sensitivity to most medicines. I mean, I have a low tolerance and usually experience every side effect. I also have recently developed asthma and had an alergic reaction to Qvar but can take albuterol when I have an asthma attack. I don’t take albuterol daily, only when I have an attack and it works. I was told when I had the alergic reaction to Qvar that I was alergic to the preservative in it. It clicked at that moment that my food alergy and that reaction could have been related. I don’t know if I am alergic to sulfa, sulfite, sulfate and sulphur or which one I would be alergic to. I have an appointment with an alergy specialist to confirm. But my extreme sensitivity to most medicines and my food alergies, being alergic to these ingredients would make sense. I’m wondering, because I don’t seem to have a problem with grape juice or clam chowder, if perhaps it would be a different preservative or if that means that I am not alergic to one of them.
Since many vegetables have sulfur in them, would this also be a trigger for sulfur/sulfate/sulfite poisoning??
OK here go’s I can not use laundry soap unless it is free of dyes and perfume along with fabric softeners I get a itchy rash if using the others.Can’t use regular tooth paste as I get lot’s of sores In my mouth I use Sensodyne no problems.Can’t use most bars of soap same itchy rash.Was on medication for bladder infection sulfur drug same itchy rash at the end of the meds 8 days started at my ankles.Was on morphine for year half ask if there were no sulfur in the drug they said no but come to find out on my own that there was sulfur in the capsule(the part that dissolves) it self .Last four months of morphine my hands were getting cramped my feet were cramped I could barely walk couldn’t sleep crying all the time felt like I was going crazy.Can’t go in the hot springs if it has sulfur same itchy rash long with pneumonia type symptoms.All my life I have had mood swings depression along with suicide thoughts and some times feel like I am going crazy for no reason.sometimes my body tenses up then relaxes tenses up then relaxes for usually half hour to hour it gets worse when I stress about it PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE what is wrong with me??????P.S I have also had hangman break(c1 c2 break in the neck) from car a accident (lucky to be here today)and had quad accident my spleen was removed and part of my pancreas and 2 inch deep by 5 inch split in my liver and a fracture in my back. sincerely Rebecca
I am allergic to medications that contain sulfa. I have been suffering for over a year with a swollen tongue and extremely itchy lips. It started when I lost a large mercury tooth filling and it was replaced with a white filling which I never had before. I went back to the dentist & they did not feel it was from the filling. I have been to my GP for blood test; an ENT who sent me to an oral surgeon who tested a piece of my tongue with negative results, a dermatologist who gave me strong lip medication; nothing has helped. I read on line that they use sulfa in paste used for root canals. I am now trying to find out if they used this compound because of the large filling that they had to put in. If so, I will have it removed and go back to a mercury filling. If anyone else has had a similar issue from mouth work, please comment.
I don’t know if I am allergic to sulphur. But I am allergic to sulphates. I have to use laundry soap that is free of harsh chemicals. I have to use a body wash that has no sodium laurel or laureth sulphate. Same for shampoo or face wash. I am also allergic to iodine, iodine contrast for ct scans, mri’s and all shellfish. I have to carry an epi pen. I have to be careful not to eat anything fried with she’ll sigh, also.
I can’t use ivory soap, or most all naturals products. So it’s a challenge finding something that will not cause me to,break out in hives. I have discovered seventh generation products and most sulphate shampoo is great. M
HI, I have a question. My 20 year old daughter has been allergic to sulfa drugs since she was a year old. they put sulfa eye drops in her eyes and within 25 minutes her head looked like a purple spotted watermelon. well in her lab class today they were doing an assignment using sulfur so she asked the professor is it was the same as sulfa. He said yes it was the residue from it so he excused her from the project but kept her in the lab. She got very sick , sever headache, vomiting and chills. Could there be a connection from being in the classroom?
I believe that natural sulfur is a completely different
substance than sulfa drugs or sulfites/sulfates in wine, food, etc.
I am allergic to sulfa drugs but not MSM. Are the other products different
man made chemical compounds? Thanks for your help?
Ive notice when I eat sundried tomatoes I find it hard to breath for a few days It also makes my bottom teeth cold and painful when I breath. The tomatoes of course have sulfur dioxide. I am 32 and have just realized this. I am sure other things in the past containing sulfur dioxide have affected me I just didnt realize it. Guess I will stop eating it.